A Swim in a Pond in the Rain: In Which Four Russians Give a Master Class on Writing, Reading, and Life
- Downloads：2624
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-01-13 04:17:23
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：George Saunders
- ISBN：9781984856029
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
- Download
Summary
Notes From Your Bookseller
Saunders is the master class instructor of our dreams。 He is witty， charming and informative， willing to pepper in just the right amount of personal asides to make us feel like we are in direct conversation with him。 He walks us through Russian short stories to help us， ultimately， become better readers and writers。 There are only seven stories in this collection and， with Saunders as our faithful guide， we suspect we will all be reading even more。 This will inspire the writer within all of us。
From the New York Times bestselling， Booker Prize–winning author of Lincoln in the Bardo and Tenth of December comes a literary master class on what makes great stories work and what they can tell us about ourselves—and our world today。
For the last twenty years， George Saunders has been teaching a class on the Russian short story to his MFA students at Syracuse University。 In A Swim in a Pond in the Rain， he shares a version of that class with us， offering some of what he and his students have discovered together over the years。 Paired with iconic short stories by Chekhov， Turgenev， Tolstoy， and Gogol， the seven essays in this book are intended for anyone interested in how fiction works and why it’s more relevant than ever in these turbulent times。
In his introduction， Saunders writes， “We’re going to enter seven fastidiously constructed scale models of the world， made for a specific purpose that our time maybe doesn’t fully endorse but that these writers accepted implicitly as the aim of art—namely， to ask the big questions， questions like， How are we supposed to be living down here？ What were we put here to accomplish？ What should we value？ What is truth， anyway， and how might we recognize it？” He approaches the stories technically yet accessibly， and through them explains how narrative functions; why we stay immersed in a story and why we resist it; and the bedrock virtues a writer must foster。 The process of writing， Saunders reminds us， is a technical craft， but also a way of training oneself to see the world with new openness and curiosity。
A Swim in a Pond in the Rain is a deep exploration not just of how great writing works but of how the mind itself works while reading， and of how the reading and writing of stories make genuine connection possible。
For the last twenty years， George Saunders has been teaching a class on the Russian short story to his MFA students at Syracuse University。 In A Swim in a Pond in the Rain， he shares a version of that class with us， offering some of what he and his students have discovered together over the years。 Paired with iconic short stories by Chekhov， Turgenev， Tolstoy， and Gogol， the seven essays in this book are intended for anyone interested in how fiction works and why it’s more relevant than ever in these turbulent times。
In his introduction， Saunders writes， “We’re going to enter seven fastidiously constructed scale models of the world， made for a specific purpose that our time maybe doesn’t fully endorse but that these writers accepted implicitly as the aim of art—namely， to ask the big questions， questions like， How are we supposed to be living down here？ What were we put here to accomplish？ What should we value？ What is truth， anyway， and how might we recognize it？” He approaches the stories technically yet accessibly， and through them explains how narrative functions; why we stay immersed in a story and why we resist it; and the bedrock virtues a writer must foster。 The process of writing， Saunders reminds us， is a technical craft， but also a way of training oneself to see the world with new openness and curiosity。
A Swim in a Pond in the Rain is a deep exploration not just of how great writing works but of how the mind itself works while reading， and of how the reading and writing of stories make genuine connection possible。
Editor Reviews
Praise for George Saunders
“Nothing has been read its last rites more frequently than the American short story。 George Saunders proves， yet again， to be the form’s one-man defibrillator。”—Harper’s Magazine
“No one writes more powerfully than George Saunders about the lost， the unlucky， the disenfranchised。”—Michiko Kakutani， The New York Times
“Saunders makes you feel as though you are reading fiction for the first time。”—Khaled Hosseini
“One of the most gifted， wickedly entertaining story writers around。”—The New York Times Book Review
“Subversive， hilarious， and emotionally piercing 。 。 。 Few writers can encompass that range of adjectives， but Saunders is a true original—restlessly inventive， yet deeply humane。”—Jennifer Egan
“The best short-story writer in English—not ‘one of，’ not ‘arguably，’ but the Best。”—Mary Karr， Time
Praise for Lincoln in the Bardo
“It’s not like anything anyone has written before。 The author may have set out to write his first novel， but the work he completed is a genre unto itself。”—The Atlantic
“A luminous feat of generosity and humanism。”—Colson Whitehead， The New York Times Book Review
“Depicts a ferocious， keenly felt， and sometimes comic struggle。 。 。 。 Lincoln in the Bardo has great matters on its mind: freedom and slavery， the spirit and the body。”—Thomas Mallon， The New Yorker
“A strikingly original production 。 。 。 that confounds our expectations of what a novel should look and sound like。”—Ron Charles， The Washington Post
“Fans of Saunders’s stories—some of the most original work in American history—have craved this book for a long time， and he has not disappointed。 Saunders has disassembled the novel as a form and put it back together in a fascinating shape。”—John Freeman， The Boston Globe
About the Author
George Saunders is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of ten books， including Lincoln in the Bardo， which won the Man Booker Prize; Congratulations， by the way; Tenth of December， a finalist for the National Book Award; The Braindead Megaphone; and the critically acclaimed short story collections CivilWarLand in Bad Decline， Pastoralia， and In Persuasion Nation。 He teaches in the creative writing program at Syracuse University。
Excerpt
Read an Excerpt
A Page at a Time
Thoughts on “In the Cart”
Years ago， on the phone with Bill Buford， then fiction editor of The New Yorker， enduring a series of painful edits， feeling a little insecure， I went fishing for a compliment: “But what do you like about the story？” I whined。 There was a long pause at the other end。 And Bill said this: “Well， I read a line。 And I like it 。 。 。 enough to read the next。”
And that was it: his entire short story aesthetic and presumably that of the magazine。 And it’s perfect。 A story is a linear-temporal phenomenon。 It proceeds， and charms us （or doesn’t）， a line at a time。 We have to keep being pulled into a story in order for it to do anything to us。
I’ve taken a lot of comfort in this idea over the years。 I don’t need a big theory about fiction to write it。 I don’t have to worry about anything but: Would a reasonable person， reading line four， get enough of a jolt to go on to line five？
Why do we keep reading a story？
Because we want to。
Why do we want to？
That’s the million-dollar question: What makes a reader keep reading？
Are there laws of fiction， as there are laws of physics？ Do some things just work better than others？ What forges the bond between reader and writer and what breaks it？
Well， how would we know？
One way would be to track our mind as it moves from line to line。
A story （any story， every story） makes its meaning at speed， a small structural pulse at a time。 We read a bit of text and a set of expectations arises。
“A man stood on the roof of a seventy-story building。”
Aren’t you already kind of expecting him to jump， fall， or be pushed off？
