Customer Reviews

Fifty Great American Short Stories

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I heartily enjoyed this gem of a book which offers a good sampling of the American short story. I had forgotten how delightful this genre is--this book has helped fill my need for good literature with its thoughtfully selected stories. Those who have gotten away from the short story may enjoy the fifty offerings in this nice book. Give it a try!

Don't read this book like you would a novel: straight through. Have it sit on your nightstand and pick it up some night to read. Only read a story at a time. If you do as I did and go through it (like, on a couple transatlantic flights), the jumps between subjects, writing style, length, and themes will ruin the stories and drive you batty.

Also a warning: be ready for dark, depressing bits. The short story style lends itself to brief, sharp stories that often rely on the short-comings of humanity to pack their punch. This collection has engulfed itself deeply in that style. There are two stories back-to-back about freezing to death, and I'd say at least one-third (closer to half probably) of them include a death or refer to one as a plot driver.

That being said, many of the stories are quite excellent! I preferred mainly the later authors that wrote in a faster-tone, but I'm sure each reader will have a different perspective. The ones I did not find excellent, I found unimpressive, so as a collection I felt it a tad too dark and with no real connecting style between the pieces. I know the connection was 'great American writers' but a collection needs more than common geography of birth to work well.