The Best American Short Stories 2007

by Stephen King (Editor), Heidi Pitlor (Series Editor)

book data

696 ratings, 3.54 average rating, 189 reviews (more data...)

rating	frequency	%
5		14%
4		39%
3		33%
2		10%
1		2%

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published

October 10th 2007 by Houghton Mifflin

binding

Paperback, 416 pages

isbn

0618713484 (isbn13: 9780618713486)

description

The short stories in the oldest and bestselling Best American, and with guest editor Stephen King selecting this year's stories we can expect to attac...more

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11/26/07

Rory rated it:

Read in November, 2007

recommends it for: only die-hard followers of the series

blech. i did wonder why the series editor kept going on and on about the "so-called death" of the american short story in her introduction. and then assured the reader that, um, it was going to get better. i didn't realize she was actually warning us that this crop was kind of crap! i DID wonder whether the anthology suffered because stephen king selected for it this year. i mean, i really like him, actually, but i don't think he's got lots of TASTE. whichever, i couldn't help but be d...more

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11/19/07

Alex rated it:

bookshelves: books-read-in-2007

Read in November, 2007

THE BEST AMERICAN SHORT STORIES 2007 EDITED BY STEPHEN KING: International bestselling author Stephen King takes the stage with a different kind of performance: instead of being the creator and writer, he is the director, selected as the editor for the 2007 edition of the ever popular Best American Short Stories series. But don’t pick this book up expecting to find blood and gore, or a sense of horror and a feeling of terror that you are more used to when reading the editor’s own work; in t...more THE BEST AMERICAN SHORT STORIES 2007 EDITED BY STEPHEN KING: International bestselling author Stephen King takes the stage with a different kind of performance: instead of being the creator and writer, he is the director, selected as the editor for the 2007 edition of the ever popular Best American Short Stories series. But don’t pick this book up expecting to find blood and gore, or a sense of horror and a feeling of terror that you are more used to when reading the editor’s own work; in this collection, King has select works he finds most fascinating, the stories that “make his blood curdle” but in an emotional and moving way, as opposed to a terrified one. Nevertheless, this collection has something to offer everyone, with twenty unique stories that were selected and deemed the best during the year 2006 by Stephen King and Best American Series ongoing editor, Heidi Pitlor.

King kicks off the collection with his own entertaining introduction, as he sets the scene for his discovering these special stories: bending down, ass in the air, going through the dusty and ignored journals shelf of a big-chain bookstore in Florida, and then making his way to the surprised cashier with this mighty pile of rarely bought materials. While it is humorous, King is making the clear point here that short stories are in some ways a dying art, for they are not being read by many, and in most cases, simply by other writers. And yet it is a crucial stepping stone for many aspiring writers. King sets out to show to the reader that while there were a lot of mediocre and not so good stories published in 2006, there were also some great ones, appearing in this collection, showing that the art of writing short stories is still alive and well.

The 2007 collection features stories by well known authors like John Barth, T. C. Boyle, Alice Munro and Richard Russo, to name a few. Here there are stories about everything, satisfying every reader’s taste in some way, whether it be “St. Lucy’s Home for Girls Raised by Wolves,” which is exactly what it sounds like; to an enchanting and memorable Lolitaesque story about an Olympic swimmer and a young girl with Polio who have a love a fair set with the backdrop of the 1918 flu epidemic in Lauren Groff’s “L DeBard and Aliette: A Love Story”; to “My Brother Eli” by Joseph Epstein featuring a famous writer who can never accept that he has done what he set out to achieve; to the wonderfully haunting “Sans Farine” by Jim Shepard, where the history and invention of the guillotine is revealed in gruesome detail while the French Revolution spirals out of control.

The beauty of a short story collection such as this is that with so much good material, if one is not immediately satisfied, one can just skip to the next story; and by the same token one can also slowly read and savor each story. Stephen King has certainly shown that he has some interesting and appreciative reading habits, proving his job as a good editor for today’s short stories. The Best American Short Stories 2007 is an ideal gift for anyone who has read all of Stephen King and wants something different, or simply loves to read books for what they are: an escape from reality into a world of the fantastic.

