Scan barcode
A review by jj24
The Bigness of the World: Stories by Lori Ostlund
3.0
"I had started them on Salinger, despite the fact that another English teacher, whose name I shall not disclose, had suggested that Salinger, with all his “New Yorkiness,” had little to “say” to a group of students who had grown up here in New Mexico.
“I believe that Salinger has something to say to all tenth graders,” I had replied, perhaps overearnestly. “I myself was once a tenth grader growing up in Minnesota, and I found that he had plenty to say.” I do not buy into this idea that one learns more from literature that is familiar; in fact, it seems only logical that one would learn most from subject matter that one has not already mastered through the daily grind of one’s existence, which is what I shall tell my colleague the next time she bothers me about Salinger.
Months ago, when I first requested an early review copy of this collection of short stories, I did so based on its description and beautiful cover. My request came before I had any familiarity with the author, Lori Ostlund, and prior to my reading of [b:After the Parade|23492669|After the Parade|Lori Ostlund|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1437370195s/23492669.jpg|43082849], which ended up being one of my favorite reads of 2015. I also didn't realize that this collection was a republication of prior works, written before "Parade."
Ostlund is a gifted writer, and I will continue to look forward to her publications. In each of the stories contained in this book, she exquisitely captures the beauty (and pain --- and humor) of the human condition. She draws characters that are both quirky and familiar. Characters trapped by their circumstances, and characters who can transcend it.
Taken on their own, any one of the stories in this book would range from a 4 to a 5 star rating (my personal favorites were "Upon Completion of Baldness," "And Down We Went," and "Dr. Daneau's Punishment"); however, as a collection I'm rating the book a 3.5. The issue with this collection is that about 75% of the stories are the same -- a lesbian couple from Minnesota (on the brink of ending their relationship) teach ESL grammar to students in Malaysia (or Indonesia). They were just too similar. Again -- as stand alone pieces they were brilliant, but they just got too repetitive when reading the same set-up back to back to back.
3.5 Stars
Thank you to NetGalley and Scriber for a galley of this book in exchange for an honest review.
“I believe that Salinger has something to say to all tenth graders,” I had replied, perhaps overearnestly. “I myself was once a tenth grader growing up in Minnesota, and I found that he had plenty to say.” I do not buy into this idea that one learns more from literature that is familiar; in fact, it seems only logical that one would learn most from subject matter that one has not already mastered through the daily grind of one’s existence, which is what I shall tell my colleague the next time she bothers me about Salinger.
Months ago, when I first requested an early review copy of this collection of short stories, I did so based on its description and beautiful cover. My request came before I had any familiarity with the author, Lori Ostlund, and prior to my reading of [b:After the Parade|23492669|After the Parade|Lori Ostlund|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1437370195s/23492669.jpg|43082849], which ended up being one of my favorite reads of 2015. I also didn't realize that this collection was a republication of prior works, written before "Parade."
Ostlund is a gifted writer, and I will continue to look forward to her publications. In each of the stories contained in this book, she exquisitely captures the beauty (and pain --- and humor) of the human condition. She draws characters that are both quirky and familiar. Characters trapped by their circumstances, and characters who can transcend it.
Taken on their own, any one of the stories in this book would range from a 4 to a 5 star rating (my personal favorites were "Upon Completion of Baldness," "And Down We Went," and "Dr. Daneau's Punishment"); however, as a collection I'm rating the book a 3.5. The issue with this collection is that about 75% of the stories are the same -- a lesbian couple from Minnesota (on the brink of ending their relationship) teach ESL grammar to students in Malaysia (or Indonesia). They were just too similar. Again -- as stand alone pieces they were brilliant, but they just got too repetitive when reading the same set-up back to back to back.
3.5 Stars
Thank you to NetGalley and Scriber for a galley of this book in exchange for an honest review.