You’ll be pleased if the story takes that expectation into account， but not pleased if it addresses it too neatly。
We could understand a story as simply a series of such expectation/resolution moments。
For our first story， “In the Cart，” by Anton Chekhov， I’m going to propose a one-time exception to the “basic drill” I just laid out in the introduction and suggest that we approach the story by way of an exercise I use at Syracuse。
Here’s how it works。
I’ll give you the story a page at a time。 You read that page。 Afterward， we’ll take stock of where we find ourselves。 What has that page done to us？ What do we know， having read the page， that we didn’t know before？ How has our understanding of the story changed？ What are we expecting to happen next？ If we want to keep reading， why do we？
Before we start， let’s note， rather obviously， that， at this moment， as regards “In the Cart，” your mind is a perfect blank。
In the Cart
They drove out of the town at half past eight in the morning。
The paved road was dry， a splendid April sun was shedding warmth， but there was still snow in the ditches and in the woods。 Winter， evil， dark， long， had ended so recently; spring had arrived suddenly; but neither the warmth nor the languid， transparent woods， warmed by the breath of spring， nor the black flocks flying in the fields over huge puddles that were like lakes， nor this marvelous， immeasurably deep sky， into which it seemed that one would plunge with such joy， offered anything new and interesting to Marya Vasilyevna， who was sitting in the cart。 She had been teaching school for thirteen years， and in the course of all those years she had gone to the town for her salary countless times; and whether it was spring， as now， or a rainy autumn evening， or winter， it was all the same to her， and what she always， invariably， longed for was to reach her destination as soon as possible。
She felt as though she had been living in these parts for a long， long time， for a hundred years， and it seemed to her that she knew every stone， every tree on the road from the town to her school。 Here was her past and her present， and she could imagine no other future than the school， the road to the town and back， and again the school and again the road。
• • •
Now your mind is not so blank。
How has the state of your mind changed？
If we were sitting together in a classroom， which I wish we were， you could tell me。 Instead， I’ll ask you to sit quietly a bit and compare those two states of mind: the blank， receptive state your mind was in before you started to read and the one it’s in now。
Taking your time， answer these questions:
1。 Look away from the page and summarize for me what you know so far。 Try to do it in one or two sentences。
2。 What are you curious about？
3。 Where do you think the story is headed？
Whatever you answered， that’s what Chekhov now has to work with。 He has， already， with this first page， caused certain expectations and questions to arise。 You’ll feel the rest of the story to be meaningful and coherent to the extent that it responds to these （or “takes them into account” or “exploits them”）。
In the first pulse of a story， the writer is like a juggler， throwing bowling pins into the air。 The rest of the story is the catching of those pins。 At any point in the story， certain pins are up there and we can feel them。 We’d better feel them。 If not， the story has nothing out of which to make its meaning。
We might say that what’s happened over the course of this page is that the path the story is on has narrowed。 The possibilities were infinite before you read it （it could have been about anything） but now it has become， slightly， “about” something。
What is it about， for you， so far？
What a story is “about” is to be found in the curiosity it creates in us， which is a form of caring。
So: What do you care about in this story， so far？
It’s Marya。
Now: What is the flavor of that caring？ How， and where， were you made to care about her？
In the first line， we learn that some unidentified “they” are driving out of some town， early in the morning。
“The paved road was dry， a splendid April sun was shedding warmth， but there was still snow in the ditches and in the woods。 Winter， evil， dark， long， had ended so recently; spring had arrived suddenly; but neither the warmth nor the languid transparent woods， warmed by the breath of spring， nor the black flocks flying in the fields 。 。 。”
I’ve bolded the two appearances of the word “but” above （and yes， I phrase it that way to avoid saying， “I bolded the two buts above”） to underscore that we’re looking at two iterations of the same pattern: “The conditions of happiness are present， but happiness is not。” It’s sunny， but there’s still snow on the ground。 Winter has ended， but this offers nothing new or interesting to 。 。 。 and we wait to hear who it is， taking no solace in the end of this long Russian winter。
Even before there’s a person in the story， there’s an implied tension between two elements of the narrative voice， one telling us that things are lovely （the sky is “marvelous” and “immeasurably deep”） and another resisting the general loveliness。 （It would be， already， a different-feeling story， had it started: “The paved road was dry， a splendid April sun was shedding warmth， and although there was still snow in the ditches and the woods， it just didn’t matter: winter， evil， dark， long， had， at long last， ended。”）
Halfway through the second paragraph， we find that the resisting element within the narrative voice belongs to one Marya Vasilyevna， who， failing to be moved by springtime， appears in the cart at the sound of her name。
Of all of the people in the world he might have put in this cart， Chekhov has chosen an unhappy woman resisting the charms of springtime。 This could have been a story about a happy woman （newly engaged， say， or just given a clean bill of health， or a woman just naturally happy）， but Chekhov elected to make Marya unhappy。
Then he made her unhappy in a particular flavor， for particular reasons: she’s been teaching school for thirteen years; has done this trip to town “countless times” and is sick of it; feels she’s been living in “these parts” for a hundred years; knows every stone and tree on the way。 Worst of all， she can imagine no other future for herself。
This could have been a story about a person unhappy because she’s been scorned in love， or because she’s just received a fatal diagnosis， or because she’s been unhappy since the moment she was born。 But Chekhov chose to make Marya a person unhappy because of the monotony of her life。
Out of the mist of every-story-that-could-possibly-be， a particular woman has started to emerge。
We might say that the three paragraphs we’ve just read were in service of increased specification。
Characterization， so called， results from just such increasing specification。 The writer asks， “Which particular person is this， anyway？” and answers with a series of facts that have the effect of creating a narrowing path: ruling out certain possibilities， urging others forward。
As a particular person gets made， the potential for what we call “plot” increases。 （Although that’s a word I don’t like much—let’s replace it with “meaningful action。”）
As a particular person gets made， the potential for meaningful action increases。
Reviews
B&NMarieC
，
As an aspiring writer myself， I have long-dreamed of having the opportunity to join Syracuse University's MFA program and take classes with George Saunders。 His books bring me so much joy; his writing is inspiring and captivating。 A Swim in a Pond in the Rain gives avid readers and aspiring writers alike the chance to dive into classic Russian literature and learn the mechanics of a good story。 The ways that he breaks down each story is appealing to anyone who loves to read。 This book is a treasure and one I hope to return to for years to come。
Steven
，