For more reviews, and writings, or to buy yourself a copy, please visit www.alexctelander.com.(less)

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11/02/07

Rebecca rated it:

Read in November, 2007

I love the idea of Stephen King editing this collection, but I had a really hard time mustering any interest in the majority of these stories. Alice Munro's story is brilliant. Besides that, there were a few that were okay, and then there were some that I was completely disappointed by.

Eileen Pollacks' story "The Bris," for example, is based on an interesting idea--a son goes to tend to his dying father, only to find out that in fact his father is not Jewish, as he had ...more

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09/12/08

Kirsten rated it:

bookshelves: read-in-2008, short-stories

Read in September, 2008

recommends it for: people looking for a fairly diverse collection of stories, leaning towards the morbid side

I slogged through the first five stories in this book and was about to toss the entire collection away in disgust. Even the John Barth story was outright awful, and so I denigrated Stephen King's taste in stories and vowed to never buy this collection again.

However, round about page 85, I hit Joseph Epstein's "My Brother Eli" and things began looking up. In fact, every story after that point ranged from decent to really damn good.

The Gold Star Stories:
...more

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04/07/08

Ryan rated it:

bookshelves: chronologicalstartingjune2007

Has a copy to sell/swap — Read in April, 2008

recommends it for: People who have to know

This is the first disappointment I've gotten from the Best American Short Stories Series. Stephen King proved to be a heavy-handed editor to say the least. While no story could be classified as out-right horror, they almost all contained horrific elements: a girl with her face shot off propped up in an abandoned farm house, a suicide pact, castration, biological warfare, girls raised by werewolves... even the obligatory Alice Munro story (she's been included in almost every year I've read) has ...more

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05/02/08

Nichole Rottinghaus added it

bookshelves: abandoned

I'm about 1/2 way through this, but wanted to jot down some of my thoughts so far.

It's been a long time since I read a collection of short stories, so I'm not sure what I was expecting. With that said, I'm finding the stories very "academic" - meaning, I keep waiting for my 10th grade English teacher to show up at the door with a thematic test for me on these, which I fear I would fail miserably. I get the feeling there must be more meaning to these stories than I see rig...more

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2 comments

12/04/07

amy Elliott rated it:

(review of isbn 0618713476)

Read in January, 2008

short fiction is like that kid you sort of had a crush on once, it wasn't a big deal at the time, and now that you're older you've forgotten 90 percent of the people you've kissed but you still remember that one kid you sort of had a crush on, the kid you wished you'd had the chance to fall in love with, but never did, for whatever reason, and it makes your heart swell.

these "best american" series is nice because it makes you feel immediately more informed for reading them. i...more

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01/17/09

Taylor rated it:

Read in January, 2009

I love the Best American series; however, I was not especially impressed with this volume. Lately, people seem to be re-examining Stephen King as a literary writer, which might explain the puzzling choice of him as editor, but, I'm sorry, literary he ain't. I found his introduction totally obnoxious, and his choices for this collection, with a few notable exceptions, were less than inspired. As a writer, King goes for plot, and as a reader, he seems to do the same. Not that I have anything a...more

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05/28/08

Susan rated it:

Read in June, 2008

I started loving this book from the very first story by Louis Auchincloss (who I had never heard of) entitled 'Pa's Darling'. What a great title. Four of the first six stories made me say 'Wowww' out loud when I finished them. If I saw Stephen King I'd kiss his feet to thank him for selecting these great stories.

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01/10/09

Dan rated it:

Read in February, 2009

When I was a kid, even before I wanted to be a musician, I wanted to be a short story writer. Not an author or the more generic title of "writer," but specifically a short story writer. As an adolescent, I would sit in my room and read the short stories of O. Henry, Mark Twain, Ray Bradbury, Edgar Allen Poe and pretty much anyone else I could get my hands on. I certainly read lots of novels and probably more nonfiction than someone my age would usually read but, it was the short storie...more When I was a kid, even before I wanted to be a musician, I wanted to be a short story writer. Not an author or the more generic title of "writer," but specifically a short story writer. As an adolescent, I would sit in my room and read the short stories of O. Henry, Mark Twain, Ray Bradbury, Edgar Allen Poe and pretty much anyone else I could get my hands on. I certainly read lots of novels and probably more nonfiction than someone my age would usually read but, it was the short stories that made me dream of one day becoming a writer.

