A Good Man Is Hard to Find and Other Stories
by Flannery O'Connor
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Has a copy to sell/swap
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Read in October, 2002
recommends it for:
almighty himself
You will not have a fully formed conception of the South until you have read a story written by Flannery O’Connor. Her style is wry, twisted, dark and as black as anything you will ever read. I have read this story numerous times since I learned of its existence, the first time being upon entering my freshman year of high school. I feel I lack the credibility required to really explain the deeper meaning of this story to any extent, however I could also argue that anyone but the author herself...more
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Has a copy to sell/swap
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Read in December, 2007
recommends it for:
lovers of the written word
The last book I read was also a collection of short stories, but that is where the comparison stops. Each and every one of the stories in A Good Man is Hard to Find is a gem, masterfully polished and displayed by Ms. O'Connor.
This is, I think, the third or fourth time I've read through this book, and I still can't decide what she thinks of the human experiment. On the one hand, she paints her characters with such exquisite detail, putting forth their quirks and foibles in such a way...more
This is, I think, the third or fourth time I've read through this book, and I still can't decide what she thinks of the human experiment. On the one hand, she paints her characters with such exquisite detail, putting forth their quirks and foibles in such a way...more
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Read in March, 2008
recommended to Jackson by:
Lowell Browerrecommends it for: writers
O'Connor is a great weaver of prose. Every word is intentional. The meaning and purpose in her stories compound and snowball as the narrative runs. This book is a portrayal of many characters you might find on a roadtrip through the deep south in the 1950s. O'Connor is extremely critical of the people she highlights, and has something private and bothered to say about each one of them. She casts unfound racism, white cultural ignorance, conniving housewives, and snotty kids in a scrutinous ...more
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Read in June, 2008
I read "A Good Man is Hard to Find", but the book I got from the library only had the one story and not the set. I might go back and get the set, but I have to say, I just couldn't connected with this story. It was a good story, i wanted to know what happened, but the ending seemed anti-climatic and uninspiring.
None of the women in the story, with the exception of hte little girl who is not yet a woman, are given names. They are referred to as "the Grandmother", "th...more
None of the women in the story, with the exception of hte little girl who is not yet a woman, are given names. They are referred to as "the Grandmother", "th...more
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Read in February, 2002
This stuff is twisted, sparse, clipped, dark, doomy, funny, dramatic, Southern, angry, sexy, super Catholic, death-haunted, maniacial, bizarre, possibly racist, apparently desperate, fatalistic, existential, dreary, ugly, fetid, frenzied, morbid, lax, stern, prepossessing, unforgiving, unrelenting, anti-everything, aged, "retro", haunting, parabolic, anecdotal, moral, redemptive, sublime, reasoned, feverish, dreamlike, unsparing, sparse, I said that one already, seductive, craftsmanlik...more
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Read in November, 2006
These are disturbing, twisted, dark portraits of life in the Deep South during the 1950s. It made the South seem even creepier than it already was.
The story that particularly struck me was that of an awkward naïve seeming bible salesman and a jaded nihilistic PHD in Philosophy, who happened to have a wooden leg and a heart condition. She thought of him as a country bumpkin. He seduced her, stealing her heart and her leg; saying “You’re not so smart, I’ve believed in nothing all my lif...more
The story that particularly struck me was that of an awkward naïve seeming bible salesman and a jaded nihilistic PHD in Philosophy, who happened to have a wooden leg and a heart condition. She thought of him as a country bumpkin. He seduced her, stealing her heart and her leg; saying “You’re not so smart, I’ve believed in nothing all my lif...more
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I found this book in my Dad's shelf when I was in high school. It was next to the Anais Nin which I had already taken and read without asking. From the title 'A Good Man is Hard to Find' and my recent reading context, I had no idea what to expect, so I took this one too. Oddly enough he noticed it missing and later came to my room and asked where it was. It was on my desk. When he saw it there he said something like "Good. You'll like it." and left the room.
My favorite story in th...more
My favorite story in th...more
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Read in September, 2007
What a tremendous book. This is my first time reading O'Connor although her books have been recommended to me several times on account of my love for Faulkner. Her style is difficult to truly categorize - it's sort of omniscient and empathetic stream-of-consciousness but I don't even think that hits it just right. It's gonzo prose, really. It's only focusing on what matters at the moment and often ignores landscapes, history, and actions in order to simply listen and observe.