The last book I finished in 2020 was George Saunders' A Swim in a Pond in the Rain， "In which four Russians [Chekhov， Gogol， Tolstoy， and Turgenev] give a master class on writing， reading， and life。" This is a study of a few of the great Russian short stories of the late 19th Century。 Saunders digs into why these stories work so well and what went into making such masterpieces of fiction seem， on the surface， to be so simple。 Spoiler: they aren't simple at all。 The book offers some useful exerci The last book I finished in 2020 was George Saunders' A Swim in a Pond in the Rain， "In which four Russians [Chekhov， Gogol， Tolstoy， and Turgenev] give a master class on writing， reading， and life。" This is a study of a few of the great Russian short stories of the late 19th Century。 Saunders digs into why these stories work so well and what went into making such masterpieces of fiction seem， on the surface， to be so simple。 Spoiler: they aren't simple at all。 The book offers some useful exercises in the back to help writers condense and streamline stories without losing meaning。 Stephen King writes at the beginning of On Writing， "This is a short book because most books about writing are filled with bullshit。" Saunders' book is not one of those。Saunders is a genius， and any time I can get his insights on writing， or on reading， I'm all in。 。。。more
Ben
，
Thanks to Random House and NetGalley for an ARC of this book。This feels self-indulgent in the best way。 If you're George Saunders and you're known as a master of the short story who's just won the Booker prize for your first novel and you get asked what you're going to do next， you absolutely get to say "I'm going to take the class I teach at Syracuse where I teach Russian short stories to MFAs into a book。" As someone who's been a fan of Saunders' writing （both fiction and non-） for a while， I Thanks to Random House and NetGalley for an ARC of this book。This feels self-indulgent in the best way。 If you're George Saunders and you're known as a master of the short story who's just won the Booker prize for your first novel and you get asked what you're going to do next， you absolutely get to say "I'm going to take the class I teach at Syracuse where I teach Russian short stories to MFAs into a book。" As someone who's been a fan of Saunders' writing （both fiction and non-） for a while， I was happy to follow wherever he lead， even if this was a direction I pictured us going。I can't honestly say I ever had the desire to get deep into the short stories of Tolstoy， Gogol， Chekov， and Turgenev， but I could spend hours listening to Saunders talk about his craft， so that was well worth the price of entry。 After taking the first story a few pages at a time with you so that you can see how he wants you to approach these， the book falls into a pattern of story， Saunders' notes on what he wants you to notice， and an afterword where he'll also tell you his frustrations with a piece。 It's like reading these with a friend completely excited with these stories who's sitting on the other end of your couch， not intruding with your process， but wanting to make sure you catch all the little details they're obsessed with。 That sounds like it could be suffocating （we've all had that friend who watched US watching their favorite movie， hoping we'd completely get on board with it）， but Saunders is also willing to make space for us to really Not Like a thing and be fine with it。I'm almost tempted to read this through again now that I've read these stories once， just to see if I see more now that I've sat through this book version of his seminar。 That feels like pretty high praise。 。。。more
Jo Ladzinski
，
Read a NetGalley eARCThis is my first foray into nineteenth century Russian short stories and Saunders’ experience teaching them page-by-page shines through this craft book that is also a specific craft study。 Saunders selected works by Chekhov， Turgenev， Tolstoy， and Gogol to explore how these stories work and the connections between readers and authors。What really stuck out to me about this collection was the subjectivity of the analysis and the dispersal of advice。 Saunders makes it abundantl Read a NetGalley eARCThis is my first foray into nineteenth century Russian short stories and Saunders’ experience teaching them page-by-page shines through this craft book that is also a specific craft study。 Saunders selected works by Chekhov， Turgenev， Tolstoy， and Gogol to explore how these stories work and the connections between readers and authors。What really stuck out to me about this collection was the subjectivity of the analysis and the dispersal of advice。 Saunders makes it abundantly clear that the reader is allowed to get out of this work what they will。 Disagreement with his impressions is encouraged throughout， and he even used the page space to refer to his own evolving relationship with these works。 The balance between analysis of each story and more zoomed-out writing advice and Saunders’ own insights play well together， and it kept me engaged from start to finish。There are definitely bits that I am taking with me as far as the exercises go， and some of the adages of what makes great writing work。 A recommended read for people who learn by example （like yours truly）。 。。。more
Melanie Conroy-Goldman
，
This is an exceptional text。 It's a master class， as the title says， but also a writer's pep talk， a teacher's blueprint， a work of keen moral sense。 I'm teaching it this spring to my Craft of Fiction students， because Saunders says what I always try to teach， but does it better。 This is an exceptional text。 It's a master class， as the title says， but also a writer's pep talk， a teacher's blueprint， a work of keen moral sense。 I'm teaching it this spring to my Craft of Fiction students， because Saunders says what I always try to teach， but does it better。 。。。more
Cecilia Barron
，
He's so cute :）Forgot what it was like to learn about writing again; this was a good reminder。 I like to think I'm breaking things down when I read and thinking about it， but I'm usually not。 He's really quite good at that。 I also loved the stories he chose， even the ones I didn't love （Chekhov>Gogol）。A lot of the information was repetitive。 He also sometimes seemed to forget he was writing a book instead of teaching a class， so he would summarize， intensely， a story that was literally on the pr He's so cute :）Forgot what it was like to learn about writing again; this was a good reminder。 I like to think I'm breaking things down when I read and thinking about it， but I'm usually not。 He's really quite good at that。 I also loved the stories he chose， even the ones I didn't love （Chekhov>Gogol）。A lot of the information was repetitive。 He also sometimes seemed to forget he was writing a book instead of teaching a class， so he would summarize， intensely， a story that was literally on the previous page。 Besides that though， wish he was my uncle。 。。。more
Cheri
，
If you’ve never had the pleasure of taking a course in creative writing from George Saunders， this is your chance to take advantage of what he has to share without spending a semester in Syracuse， New York。 This time of year， especially， it makes sense to opt out of the chillier weather and sit in on some of the lessons， virtually， as Saunders’ shares with his Syracuse students， in a master class on the Russian short story。He includes two stories by Tolstoy: Master and Man and Alyosha the Pot， t If you’ve never had the pleasure of taking a course in creative writing from George Saunders， this is your chance to take advantage of what he has to share without spending a semester in Syracuse， New York。 This time of year， especially， it makes sense to opt out of the chillier weather and sit in on some of the lessons， virtually， as Saunders’ shares with his Syracuse students， in a master class on the Russian short story。He includes two stories by Tolstoy: Master and Man and Alyosha the Pot， three stories by Anton Chekhov: In the Cart， The Darling and Gooseberries， one by Ivan Turgenev: The Singers and one by Nikolai Gogol: The Nose。 Each story includes Saunders thoughts， musings on these stories， which are， for the most part， quiet， domestic， and apolitical。。。resistance literature， written by progressive reformers in a repressive culture。。。 The resistance in the stories is quiet。。。and comes from perhaps the most radical idea of all: that every human being is worthy of attention and that the origins of every good and evil capability of the universe may be found by observing a single， even very humble， person and the turnings of his or her mind。 Following each story， are his Afterthoughts。 His enthusiasm sharing this is palpable， and more than a bit contagious。 Those unfamiliar with these authors and or Russian literature needn’t feel overwhelmed， Saunders breaks it all down， sharing his thoughts and showing what makes a story worth reading with undisguised joy。 I enjoyed reading the stories themselves， but even more than that， I enjoyed reading Saunders break it all down and share his thoughts on what makes each story work， and how variations from the story would alter it。 His love of teaching really made this an absolute joy to read。 Published: 12 Jan 2021Many thanks for the ARC provided by Random House Publishing Group - Random House 。。。more