I guess I still carry this dream around or at least the love for great short fiction. While cruising the Amazon Kindle Store trying to choose a new book to read on my beloved Kindle reading device (if you don't know what that is and you're even a semi serious reader, you owe it to yourself to visit the Kindle page at Amazon) I ran across a new collection of short stories by Stephen King. I've always loved his short fiction so, I clicked the link to read the descriptions and reviews of the book. In the description it mentioned that King had rekindled (that's probably an unfortunate pun, since I was reading about this on my Kindle) his interest in writing short fiction while editing the 2007 edition of the popular "Best American Short Stories" series.

While I still plan to read King's new collection, my interest immediately shifted to this anthology. One of the great things about Stephen King is that he is not only a gifted writer, no matter what the literary snobs sometimes think, but he is also one of the world's foremost fans of fiction and his selections for this yearly collection did not disappoint.

The titles and authors of the powerful stories in this book are too numerous to mention here so I'll just say that there wasn't a week story in the bunch and there were several which had me thumbing to the author notes at the back of the book to find out what else they had written. I hadn't read one of the annual best of books for several years and I had forgotten how strongly they reaffirm my belief that short fiction is not dead and, like blues or jazz in clubs all over the world, is still being practiced and honed to a fine art in dozens of literary magazines just outside the window of mainstream fiction.

The question is, did this collection make me want to be a short story writer again? I would say yes but that particular dream has never completely died.(less)

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02/06/09

Emily rated it:

Read in February, 2009

I loved this book!! My favorite stories were
"Balto" by T.C. Boyle,
"Where Will You Go When Your Skin Cannot Contain You" by William Gay, "Wake" by Beverly Jensen (I especially loved that one),
"Findings and Impressions" by Stellar Kim,
"The Boy in Zaquitos" by Bruce McAllister
"Dimension" by Alice Munro
"The Bris" by Eileen Pollack

What I particularly liked is that the selections ...more

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04/01/09

Judah rated it:

Read in November, 2008

I love this collection of short stories. Picked it up to keep me occupied on a long plane ride and it was perfect. Stephen King and a co-editor chose the stories. I've never read a King novel, but I've picked up from his column in Entertainment Weekly that he has a great eye for talent under and on top of the radar. Beautiful, touching and odd stories abound in this book...from relationships to girls being raised by wolves. One of my favorite experiences with the book has been reading about...more

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12/16/07

Ann rated it:

Read in August, 2007

Lots of good stories here. Steve took most of my recommendations, I was pleased. This one DeVita guy snuck in though. Oh well, he's got chops, as we say in the biz.

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01/01/09

Casey rated it:

Read this collection a while ago, and the only story that stood out then and still stands out is the very first one. "Pa's Darling" by Louis Auchincloss is a daughter's account of the shadow her father has cast over her life. This is particularly true of her two husbands, whom she feels were both stolen away, figuratively, by her father's sheer force of personality. The character's voice is pitch perfect; she is educated and opinionated and far more observant than her father ever give...more

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10/18/08

Ben rated it:

Read in December, 2008

recommends it for: if you're near me, and you know me, ask and I'll lend you this book

Three stars for the best stories... not for the average quality of the book as a whole!

At first, I thought I'd figured out what a Best American edited by Stephen King was going to look like: straightforward told tales, with a point of drama or literary shock that would catch your attention, and hopefully cover over for other awkwardnesses in the writing. That was my impression for the first half of the book. By the end though, it was yet another year (now 2 past!) of Best American Sh...more

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08/15/08

Tiny Pants rated it:

(review of isbn 0618713476)

bookshelves: fiction, series, short-stories

Read in October, 2008

I'm a Best American Short Stories fanatic, and had high hopes for a Stephen King edited-edition -- he read more widely than most guest editors, might bring in more unique voices, etc, etc. And yes -- there were more authors I hadn't heard of than normal, and way less of the New Yorker and way more of other venues for short fiction. In spite of this, however, the collection was more uniform than any in recent memory, and at least for this reader, that meant for the most part uniformly unappealing...more

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06/08/08

Lena rated it:

Read in January, 2008

I've always been put off by books that were all about the doom and gloom. I can understand that not everything is sunshine and daisies, but I read for the escapism and I want to leave the harshness of real life at the door, so to speak.

