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GOOD COUNTRY PEOPLE

Fantastic! Approaches Christian hypocrisy in a way I've always wanted to. This makes me want to dust off a short story idea I've been kicking around for a while. One of Flannery O'Connor's best.

A LATE ENCOUNTER WITH THE ENEMY

Wonderful! You know exactly where it's going and the story doesn't disappoint. It pulls you into the General's perspective and successfully brings you to his headspace. I loved it.

A CIRCLE IN THE FIRE

Once again, the greater meaning of the work eludes me, but it was certainly an arresting reading!

The Artificial Nigger

A fascinating look at generational bigotry and guilt. I don't know if I understand what Flannery O'Connor was going for here (apparently there's a lot of symbolism that's going over my head) but it's an enthralling read that I want to chew on more.

A TEMPLE OF THE HOLY GHOST

O'Connor does a fantastic job of portraying social taboos from the innocent perspective of a twelve-year-old girl. Not a dark story, necessarily, but a grim one.

A STROKE OF GOOD FORTUNE

The weakest of O'Connor's stories so far. An interesting study into a woman who is purposely deluding herself, but lacks any sort of meaningful conclusion. This is one that could have used a dark bite at the end.

The Island Where Dreams Come True gave my daughter (8) a good fright.

Took us forever to get to this point because my daughter is afraid of people transforming, and when she realized Eustus was turning into a dragon, she wanted nothing to do with it. But I'm glad to say we've finally come out the other side of that section safe and sound and now it's free sailing...for now.

THE LIFE YOU SAVE MAY BE YOUR OWN

People are awful. 4 stars.

The River.

Not nearly as engaging as A Good Man is Hard to Find, though I love how O'Connor juxtaposes the misguided faith of the river preacher with the benign ignorance of Bevel's family. It makes me think of Silence, for some reason.

Another cheery tale that ends well for all involved.