Marion
，
You should read this book。 If you need more convincing:Do you like to write？ Of course you do that’s why you’re looking up this book on goodreads。 And if you’re looking for a book about writing and why fiction is important you have found it。 Saunders is a master。 The Russians are， and always will be， magnificent。 And this book made me laugh and cry， and that’s all I want in a book。 Oh and he’ll give you great writing tips， tricks， exercises， and pep talks。And when he talks directly to the imagin You should read this book。 If you need more convincing:Do you like to write？ Of course you do that’s why you’re looking up this book on goodreads。 And if you’re looking for a book about writing and why fiction is important you have found it。 Saunders is a master。 The Russians are， and always will be， magnificent。 And this book made me laugh and cry， and that’s all I want in a book。 Oh and he’ll give you great writing tips， tricks， exercises， and pep talks。And when he talks directly to the imagined “writer，” he uses the pronoun “she” and it made me tear up every time。 This book filled my soul with joy。 What a book to end 2020 on， and here’s to 2021。 。。。more
Keith
，
Suppose you find yourself in the mood to read some good short stories。 Let’s also say that you have a particular interest in reading the fiction of some of the great Russian masters。 However， one thing that has always troubled you when you tried to satisfy such an urge in the past is that， despite enjoying the stories， you could not figure out exactly why they are considered to be so great。 Wouldn’t it be nice if you had a knowledgeable friend available to help you understand the subtleties of s Suppose you find yourself in the mood to read some good short stories。 Let’s also say that you have a particular interest in reading the fiction of some of the great Russian masters。 However， one thing that has always troubled you when you tried to satisfy such an urge in the past is that， despite enjoying the stories， you could not figure out exactly why they are considered to be so great。 Wouldn’t it be nice if you had a knowledgeable friend available to help you understand the subtleties of such things as character development， narrative construction， plot escalation， and the like？ And wouldn’t also be great if that person was always good-natured， witty， and insightful， without a trace of the hubris that sometimes goes with the territory？ If so， A Swim in a Pond in the Rain by George Saunders is the perfect book for you。In addition to being a first-rate author himself， Saunders is also a professor in a top MFA program where， among other things， he teaches a course in Russian literature。 That is important to understand because his goal with this volume is essentially to transcribe his lectures and classroom discussions onto the written page。 The result is a spectacular success which， as a teacher myself， I can attest to being very hard to do。 The basic structure of the book is fairly straightforward， being divided into chapters focusing on seven iconic short stories—three by Anton Chekhov， two by Leo Tolstoy， and one each by Ivan Turgenev and Nikolai Gogol。 Along with a translated version of the story， each chapter also includes Saunders’ critical analysis of what makes it work so well， as well as an “Afterthought” in which he discusses crucial aspects of the writer’s process， including his own （Revise！ Revise！ Revise！）。If that sounds too much like a textbook， be assured that it really is not。 At the heart of the book， of course， are the seven wonderful stories themselves。 Saunders’ analyses， while sometimes more involved than seemed warranted， are always accessible， perceptive， and illuminating。 He has thought deeply about this topic and he is clearly a fan of the genre， which shows through on every page。 （By the way， I had read three of the stories already—or thought I had until I reread them with Saunders as a guide！） Also， while I am unlikely to ever try producing my own short fiction， I still found the author’s many digressions on the craft of creating compelling stories to be very interesting; if nothing else， knowing how hard to writers have to work to make a tale come to life will make me a better reader in the future。 A Swim in a Pond in the Rain was a very satisfying experience and it is a volume that should be essential for budding writers and seasoned readers alike。 。。。more
Nick Braden
，
Saunders says in his introduction that this book was largely written for "people who've put reading at the center of their lives。" Full disclosure: That isn't me。 I enjoy reading， but I'm a slow reader， not to mention a fairly disorganized person with two young children。 If I put reading at the center of my life。。。 well， I shudder to think。On a related note， here's another disclosure: I haven't finished reading this book。 Normally I wouldn't rate a book before I'd finished reading it， let alone Saunders says in his introduction that this book was largely written for "people who've put reading at the center of their lives。" Full disclosure: That isn't me。 I enjoy reading， but I'm a slow reader， not to mention a fairly disorganized person with two young children。 If I put reading at the center of my life。。。 well， I shudder to think。On a related note， here's another disclosure: I haven't finished reading this book。 Normally I wouldn't rate a book before I'd finished reading it， let alone write a review。 In fact， normally， I don't write reviews even after rating a book。 But I felt some responsibility to rate and review this book in a timely manner after winning an advance copy in a Goodreads raffle （actually， I somehow won two copies， sent under separate cover）。 And， anyway， it hardly matters， because I've read enough to know that I love this book。 So here goes。What have I read， and how did I feel about it？I read Saunders's reasonably brief introduction。 It gave me a warm， tingly feeling。 It made me feel like reading might be something worth putting at the center of one's life。 It made me feel like fiction is important。 It made me feel like writing is a noble profession。 （This is also， he tells us， "a book for writers"。 That， alas， also isn't me， though I had dreams when I was young。） It made me believe that fiction can ask - and help us answer - "the big questions。"I read Tolstoy's Master and Man。 I first read this story in college， and it brought me to tears then。 I still remember my quiet fury at the kid who confessed to his classmates in the hall that he hadn't finished it， yet later had the gall to take sides - the wrong side - in a discussion about whether， at the end of the story， we have access to a character's thoughts after his death。 Maybe I've hardened over the years; no tears this time。 But it still made me believe in the possibility of redemption。 