Laura K’s Reviews > A Swim in a Pond in the Rain > Status Update

I know these analyses are short, but Saunders doesn’t address a major point in one of the quotes… Alyosha didn’t have it good down here, despite how kind and obedient was. He doesn’t address that maybe Alyosha’s actions aren’t meant to be championed or cautioned against. Maybe we are meant to pity him and look harder at those who treated him poorly and Tolstoy simply wanted us to NOT be THAT.

I had a very different take on “Gooseberries.” This short analysis lacks even the depth of acknowledging that the source of happiness matters when pronouncing it “good or bad.” Saunders has gone so general that he’s missed what feels like the obvious tropes and points (pastoral v city, happiness derived from nature is pure, from money is bad, can a man change from his upbringing, etc.).

I can read a lot into stories, but even I think this analysis of “The Nose” might be reaching too far.