The Best American Short Stories of the Century (The Best American Series)
by John UpdikeSign in to Goodreads to see your friends' reviews of this book.
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Read in January, 2008
Great collection. Listened on audio. Some of my favorite authors (Mary Gordon, Charles Baxter, Lorrie Moore)are featured as readers here.
One big disappointment:
The short story "The Shawl" is one I read years ago and it hit me hard. It is read here by the author (Cynthia Ozick)
and I COULD NOT STAND hearing her read it. GRATING. Couldn't bear to hear this one through. READ IT! Don't listen to it.
Here's what Amazon says:(esp. like what he says about choosing stories because th...more
One big disappointment:
The short story "The Shawl" is one I read years ago and it hit me hard. It is read here by the author (Cynthia Ozick)
and I COULD NOT STAND hearing her read it. GRATING. Couldn't bear to hear this one through. READ IT! Don't listen to it.
Here's what Amazon says:(esp. like what he says about choosing stories because th...more
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Read in September, 2001
recommends it for:
Literary readers, short story readers, modern classics readers
Updike's The Best American Short Stories of the Century underrepresents humor and "genre" fiction, and for every drop of optimism there is a bucket of pessimism - so, it's a typical literary fiction collection. These are not the best-told stories, nor the most interesting stories. Those Updike selects are chosen for their literary value, their intellectual depth and understanding of more delicate elements of the craft, like religious allusions or flexible voice. Ernest Hemingway...more
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Read in April, 2008
recommends it for:
John Updike fans
It can't be easy to choose the best American short stories of the 20th Century. Even if you have over 700 pages to fill (like this collection) classic stories are bound to be left out. Although there are plenty of good stories here from canonical writers, I had a few problems with this anthology. First of all, some of the stories were not very good, and I can't help feeling that they were chosen because they fit some kind of needed token representation. It's a crime that Shirley Jackson's &qu...more
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This is a truly amazing collection! My mom and I each had a copy and read it at roughly the same time. (My mom, of course, finished first!) I eagerly await each yearly edition of the Best American Short Stories, so this volume was a special treat for me. One of the things that surprised me about this book was just how 'American' it is. John Updike notes in his introduction that he tried not just to choose stories written in America, but stories that truly tell us something ABOUT America. I...more
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This book sets itself the impossible task of selecting the best of a century's worth of great writing, and it accomplishes it as well as anyone can accomplish an impossible but admirable task. There are some authors who had to be included for their impact on American literature, even if they aren't necessarily masters of the short story, but there are also some stories I'd never heard of, written as they were in the early days of the century, and I liked finding those. I also saw some favorites ...more
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Truth is: I have a few more stories to go. There are weird constraints on an anthology that's supposed to represent a century, Updike addresses some of them in the intro. I love, tho, that a writer (Mary Lerner) who published a few stories, but no books, and about whom no one knows anything else, made it into this collection. Anthologies encourage listing, so I'll say it, of all the stories here, this one, no matter how many times I read it, devastates me: "That Evening Sun Go Down,"...more
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Read in July, 2007
recommends it for:
not the faint of heart
The worst thing I can say about this selection of stories on CD was that only 22 of the 55 were included. The stories are almost uniformly excellent, but demanding; often depressing, as themes included alcoholism, the Vietnam War, and cancer. The readers are either the authors themselves or otherwise qualified speakers (George Plimpton reading Fitzgerald was terrific). A few stories were strange (the bizarre "City of Churches" stands out) but stuck with me - these are worth a second...more
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Read in September, 2005
It's a good collection in theory, but as usual, I have some real problems with/doubts about contemporary literature, particularly such genres as poetry, creative nonfiction, and the short story. Who's to say these are really the best? I thought "the best" was generally decided after a considerable length of time had passed - what works remained in the critical and popular imagination, proven by their originality, their technical skill, and that unidentifiable quality that simply brings...more
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Has a copy to sell/swap
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Read in July, 2007
Given the title of the book, the word that mostly emote how I feel about the book is: under-whelmed. This is suppose to be the best of the best, and while some of the stories were quite good, even above average, I did not find any of them spectacularly compelling as I have found some short stories in the past. Yes, they do have to be published in a literary journal and faced selection after selection. Nonetheless, it was disappointing. Perhaps I went in with too high of an expectation.
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Read in February, 2008
It's hard to rate since there are so many different stories, some amazing, some just so-so (in my opinion.) As you would expect from a century-long collection there is a lot of variety. I listened to it and was disappointed that some of the readers were terrible or had annoying voices (and they weren't the author, I checked). Nonetheless, the CDs are nice for the car or to listen to while you're doing stuff around the house.
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Although I have only read about 2/3 of the short stories, I found it very interesting the way the stories evolved over the years. This book includes short stories from every decade starting with the 1900's. Some of the topics remain the same -- love, betrayal, death, families, etc. But a lot of differences in story settings -- it shows how the country has changed, evolved over the century.
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If you ever have to go on vacation and don't know what to bring to read, this book is a great choice.
In particular, I remember the Phillip Roth story and the Flannery O'Connor story, "Greenleaf". In fact, it made me read Flannery O'Connor's entire body of work immediately after this amazing story.
In particular, I remember the Phillip Roth story and the Flannery O'Connor story, "Greenleaf". In fact, it made me read Flannery O'Connor's entire body of work immediately after this amazing story.
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Short stories! What could be better reading material for someone with a head cold, mild general malaise, and the attention span of a five-year-old?
There actually is an answer to this question, and it's "comic books." But I'm fresh out, so Updike's favorites will have to tide me over.
There actually is an answer to this question, and it's "comic books." But I'm fresh out, so Updike's favorites will have to tide me over.
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Read in October, 2003
I made it half way through this book, then lost it. The book was excellent, or at least the half I read so I gave it 3 stars. Had I gotten all the way through it I would probably have given it the other 3 stars. I love the way he writes. I need to buy it again.
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Read in January, 2007
I read stories from this book at odd intervals. Got it at Half-Price. Mostly I use it to study story patterns, the first 5 sentences, character description, moving a character from one spot to another, passage of time; stuff like that.
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Read in July, 2006
recommends it for:
fictioners
read a short story! pick a short story! any story!
standouts: in the gloaming, where are you going, where have you been?, verona: a young woman speaks, you're ugly, too, the half-skinned steer
standouts: in the gloaming, where are you going, where have you been?, verona: a young woman speaks, you're ugly, too, the half-skinned steer
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Read in June, 2007
With a title like this, I expected more. Maybe a lot of these were too old for me to get into. The Elizabeth Bishop, Hemmingway, Faulkner, and Lawrence Sargent Hall stories were my favorites. I couldn't finish it.
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Read in January, 2001
recommends it for:
Short story lovers
I always have this book hanging around for when I want the satisfaction of a quick read. I check off the stories as I read them. I really have enjoyed the selections and I am glad I did not have to choose!
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Short stories are the best of the underappreciated genres of literature. There have been many written, and as many forgotten. If there is one of "The Best" collections that is a must-read, this is it.
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Read in January, 2005
recommends it for:
anyone
It's fun to read an older story and experience how some aspects feel incredibly dated... yet to read another old story and find it completely timeless.
This is a fun book to have on the shelf.
This is a fun book to have on the shelf.
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