It made me feel like I had a better understanding of what's important， and that I might even be able to bring a measure of that understanding to bear， in a practical way， in my own daily life， at least for a time before I'll need a refresher。I read Saunders's essay on Master and Man。 I smirked at his humor， which will be familiar to fans of his work， though it wafts perhaps warmer and lighter in this book than in much of his fiction。 I picked up the story I'd just read and turned it in my hands， looking at facets I'd barely noticed， if at all。 I appreciated Tolstoy's mastery anew， and on a new level。I've begun， but have not yet finished， reading Chekhov's In the Cart， one or two pages at a time， with thoughts from Saunders interspersed。 I haven't read Chekhov before， but I've begun to understand why I of course know the name。 I am eagerly awaiting developments in the story。 I've argued with Saunders， skeptical， but also nodded in agreement， said "Huh" out loud at things I hadn't thought of but can see clearly when he points them out。And now I'm in it。 I read a little last night， forgoing the screen。 The next time I sit on the pot， I'll read a little bit more。 And the next， and the next。 （Benefit of working from home during the pandemic: I can read on the pot， even when the book I'm working on is a hard copy。） At some point in 2021， I'll finish the book， and I have every reason to believe it will be one of the best I read in 2021 （though， as you know by now， I won't read many， so maybe that's not saying much）。And here we are。 I hope I've earned my two free copies - not by writing a positive review， but by writing an honest one。 I hope you find it useful。 I hope， if it entices you to pick up this book， that you will love it as I have started to， and that we can share that small but important connection in the new year。 。。。more
Suellen
，
Thanks to Penguin Random House and NetGalley for sending me this Advance Reading Copy。 Expected publication date is January 12， 2021。The title pretty much tells what this book is about:A Swim in a Pond in the RainIn Which Four Russians Give a Master Class on Writing， Reading， and LifeI was thrilled to read that George Saunders and I have something in common - a great appreciation of Russian literature。 In this book， he “takes apart” the essence of seven significant Russian short stories as we le Thanks to Penguin Random House and NetGalley for sending me this Advance Reading Copy。 Expected publication date is January 12， 2021。The title pretty much tells what this book is about:A Swim in a Pond in the RainIn Which Four Russians Give a Master Class on Writing， Reading， and LifeI was thrilled to read that George Saunders and I have something in common - a great appreciation of Russian literature。 In this book， he “takes apart” the essence of seven significant Russian short stories as we learn what makes these particular stories stand out， techniques for writing a compelling short story how to evaluate them。 Oh， to be fortunate enough learn from this master。 I would love to see more of these literature explorations in the future。 。。。more
Yelena Chzhen
，
George Saunders is the kind of professor whose classes I daydream about going to， when I pretend to be an accomplished short story writer， attending MA in Creative Writing in Syracuse， discussing my ideas with a lucky dozen of students and George himself in his class。Reality: I hold in my hands an advance copy of his short story criticism/teaching， sort of in the form of class activity， focusing on Russian Classics as examples。 Reality is not bad at all。George Saunders can’t benefit from reading George Saunders is the kind of professor whose classes I daydream about going to， when I pretend to be an accomplished short story writer， attending MA in Creative Writing in Syracuse， discussing my ideas with a lucky dozen of students and George himself in his class。Reality: I hold in my hands an advance copy of his short story criticism/teaching， sort of in the form of class activity， focusing on Russian Classics as examples。 Reality is not bad at all。George Saunders can’t benefit from reading and commenting on my unwritten but incredibly original and witty stories， but I surely feel like I’ve sat in his class and listened with teacher’s pet attention about Tolstoy’s， Checkov’s， Gogol’s， Turgenev’s literary genius and bottomless Russian soul， ‘according to George’ 😊Although all studied short stories are provided within the book， I preferred to read them in Russian， and had to look them up in Bookmate。 With the exception of the first story - In the Cart by Anton Chekhov， for which George Saunders provides page by page analysis， all the other stories are discussed after you have finished reading them。 The second I would finish a story on Bookmate in Russian，I would rush back to the book， impatient to read what he has to say about it。It is all incredibly inspirational。 The stories， the commentary， the writing tips。 Many times I have stopped and thought - I would love to try this out right now。 But then went back to reading， because it felt so indulgent。 How often do you get a chance to hear an intelligent， funny， kind person talk TO YOU about the magic of writing and the skill of reading？ Not often enough at all。A Swim in a Pond in the Rain by George Saunders is out 12 January 2021 by @bloomsburypublishing and if you love short stories or want to know how you can learn from them， then you absolutely have to get it。 。。。more
Jeff
，
When I was in university， many years ago， I took a creative writing course。 It was a small group of want to be writers who would sit around a table once a week and hash out one another's stories。 A few times our professors （there were two of them） would bring in a story and we'd analyze it for how it worked。 The remainder of my courses towards an English degree were literature study。 Within which we would read a novel， analyze it from a particular perspective （deconstruction， feminist， &c。） or t When I was in university， many years ago， I took a creative writing course。 It was a small group of want to be writers who would sit around a table once a week and hash out one another's stories。 A few times our professors （there were two of them） would bring in a story and we'd analyze it for how it worked。 The remainder of my courses towards an English degree were literature study。 Within which we would read a novel， analyze it from a particular perspective （deconstruction， feminist， &c。） or theory and then move onto the next book。 It was rare that these classes helped me become a better writer。 And it was rare， as well， that the creative writing class helped me better understand literature。 What George Saunders has done in A Swim in a Pond in the Rain is to take these two halves of a whole and put them together。 The ways in which he analyzes and adores these stories brings life to them and his analysis。 He jumps off from each of these stories to not only say why they work， but what the technique involved is， and how he attempts to achieve the same level of artistry in his writing。 Which then leaves the reader with a complete analysis of a story， a structure， and a technique for getting there。This， in many ways， for a writer is a better education than a degree in literature。 At least the way I had it。 Which takes nothing away from my own education。 I learned a lot during those years。 But I was never able to apply what I learned to MY writing。 This book would be excellent for anyone wishing to think about literature AND writing AND creativity。 All three together。 Any writer would do well to read and re-read this book。 It's an absolute master's class in story， technique， and composition brought to us by one of our greatest contemporary authors。 。。。more
Dan
，
