Poolside

by Duncan Bock (editor)

Poolside is a waterproof collection of fourteen stories about the satisfactions (and tribulations) of swimming lessons, summer scenes at club pools, chance encounters at the rec center-and just plain floating. The perfect companion for a day of dipping and people watching, Poolside is as necessary as sunscreen for achieving maximum poolside bliss. Poolside features internationally acclaimed authors Alice Adams, John Updike, Joyce Carol Oates, David Foster Wallace, Ernest Hemingway, John Cheever, and AM Homes, as well as emerging voices such as Julie Orringer and Andrea Lee.

Genres: Short Stories, Fiction

272 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 2007

Reviews

[rachel]

really good and fun. lowkey way too many of these were about divorce/failing marriages so it got kind of boring and repetitive by the end. but that being said i did love a lot of them. i even enjoyed the hemingway, which is insane because i’m a certified hemingway hater. maybe i’ll give him a chance! i want to read and write more short stories in general, they’re such an interesting form

[Jules]

dnf

[Jennifer Salazar]

I read this book when I was poolside throughout the summer at the Rose Bowl Pool, Annenberg Pool, and even when I was soaking my feet in our little backyard kiddie pool. Some of the short stories were very good, others not su much. My faves: The Isabel Fish by Julie Orringer, The Orphaned Swimming Pool by John Updike, interesting Women by Andrea Lee, and Paradise by Edma O'Brien. Great variety of writing styles and nice short reads perfect for summer.

[Kelly]

i took this into a hot tub and read it. the best.

[Jamie]

i had low expectations given that its biggest selling point is that it is waterproof, but remarkably entertaining collection of short stories all about pools, swimming, etc.