An arresting collection of contemporary fiction at its best, these stories explore a vast range of subjects, from love and deception to war and the...
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Feb 10, 2008
Catherine
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As usual with these collections, there is a mix of treasure and trash. For me the standouts were Charles Lambert's "The Scent of Cinammon," Yannick Murphy's "In A Bear's Eye," and Christine Schutt's "The Duchess of Albany." Alice Munro's "The View from Castle Rock," is good too I suppose but I'd already seen it in so many other places that it didn't really have any impact this time. I'm beginning to agree with my friend Cyndi that the O'Henry collections,
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Dec 17, 2009
KayC
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I particularly liked "Gringos" by Ariel Dorfman, "The Gift of Years" by Vu Tran, and "The Scent of Cinnamon" by Charles Lambert. What do these 3 stories have in common? I ask myself. Strong settings (wish I could travel more) and a sense of surprise--what I thought was happening (and at times what the characters thought was happening) wasn't necessarily what was really happening. How did Dorfman, Tran, and Lambert do that?
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Aug 28, 2008
Claudia
rated it:
So far this is such a good collection. "Summer: with Twins" is beautiful and The Scent of Cinnamon is atmospheric, a perfect ghost story, and beautiful example of how wonderful genre writing can be.
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Jan 15, 2011
John
rated it:
Reading the stories in this collection can be inspiring and depressing simultaneously. There are so many good ones. There are so many bad ones. It seems inevitable that the good ones are different for everybody. The bad ones are never agreed upon and some of the stories are never even mentioned by anyone ever again. Those are probably the most bloodless, toothless tales that shouldn't have gotten in anyway.
How can twenty people write such good work every year and still fall into obs More...
How can twenty people write such good work every year and still fall into obs More...
Jun 02, 2009
tomlinton
rated it:
It's relevancy and writing
that lead me to a lesser score
for this anthology than
the year after
Some slices of the human life
just don't wring my bells
or appeal to my peelings
I suspect this is due
to my taurishness
which is at star wars
with my mooning aquarians
and rising with the librans
...or some such truck
Thus...
when I likes it
I likes it
my precious
and there ain't no explaini More...
that lead me to a lesser score
for this anthology than
the year after
Some slices of the human life
just don't wring my bells
or appeal to my peelings
I suspect this is due
to my taurishness
which is at star wars
with my mooning aquarians
and rising with the librans
...or some such truck
Thus...
when I likes it
I likes it
my precious
and there ain't no explaini More...
Dec 07, 2011
Erictseo
rated it:
Reviewing a short story collection seems akin to reviewing a banquet. Many dishes pass across your palette.
The good thing was I tried many different kinds of fiction. They didn't cohesively go together, but each one was good enough and small enough to whet my appetite for the next one.
The good thing was I tried many different kinds of fiction. They didn't cohesively go together, but each one was good enough and small enough to whet my appetite for the next one.
Jan 20, 2008
Stacy
rated it:
I picked up this collection so I could get better familiar with the types of stories that were not only being accepted by literary journals across the country, but being honored in some way as well. Instead of reading dozens upon dozens of literary journals to understand every niche market, this was my way of researching the cream of the crop selected for these journals. I can’t say all these stories were all that deserving, but I can count my self educated. I bought (and started reading) this c
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Sep 20, 2008
Mary
rated it:
I picked up this short story collection because one of the authors was a professor I had in college. Because this is a collection, I can't really summarize, but I will say that even when I didn't particularly *like* what happened in a story, one of the reasons I enjoy short stories is that I can appreciate the form quite separate from what goes on in the narrative. Did the story make me think or surprise me? Did anything stay with me so that I had to wait a bit before moving on to the next one?
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Nov 22, 2008
Tiny Pants
rated it:
I know it's not a fair comparison, since O. Henry pulls its stories a bit differently than Best American does, but man, did this blow BASS 2007 out of the water. For one, I was able to read it in about 1/25th the time. For two, the stories were actually really good (see my review of the Best American Short Stories 2007 for what those were like -- hooboy). This collection was diverse enough to never be boring, and had very few pieces that stood out as clunkers. It also had way fewer of the "
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Jun 10, 2008
Kurt
rated it:
These collections are always difficult, given the selection of editors, and the world weary vision that must eventually infuse the reading process for professional readers. There are great stories in this book - William Trevor always a joy - and then a fair amount of mediocre stories that fly under the radar of 'experimental.' Sometimes, as in "The Bear" the experiments pay off, but frequently they are more frustrating than anything else. That said, it was a great teaching book beca
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Mar 12, 2009
Alison
rated it:
I enjoyed this anthology well enough, but what has stuck with me is a single piece of (repeated) imagery from one of the stories. None of them have really stuck with me beyond that, and I found that I wasn't particularly absorbed in what I was reading much of the time.
I guess that's all to say that the 2007 collection wasn't particularly worth the 1 year wait to get it from my library. (Though I think the wait had more to do with it being ordered & processed & read by the cataloging More...
I guess that's all to say that the 2007 collection wasn't particularly worth the 1 year wait to get it from my library. (Though I think the wait had more to do with it being ordered & processed & read by the cataloging More...