Thank you to Random House and herbal let for a copy of this book。George Saunders， award winning author and professor at Syracuse University， latest work is a study of Russian short stories and what he feels makes them so worthy of study。 In addition its also about Saunders' style， how he came to writing， how he adapted and changed what he wrote， not really a how-to but more of a how it works for him。 Saunders breaks down the Russian stories， look at this， imagine if instead we wrote that， why is Thank you to Random House and herbal let for a copy of this book。George Saunders， award winning author and professor at Syracuse University， latest work is a study of Russian short stories and what he feels makes them so worthy of study。 In addition its also about Saunders' style， how he came to writing， how he adapted and changed what he wrote， not really a how-to but more of a how it works for him。 Saunders breaks down the Russian stories， look at this， imagine if instead we wrote that， why is this important， which is something I might try to carry over into all my reading。 At the end I wished I could take this class or any class that Saunders taught。 This book is not just for Russian scholars， but for anyone who wants to understand why certain tales touch you deeper， and how just a simple use of one word can carry such resonance。 。。。more
Kim
，
The class I’ve always wanted to take but have never been able to take。 This is just like sitting in on the class that Saunders teaches。 Plenty of commentary and thoughtful provocation but no demands of the reader or bossy statements about what the authors of the short stories clearly were saying （I can’t stand that behavior， how do you know what they were thinking？） but lots of “Well maybe。。。” statements that help the reader along on this digestion route。 Basically that’s what this course is， a The class I’ve always wanted to take but have never been able to take。 This is just like sitting in on the class that Saunders teaches。 Plenty of commentary and thoughtful provocation but no demands of the reader or bossy statements about what the authors of the short stories clearly were saying （I can’t stand that behavior， how do you know what they were thinking？） but lots of “Well maybe。。。” statements that help the reader along on this digestion route。 Basically that’s what this course is， a probiotic that helps with the specific digesting of certain Russian short stories。 Sure you can read and understand these stories without the accompaniment of this book， but the course here eases some of the process and gently allows the stories to pass through your system。 What a weird thing to say， I can’t believe I just typed that so I’ve decided to leave it。 Thanks for this book， it’s made my year。 My copy was provided by NetGalley for review all opinions are my own。 。。。more
Kate TerHaar
，
Ask the right questions while reading and you will discover more from the writing。 I learned how to read fiction again thanks to George Saunders。
Krista
，
A story is a series of incremental pulses， each of which does something to us。 Each puts us in a new place， relative to where we just were。 Criticism is not some inscrutable， mysterious process。 It’s just a matter of: （1） noticing ourselves responding to a work of art （where we were before we read it and where we were after） and （2） getting better at articulating that response。 What I stress to my students is how empowering this process is。 The world is full of people with agendas， trying to A story is a series of incremental pulses， each of which does something to us。 Each puts us in a new place， relative to where we just were。 Criticism is not some inscrutable， mysterious process。 It’s just a matter of: （1） noticing ourselves responding to a work of art （where we were before we read it and where we were after） and （2） getting better at articulating that response。 What I stress to my students is how empowering this process is。 The world is full of people with agendas， trying to persuade us to act on their behalf （spend on their behalf， fight and die on their behalf， oppress others on their behalf）。 But inside us is what Hemingway called a “built-in， shockproof， shit detector。” How do we know something is shit？ We watch the way the deep， honest part of our mind reacts to it。 And that part of the mind is the one reading and writing refine into sharpness。 Apparently， in addition to writing some of my favourite long and short fiction， George Saunders is an Assistant Professor in Syracuse University’s Creative Writing Program， and one of the classes he teaches to the MFA students is on the Russian short story。 Reading A Swim in a Pond in the Rain is like sitting in on this class as Saunders dissects seven of his favourite （or， at any rate， illustrative of some point） 19th century stories from Russian authors （three from Chekhov， two from Tolstoy， one each from Gogol and Turgenev）， and not only does he explain the methods behind the writing of such precisely-constructed stories， but Saunders also illustrates how to read and recognise the craft in them。 The tone is knowledgeable but casual — Saunders invites his students and readers to disagree with him （to employ their own “shit detectors” and trust their own tastes） — and I ended this book feeling both educated and entertained; it receives my highest recommendation。 （Note: I read an ARC through NetGalley and passages quoted may not be in their final forms。） We’re always rationally explaining and articulating things。 But we’re at our most intelligent in the moment just before we start to explain or articulate。 Great art occurs — or doesn’t — in that instant。 What we turn to art for is precisely this moment， when we “know” something （we feel it） but can’t articulate it because it’s too complex and multiple。 But the “knowing” at such moments， though beyond language， is real。 I’d say this is what art is for: to remind us that this other sort of knowing is not only real， it’s superior to our usual （conceptual， reductive） way。 If I had one complaint it would be about the formatting of the analysis of the first story， Anton Chekhov’s In the Cart: For this story only （and Saunders does warn that he’ll be treating the first story uniquely， but I didn’t pick up on his meaning at the time）， Saunders shares the story one or two pages at a time and then asks questions about what， as readers or writers， we assume will happen next or how we feel about the latest development or what we think Chekhov intends for us to learn。 This process would certainly help writing students to understand the mechanics of the story and its construction， but it didn’t make for an enjoyable reading experience and I was happy to discover that each of the ensuing stories is included in full before Saunders begins to analyse them （this seems a peevish complaint but I’m including it merely as a warning for anyone else who may be turned off at that point; do carry on。）But to the good: Saunders has studied and taught these stories for decades， in various translations， and knows them intimately。 His analyses include historical and biographical information that bring Russia and these authors to life， and by including details about his own life and writing process， Saunders invites us into the mysteries through which art is created — showing how it's done and why it matters。 Again， while specific information （on how to write a sentence， for instance， and how to then revise it into a better sentence） seems essential learning for his writing students， Saunders makes it also feel like essential information for those of us who simply want to read and appreciate well-written fiction。 And as someone who hasn’t read a lot of Russian short fiction — and also as someone who doesn’t feel like I always understood what I did read — this book entertainingly filled voids in my education of which I was only vaguely aware。 I closed this book feeling enriched; enlarged。To get to a few specifics， Saunders discusses the Russian trope of “the Holy Fool” and debates whether Leo Tolstoy was employing it in Alyosha the Pot （or whether， as a devout Christian， Tolstoy was unironically writing about a character who perfectly displays Christian virtues; the genius of the story being in that unconscious debate in the reader’s mind）。 