I read several ...more
I read several ...more
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Oh good lord. Someone said she made the south seem even creepier than it already was and i agree with a shudder. And my experience is that you can never really shake off these stories. She can create a character in five words that you will recognize instantly way, way down in your cerebellum--or maybe somewhere in your gut--and it will live there inside you forever. I think she is the unmatched master of the short story form. And don't get me wrong, you will laugh at times while reading. But the...more
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Read in October, 2007
recommends it for:
fans of: tom waits/raymond carver/ernest hemingway/william faulkner
o'connor runs a funny path in her stories. the themes are a sort of crypto-southern gothic with spartan sentence structure and diction. but that is what gives them a piercing sense, as well: with everything so barren, a two-sentence description of the sun setting over barren branches of trees in front of the house in the middle of nowhere can explode into meaning that might elsewhere take pages to build up. this may sound like someone overintellectualizing lazy writing, but read it yourself and ...more
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Read in January, 2008
I was pretty amazed, reading these stories. She’s come out of nowhere, that is, as far as my own knowledge of her writing is concerned, and has blown me away, catapulting her right up the very top of my list of short stories writers I love. I suppose she had a quiet place to write, and was able to unfold her tales without interruption; she displays southern characters who are so depraved, so odd, grotesque, and she does so with an evenness and a compassion for understanding that doesn’t allo...more
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Read in January, 1998
recommends it for:
Those who appreciate the strange, bizarre and challenging realms of fiction. And devout Catholics.
Imagine that you are a cynical one-legged southern woman with a philosophy degree who is lured by an apparently innocent southern Bible salesman into a hayloft, only to find out that, well... I don't want to ruin it for you, but this collection contains the extraordinary story "Good Country People" and all I can say is I wish I wrote that story. I repeat, I wish I wrote it. I really do. And in perhaps the most remarkable stroke of fiction of all, Flannery O'Connor, a devout Catholic, m...more
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Read in June, 2007
I've never lived in the South, I've never even been to the South, and I live about as far from the South as you can get and still be in the lower 48 states (Oregon), but reading this book makes me wish I had been born there and could die there.
Growing up you saw shows like Andy Griffith, which I imagine takes place in the South, and presents an idealized view of life in a small town where everybody's your neighbor and your Aunt Bea is always baking you a nice hot apple pie. Flannery O'Connor...more
Growing up you saw shows like Andy Griffith, which I imagine takes place in the South, and presents an idealized view of life in a small town where everybody's your neighbor and your Aunt Bea is always baking you a nice hot apple pie. Flannery O'Connor...more
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Read in July, 2007
it's hard to know what to compare flannery o'connor's short stories to. the only thing that pops to mind and seems apt is the bible. these stories are biblical for a lot reasons -- for one, the prose, which is so masterfully written that it seems like the work of some unimpeachable deity. and also, the boldness of the stories. there are these massive, brutal, unavoidable moments of revelation that you never think to question. it all just seems so bizarre and yet inevitable. i dunno, i'm not doin...more
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Read in June, 2008
recommends it for:
Everyone. Great for book groups.
Flannery O'Connor is a awesome writer. Let me explain my experience reading this collection of short stories. Every story begins with a somewhat happy, contrived beginning and as you read, you kind of saunter along singing, do be do be do, what a nice story and then WHAM she hits you in the gut when you least expect it and you finish the story going wow, how did this happen. This is an author that makes you think and will fill you with excitement and dread at the same time. I'd highly recomm...more
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Read in September, 2007
I know it is amazing. It is amazing writing - the words she uses are amazing - the grotesque-ness of the situations and characters are amazing. But I just cannot give it more than three stars. I liked some stories more than others (The Artificial Nigger, The Displaced Person, Good Country People) but I had to drag myself through some, and was seriously disturbed by others. I can tell that she is a master in the art of the short story. For me, it just wasn't a particularly pleasant experience - a...more
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Read in January, 2008
recommended to Heather by:
Rachel
I really liked this little book. I have wanted to read Flannery O'Connor for years, since my friend & ex-co-worker, Rachel suggested her. I purchased this book for a plane ride - choosing short stories because I didnt want to make a promise that I couldnt keep....
The book is wonderful! Wow, master of the short story is certainly correct. Each story is a brief but astonishingly intimate snap shot of a moment in a life. A dramatic, unforgettable moment. Every story has a dark ending ...more
The book is wonderful! Wow, master of the short story is certainly correct. Each story is a brief but astonishingly intimate snap shot of a moment in a life. A dramatic, unforgettable moment. Every story has a dark ending ...more
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Read in January, 1974
recommends it for:
Everyone
One of the few things I remember about High School English is being introduced to the writings of Flannery O'Connor. My English teacher raved about her, and we were required to read some of her work. I was struck by the power of her writing, and "A Good Man Is Hard To Find," especially, is one of those stories that, once read, is never forgotten. I was astounded to learn that O'Connor, who produced such cynical, gritty fiction, was a devout Catholic. I'd recommend her work to everyone.
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Read in February, 2008
Only read some of the short stories in here (had to return it to the Library before I could complete it). But, all I read were really good. My fav is the book's title, "A Good Man is Hard to Find", a story I first read it high school, and honestly didn't really undertand. I wanted to re-read it after a friend compared it to "No Country for Old Men". The second read totally blew me away. It's a brutal story about faith and judgement. O'Connor wastes nothing. Please read i
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Read in January, 2007
I find that the more I come back to Flannery O'Connor, the more I appreciate her incredible knack for describing humanity, especially southern humanity...and usually at its lowest and most ironic. Her descriptions are unmatchable, and some of them are laugh-out-loud amazing. Her grasp of sin and the unlikely shapes of grace can knock the wind out of me. I don't pretend to fully grasp most of the meaning in her short stories, but this is a wonderful collection for anyone.
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