I actually had to read this book for class, and despite the fact that I didn't personally like it very much, I must admit that I would have never tried it if I hadn't had to read it.

The story I had to read was John Barth's "Toga Party"...more I've always been put off by books that were all about the doom and gloom. I can understand that not everything is sunshine and daisies, but I read for the escapism and I want to leave the harshness of real life at the door, so to speak.

I actually had to read this book for class, and despite the fact that I didn't personally like it very much, I must admit that I would have never tried it if I hadn't had to read it.

The story I had to read was John Barth's "Toga Party", which deals with one couple's very, very depressing view of growing old and their impending death. I was put off by it, because the level of depression is completely unbelievable to me (Maybe not to some people, but I would have never thought about aging and death in that manner, and honestly, I wouldn't want to), and I almost put the book down, vowing to only touch it again when I needed to do another reading assignment, and then sell it off when I got through the class.

As a lot of people have mentioned in earlier reviews, the guest editor for this book was Stephen King. I guess I probably shouldn't have been surprised by the level of despair that's present in this book, understanding Mr. King's mastery of dark fiction (Even though I also think he's really funny, but I'll stay on topic).

Eventually, though, in a fit of boredom, I was looking around for something to read, and I came upon this book again. Being desperate, I decided to look at the other stories inside.

I have to say that the book was an easy read. The stories had me sympathizing with the characters, but that's just it-- just sympathy, I couldn't read about the events in their lives and say "Oh, man, I know what that's like and that really bites", because I can't say I've ever had my children suffocated by a deranged spouse (God forbid), or watched one of my friends attempt to commit hara kiri at a costume party.

... Long story short, most of the characters do not really strive to overcome their less-than-satisfactory circumstances. They simply give in to the bad; go down without a fight, and that's not really enough to keep me reading.

The strongest points of the book were definitely the stories with a more fantastic flavor to them. "St. Lucy's Home for Girls Raised by Wolves" and "Where Will You Go When Your Skin Cannot Contain You?" were definitely up my alley; I really want to read more of William Gay's material.
Because I would like to keep those two stories around, I decided to hold onto the book after my class is over. But if they hadn't been included, I'd be running to Half.com the second I got out of the class.(less)

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05/01/08

Jack rated it:

bookshelves: ho-hum

Read in May, 2008

recommends it for: short story lovers with quick trigger fingers

Stephen King, this year's guest editor and a living "God" of bestsellers, writes in his Introduction that he tried to avoid "stories that felt show-offy rather than entertaining, self-important rather than interesting, guarded and self-conscious rather than gloriously open, and - worst of all - written for editors and teachers rather than for readers."

He should have tried harder.

Literary taste is a very subjective and individual thing. But to this rea...more

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02/25/08

Atman rated it:

bookshelves: fiction, short-stories, to-re-read

Read in March, 2008

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

I'm not sure what I was expecting when I started reading this. With Stephen King as the editor, maybe I was expecting some really lurid creepy stories. Well I wasn't too surprised to discover that few of the short stories here were of that type.

I'm not very good at expressing how I feel about things I read, but some standouts for me:

In "Toga Party", John Barth gives two different takes on dying and getting old. Both takes seem shocking, but one of them also h...more

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12/26/07

Kathleen rated it:

Read in March, 2008

Edited by Stephen King this collection of 20 stories provided mostly good, and sometimes weird, reading. As a whole the collection had the Stephen King feel of examining things that are in some way extraordinary but at the same time frighteningly ordinary. From "St Lucy's School for Girls Who Were Raised by Wolves" to "Horseman" the stories are thoughtful and provocative. A small bio is included for each author plus an explanation of how the author came to write the story. Th...more

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