Jun 03, 2008
Christy
rated it:
A lot of people whose opinions I respect really like these annual short story anthologies. After I finish this one and the Best American 2007 (maybe Stephen King can really pick 'em?), I solemnly swear to quit buying them because they never fail to disappoint.
After my carping above, the collection picked up, but I am still not convinced that I should continue to invest my money and time in these "best of" collections. I ended up skipping 3 stories and really enjoyed about More...
After my carping above, the collection picked up, but I am still not convinced that I should continue to invest my money and time in these "best of" collections. I ended up skipping 3 stories and really enjoyed about More...
Jan 14, 2008
Lisa
rated it:
Same as with Best American, insightful as to what garners attention in today's short fiction world. "The View From Castle Rock," by Alice Munroe, is as good as she consistently is. Nice work with varying points of view. "Mudder Tongue," by Brian Evenson, has stuck with me long after I read it, though I keep questioning why. "Djamilla," "Summer, with Twins," and "City Visit" were also standouts. I wasn't a huge fan of William Trevor's "T
Jan 27, 2008
Kirsten
rated it: 
I wasn't very impressed with the collection this year. Maybe it was just crankiness on my part, but for the most part I felt underwhelmed. However, for me the standouts were "The Gift of Years" by Vu Tran, "Mudder Tongue" by Brian Evenson, "El Ojo de Agua" by Susan Straight, and naturally, "The View from Castle Rock" by Alice Munro (which I had already read).
If I was on the prize jury and got to write a little introductory blurb for one story
If I was on the prize jury and got to write a little introductory blurb for one story
Dec 16, 2009
Brandy
rated it:
I'm calling it quits on this one. I tried to like it, but after reading more than a quarter of the stories in this collection, not one of them moved me at all. I can picture all the authors, sitting at home, dressed in black turtlenecks and hunched over their keyboards, maybe smoking thin cigarettes. They just have that literary coolness to them that (to me) winds up just plain inaccessible.
I tried, I failed. What else is new?
I tried, I failed. What else is new?
Dec 23, 2007
Grant
rated it:
since 1997 i have read many of the O. Henry Prize collections. usually they are filled with surprising and extraordinary stories. this year was not the case. i can't imagine there was such a lack of quality stories, so my guess is the jurors chose poorly. with the exception of a few stories like "galveston bay, 1826", "view from castle rock" (both historical works), and "a stone house", the collection was a yawn.
Jun 09, 2007
Nicole
rated it:
the o'henry prize collections are always so great because you get to read the work of young writers who have never published before, but happen to have written something brilliant, right next to the work of the likes of alice munro. of course, the material is uneven (the william trevor that the editors liked so much to me was brutally boring) but the highs make up for the lows.
Dec 17, 2009
Dana
rated it:
You get a lot of bang for your buck with a good short story collection, which is why I try to pick up either the O. Henry Awards or the Pushcart Press volume every year. Not every story is great, but for the ones I don't like so much I turn it into an exercise of "What are the elements that make this a worthy short story." And usually, I can figure it out.
Jan 03, 2008
Elise
rated it:
So far I have read "Galveston Bay, 1826" by Eddie Chuculate;"The View from Castle Rock" by Alice Munro; and "A Stone House" by Bay Anapol. I have been dazzled by them all, especially Galveston Bay and Stone House. If stories could be wallpapered to a room for a week or two, or however long you felt like, I would choose those two.
May 04, 2010
Sara
rated it:
I finished this some time ago, and somehow never moved it from currently reading to read. I always enjoy these anthologies of prize-winning stories. They seem to consolidate the best of short fiction in a given year, and give me a good overview of current trends and contemporary writers. I recommend the entire series.
Jul 03, 2007
Edan
rated it:
I read half of this latest from the O'Henry awards on the plane. There are some stunning stories here (even one from Sana--I know her!), and I delighted in the diversity of styles. I tend to enjoy this anthology series better than the Best American.
Dec 27, 2007
Avni
rated it:
If you're interested in seeing the gamut of what a short story can do, read this. It helped me learn how to write short stories, all of which are unpublishable, while feeling like I understand what I'm trying to say.
Jan 21, 2008
Kelly
rated it:
So far I'm not sure I like the stories in this anthology as much as I like the stories in "Best American Short Stories." But there are some good ones. And I love a good short story.
Feb 02, 2008
Marsena
rated it:
A good collection of short stories. Some of them I read only the first page and then skipped to the next one, but there were plenty in here that inspired me and kept me interested.
Aug 31, 2009
Karianne
rated it:
I usually don't like short stories but I am giving this a try. Pretty good so far.
Dec 21, 2007
jessica
rated it:
There were some of my favorites from The New Yorker, and then one of my favorite authors (Susan Straight) and then a few where I cried, and a few that were NOT up my alley.
Nov 04, 2007
Nancy
rated it:
“The Room”
William Trevor
“Galveston Bay, 1826”
Eddie Chuculate
“The Gift of Years”
Vu Tran
“The Diarist”
Richard McCann
are not to be missed.
William Trevor
“Galveston Bay, 1826”
Eddie Chuculate
“The Gift of Years”
Vu Tran
“The Diarist”
Richard McCann
are not to be missed.
Jul 01, 2008
Rita
rated it:
I didn't like this collection as well as the 2003 collection. I read most of the stories through, skimmed some that weren't clicking and just didn't love it.