Nikolai Gogol’s The Nose was one of the stories included here that I had read before — without really understanding — and I appreciated Saunders’ discussion of the Russian literary technique of skaz that Gogol was employing: Every soul is vast and wants to express itself fully。 If it’s denied an adequate instrument （and we’re all denied that， at birth， some more than others）， out`comes。。。poetry， ie。， truth forced out through a restricted opening。 That’s all poetry is， really: something odd， coming out。 Normal speech， overflowed。 A failed attempt to do justice to the world。 The poet proves that language is inadequate by throwing herself at the fence of language and being bound by it。 Poetry is the resultant bulging of the fence。 Gogol’s contribution was to perform this throwing of himself against the fence in the part of town where the little men live， the sputtering， inarticulate men whose language can’t rise to the occasions but who still feel everything the big men （articulate， educated， at ease） feel。 Saunders explains the ambivalent appeal of Ivan Turgenev’s journalistic approach to short fiction （Henry James was a fan; Nabakov， not so much）， and concludes of The Singers: I’m moved by this clumsy work of art that seems to want to make the case that art may be clumsy if only it moves us。 I’ve sometimes wondered if this effect was intentional: a sort of apologia from Turgenev for his own lack of craft。 If we are moved， Turgenev has， via this story that claims that emotional power is the highest aim of art and can be obtained even in the face of clumsy craft， demonstrated that very thing。 Which would be， you know — pretty great craft。 I appreciated that Saunders mentioned that Master and Man was Tolstoy’s effort， twenty years later， to make something more artful out of his experience of getting lost in a storm than his initial effort in The Snowstorm （which I then needed to find and read; also adding Hemingway’s Cat in the Rain — to learn how a story’s action can be urgently propelled a paragraph at a time — and revisiting Saunders’ own Victory Lap — to experience how a story’s action can go in directions that surprise even its author; I do love a book that leads me to do further reading off the page。） There are many versions of you， in you。 To which one am I speaking， when I write？ The best one。 The one most like my best one。 Those two best versions of us， in a moment of reading， exit our usual selves and， at a location created by mutual respect， become one。 That’s a pretty hopeful model of human interaction: two people， mutually respectful， leaning in， one speaking so as to compel， the other listening， willing to be charmed。 That， a person can work with。 I highlighted far more passages in this book than I could reasonably share — there are so many directions this review could have taken — but this last one hit me personally: My very favourite books have always compelled me to say that they “charmed” me and I have to pay respect to an author who understands that， as a reader， I approach every book with this willingness to be charmed; that my least favourite reads are those that — through sloppy， illogical， lazy writing — make me feel disrespected instead。 I love that Saunders’ approach to teaching is to highlight this imperative; that’s where art gets made。 Trying to stay perfectly honest， let’s go ahead and ask， diagnostically: What is it， exactly， that fiction does？ Well， that’s the question we’ve been asking all along， as we’ve been watching our minds read these Russian stories。 We’ve been comparing the pre-reading state of our minds to the post-reading state。 And that’s what fiction does: it causes an incremental change in the state of a mind。 That’s it。 But， you know — it really does it。 The change is finite but real。 And that’s not nothing。 It’s not everything， but it’s not nothing。 So， that’s what it’s all about: Through the analysis of seven short stories from 19th century Russian authors （also included are two more from Chekhov: The Darling and Gooseberries）， Saunders explains how to write， how to read， and why both matter — and that’s not nothing。 I loved every bit of this。 。。。more
Zach Freking-Smith
，
Originally published at The Best Freking Book BlogLearning from the Russian mastersI love George Saunders。 He’s truly a master of the short story。 Tenth of December is one of my biggest influences in my writing。 And you all know how much I love Lincoln in the Bardo。 Saunders is definitely at the top of his craft， so when I saw this book that was billed as a masterclass in short story writing， I was in。 SO IN。AND IT DID NOT DISAPPOINT。A Swim in a Pond in the Rain features seven different short st Originally published at The Best Freking Book BlogLearning from the Russian mastersI love George Saunders。 He’s truly a master of the short story。 Tenth of December is one of my biggest influences in my writing。 And you all know how much I love Lincoln in the Bardo。 Saunders is definitely at the top of his craft， so when I saw this book that was billed as a masterclass in short story writing， I was in。 SO IN。AND IT DID NOT DISAPPOINT。A Swim in a Pond in the Rain features seven different short stories written by Russian writers: “In the Cart”， “The Darling”， and “Gooseberries” by Anton Chekhov; “The Singers” by Ivan Turgenev; “Master and Man” and “Alyosha the Pot” by Leo Tolstoy; and “The Nose” by Nikolai Gogol。 After each story， Saunders gives his thoughts and notes on the previous story。 That’s really all there is to the book。Not that that is a bad thing。Saunders’ energy and passion for them is clearly evident。 He uses these stories in his Masters level class about short story writing （sidebar: How awesome would it be to take a class from George Saunders？？）。 He peppers in stories from his classes， discussions they had， observations， all that stuff。 The stories are excellent。 However， I found myself enjoying Saunders’ writing more than the actual short stories。 But， let’s be honest， I didn’t pick this up to read dead white guys。I picked this up to read one alive white guy。The first section is probably my favorite。 Saunders does an exercise that he does with his students where he only lets them read one page at a time and they discuss it in length before moving onto the next one。 It’s a really cool way to breakdown a story and you really get a lot out of it by doing it that way。Overall， A Swim in a Pond in the Rain is a really meaty read with lots of insight from a master of writing。 I highly recommend this for aspiring writers， especially short story writers who may have had issues getting published。 There’s a lot of great information about how to push your story to the next level。 5/5， 10/10Thanks again to NetGalley for letting me read an advance copy from my favorite author！ Make sure you pick this up on January 12， 2021。 。。。more
manicmousy
，
5 stars
Steve
，
My thanks to NetGalley and Randon House for the ARC ebook of this title。A great book for the current lock down - like taking a class at home！ And， from a master of the short story himself。 Nice in that you can dip into it by chapter， and read his stunning insights while you read the original work。 I do need to share that I have just read 2 of the chapters so far。 But I am a lover of Russian Lit， and I know I will love the rest of the book as much as I have so far。 My only complaint - no Pushkin！ My thanks to NetGalley and Randon House for the ARC ebook of this title。A great book for the current lock down - like taking a class at home！ And， from a master of the short story himself。 Nice in that you can dip into it by chapter， and read his stunning insights while you read the original work。 I do need to share that I have just read 2 of the chapters so far。 But I am a lover of Russian Lit， and I know I will love the rest of the book as much as I have so far。 My only complaint - no Pushkin！ 。。。more
Julie Stielstra
，
* Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for a honest review * George Saunders， author of prize-winning story collections as well as the Man Booker Prize novel Lincoln in the Bardo， is a professor at Syracuse University where he teaches a class in 19th century Russian short stories – Tolstoy， Chekhov， Turgenev， Gogol， and Gorky。 A Swim in a Pond in the Rain grew out of this course， and now it’s your chance to sit in， read the stories， and follow Saunders’s commentary， questions， and multipl * Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for a honest review * George Saunders， author of prize-winning story collections as well as the Man Booker Prize novel Lincoln in the Bardo， is a professor at Syracuse University where he teaches a class in 19th century Russian short stories – Tolstoy， Chekhov， Turgenev， Gogol， and Gorky。 A Swim in a Pond in the Rain grew out of this course， and now it’s your chance to sit in， read the stories， and follow Saunders’s commentary， questions， and multiple “Afterthoughts。” You’re also offered a chance to try your hand at some exercises: cutting， escalating， evaluating translations （even if you speak not a word of Russian）。 It’s a friendly， cheerful， breezy tour through some iconic literature you may have not felt up to tackling， and if you love Russian literature already， this will enlighten and entertain you。 He starts out gently: doling out Chekhov’s “In the Cart” in two-page doses， asking questions along the way: What did you notice？ What did it make you think of？ Why do you think he put that in there？ By the end， a simple little story of an errand into town has become a microcosm of an ordinary woman’s whole life。 Subsequent stories are poured out in full measure， followed by Saunders’s musings， observations， and always， always questions。 He offers not just explications of the stories themselves but of the writing process: how did these writers come up with these ideas， these images， these plots， and why might they have arranged these sentences the way they did？ The course is geared toward aspiring writers， who are a very select bunch from a large pool of applicants， so these “technical” issues are key to the discussions， as illustrated by these masters。 But it’s George Saunders: he’s funny， he’s irreverent， he demystifies: “We can reduce all of writing to this: we read a line， have a reaction to it， trust （accept） that reaction， and do something in response （instantaneously） by intuition。 That’s it。 Over and over。” Or: “You don’t need an idea to start a story， you just need a sentence。” Of course it’s not that simple。 I seriously doubt that when Chekhov sat down to write “The Darling” he just scribbled out a sentence and kept going。 If we can see the developing pattern， surely Chekhov could too – he was too damn good and knew his tools too well not to。 But Saunders is also big on revision: that first sentence can always be better， tighter， more vivid – and most of all， it needs to cause something， to go somewhere: “Who cares if the first draft is good？ It doesn’t need to be good， it just needs to be， so you can revise it。” He observes: “Many young writers start out with the idea that a story is a place to express their views… they understand the story as a delivery system for their ideas… but， as a technical matter， fiction doesn’t support polemic very well。” In the end， he asserts， what fiction does is to “[cause] an incremental change in the state of a mind… that’s it… that change is finite but real。 And that’s not nothing。 It’s not everything， but it’s not nothing。”And if you don’t always agree with his approach， he’s fine with that。 After I finished grumbling a little about a few of his pronouncements， I forgave him instantly for this: ““That feeling of disagreeing with me was your artistic will asserting itself。” A Swim in a Pond in the Rain is a delightful opportunity to explore seven terrific stories （well， maybe six… I never will “get” Gogol）， and have your writing mind juiced along the way。juliestielstra。com 。。。more
Lydia Wallace
，
What a great writer。 Saunders has spent a lot of time compiling a series of original essays。 Saunders explores and dissects Tolstoy， Chekhov， Turgenev， and Gogol。 He does a great job of answering readers questions。 It really taught be how to write。 I would give you ten stars if possible。 You deserve it。 Pick this book up and you won't to put it down。 Ready for your next book。 Don't make me suffer too long。 What a great writer。 Saunders has spent a lot of time compiling a series of original essays。 Saunders explores and dissects Tolstoy， Chekhov， Turgenev， and Gogol。 He does a great job of answering readers questions。 It really taught be how to write。 I would give you ten stars if possible。 You deserve it。 Pick this book up and you won't to put it down。 Ready for your next book。 Don't make me suffer too long。 。。。more
Carlos Vasconcelos
，
Saunders teaches readers to find life in fiction and fiction in life， using the best short story writers to ever live - the Russians。Another book that could only be written by Saunders， though this one is clearly intended for a shorter audience。
Lissa
，
I like my fiction meaty， long， full of characters that I feel like I know inside and out， with a setting that feels like home which is why the short story format has never really spoken to me。 Apparently， I just have never had George Saunders explain in full detail exactly why short stories are so tautly and expertly written。 This book includes seven short stories by Russian authors such as Chekhov and Tolstoy and then a lesson taught by a master himself going through the short story and its nua I like my fiction meaty， long， full of characters that I feel like I know inside and out， with a setting that feels like home which is why the short story format has never really spoken to me。 Apparently， I just have never had George Saunders explain in full detail exactly why short stories are so tautly and expertly written。 This book includes seven short stories by Russian authors such as Chekhov and Tolstoy and then a lesson taught by a master himself going through the short story and its nuances。 I broke this up to read one story and its analysis a day which is what I would recommend。 Not only did I gain an appreciation of the form， but I also really enjoyed the majority of these stories。 I received a digital ARC of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
M。
，
It was a good read。
Ian
，
Communication’s a key ingredient to our daily life。 Even choosing to avoid it says multiple somethings about us。 Be the relationship cave painter and archaeologist or mother and son， down to the nanosecond most of us （speaker and auditor） repeatedly fudge it up。 In that last sentence， for example， the subject choices and use of the word ‘fudge’ paint both a true-ish and false-like picture of this reviewer。 But this isn’t about me （or is it？）。 [Ahem] Through a panoply of pitch-perfect analogies， Communication’s a key ingredient to our daily life。 Even choosing to avoid it says multiple somethings about us。 Be the relationship cave painter and archaeologist or mother and son， down to the nanosecond most of us （speaker and auditor） repeatedly fudge it up。 In that last sentence， for example， the subject choices and use of the word ‘fudge’ paint both a true-ish and false-like picture of this reviewer。 But this isn’t about me （or is it？）。 [Ahem] Through a panoply of pitch-perfect analogies， George Saunders puts the writer/reader at the reader/writer’s la-z-boy/typewriter。 With hang-out-sesh tonality， he weighs the beauty in misunderstanding against how utterly frustrating it can be to simply get what you’re being told。 Fans of UNDERSTANDING COMICS or HOW TO READ NANCY might enjoy placing turn-of-the-century Russian masterpieces under the microscope。 It’s been over a week since I finished A SWIM。。。 （“not about me，” eh， me？） and like a kid home from camp， not a day has gone by without a few thoughts of this deep moment or that fond element。 All that’s missing from that analogy is me repeatedly checking the mailbox to see if George wrote me a postcard， but that would be a downer of an ending to this wonderful book’s review （not to be confused with a wonderful book review）， so it’ll surely be edited out。 。。。more
Lucas
，