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The Best American Short Stories 1991
Here in a single volume is the finest short fiction of the year, selected by distinguished novelist and short story writer Alice Adams. She brings together 20 outstanding works and, in her introduction, provides engaging commentary about the state of the art. Includes stories from Updike, Bass, Gordon and more.
Foreword --
Introduction / Alice Adams --
The legend of Pig-Eye / Rick Bass --
The disappeared / Charles Baxter --
Love is not a pie / Amy Bloom --
Tall tales from the Mekong Delta / Kate Braverman --
The trip back / Robert Olen Butler --
The point / Charles D'Ambrosio, Jr. --
Oil and water / Millicent Dillon --
Another short day in La Luz / Harriet Doerr --
The custodian / Deborah Eisenberg --
Separation / Mary Gordon --
The body shop / Elizabeth Graver --
Houdini / Siri Hustvedt --
Bologoye / Mikhail Iossel --
Glossolalia / David Jauss --
Viva la Tropicana / Leonard Michaels --
Willing / Lorrie Moore --
Friend of my youth / Alice Munro --
American, abroad / Joyce Carol Oates --
Dog stories / Francine Prose --
A sandstone farmhouse / John Updike --
Contributors' notes --
100 other distinguished stories of 1990 --
Editorial addresses of American and Canadian magazines publishing short stories
Foreword --
Introduction / Alice Adams --
The legend of Pig-Eye / Rick Bass --
The disappeared / Charles Baxter --
Love is not a pie / Amy Bloom --
Tall tales from the Mekong Delta / Kate Braverman --
The trip back / Robert Olen Butler --
The point / Charles D'Ambrosio, Jr. --
Oil and water / Millicent Dillon --
Another short day in La Luz / Harriet Doerr --
The custodian / Deborah Eisenberg --
Separation / Mary Gordon --
The body shop / Elizabeth Graver --
Houdini / Siri Hustvedt --
Bologoye / Mikhail Iossel --
Glossolalia / David Jauss --
Viva la Tropicana / Leonard Michaels --
Willing / Lorrie Moore --
Friend of my youth / Alice Munro --
American, abroad / Joyce Carol Oates --
Dog stories / Francine Prose --
A sandstone farmhouse / John Updike --
Contributors' notes --
100 other distinguished stories of 1990 --
Editorial addresses of American and Canadian magazines publishing short stories
426 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 1991
9 people are currently reading
192 people want to read
About the author
Alice Adams
64 books48 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
Alice Adams was an American novelist, short story writer, academic and university professor.
She was born in Fredericksburg, Virginia and attended Radcliffe College, graduating in 1946. She married, and had a child, but her marriage broke up, and she spent several years as a single mother, working as a secretary. Her psychiatrist told her to give up writing and get remarried; instead she published her first novel, Careless Love (1966), and a few years later she published her first short story in The New Yorker. She wrote many novels but she's best known for her short stories, in collections such as After You've Gone (1989) and The Last Lovely City (1999).
She won numerous awards including the O. Henry Award, and Best American Short Stories Award.
Alice Adams was an American novelist, short story writer, academic and university professor.
She was born in Fredericksburg, Virginia and attended Radcliffe College, graduating in 1946. She married, and had a child, but her marriage broke up, and she spent several years as a single mother, working as a secretary. Her psychiatrist told her to give up writing and get remarried; instead she published her first novel, Careless Love (1966), and a few years later she published her first short story in The New Yorker. She wrote many novels but she's best known for her short stories, in collections such as After You've Gone (1989) and The Last Lovely City (1999).
She won numerous awards including the O. Henry Award, and Best American Short Stories Award.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
October 26, 2025
For a while I would buy these “Best American Short Stories collections every year, but I curtailed my fiction reading for a while and eventually got rid of all these books except this one from 1991 (which consist of stories originally published in 1990). I’m not sure if I decided to keep this because I had loved some of the stories or because it was the first one I bought, but I decided to re-read it as I didn’t recall any of the stories when I thumbed through it.
The following has spoilers in the sense they are a brief description of the story, which for many short stories spoils all the fun of reading them. The writing is exquisite throughout, but I felt some were not crafted well, and some didn’t hit me as much as others.
The Legend of Pig-Eye: A young would be boxer has found a home with his trainer’s family. I enjoyed the found family aspect of the story and the unspoken (to us) conflicted feelings of the narrator as he learns more about the trainer’s history. I have had a collection by this author, Rick Bass, in my TBR pile for about a decade. 5/5
The Disappeared: A Swedish engineer visiting Detroit become entranced by a woman who rejects relationships. One or those kind or surreal feeling stories that I am never sure if I am “getting” completely but still enjoy. 3/5
Love is not a Pie: A woman, while mourning her mothet’s death, comes to a realization regarding her parents relationship with a family friend. The weakness of the story is the main subject, her parents’ relationship with the friend, is really a small part of the story and felt incomplete since we only get glimpses of it through other characters, which felt like a strange choice, whereas the nostalgic aspects of the sisters’ childhood was beautiful. 2/5
Tall Tales from the Mekong Delta: A single mother meets a dangerous man in AA. Not bad, one or those that felt a little surreal where I wasn’t sure in the end what really happened. Which was ok to a degree. 3/5
The Trip Back: A Vietnamese refugee living in Lousiana brings his wife’s beloved grandfather home; she hasn’t seen him in a decade. I felt the end was a bit cheesy and unlikely given what we saw in the characters in the story. 2/5
The Point: A boy frequently finds himself tasked with helping home drunk neighbors from his widow mother’s parties. As if that isn’t bad enough, we see what he is really dealing with inside. The final few words said a lot. 5/5
Oil and Water: Just after the war has ended, a female engineer arrives at a California oil camp. There is something behind her ackwardness and difficulty in connecting. 5/5
Another Short Day in La Luz: An American expat widow living in Mexico takes a day trip to La Luz to run some errands which reveal a secret. Great ending lines. 5/5
The Custodian: A woman sees a old childhood friend who suddenly disappeared from her life, and recollects events from their childhood. The writing in this story is incredible, at the sentence level. While I was amazed at that, where the plot was headed seemed rather obvious if distasteful, yet I did not expect that final revalation. A great story and probably the best writing in the collection, 5/5
Separation: A mother works on speration anxiety issues with her young son. A very short story, rather depressing. 2/5
The Body Shop: A man recalls his childhood, working for his single mother in her shop artistically painting manequins. There is more to this story but it felt a garbled mess to me, a miss. 1/5
Houdini: A woman hospitalized for unexplained debilitating migraines, becomes curious of on of her roomates, an older woman who seems familiar to her. A decent story, interesting, but nothing great. 2.5/5
Bologoye: Describes the days of a young man living in Leningrad, who hopes to leave the Soviet Union. Captures the bleakness as he loves without a sense of concern for a tomorrow that will inevitably be the same. That said, its just a story of pathetic drunken debauchery and I didn’t find it deep or that interesting. 1/5
Glossolalia: A man recalls his teen years where after an incident there grows a chasim between he and his father. This was one of the more emotionally wracking storis in the book. 5/5
Viva la Tropicana: This was a fun, fantastical story of a man traveling to Cuba, asked to do a favor by his uncle that leads something else, each more fantastical. The author kept pushing things to the point you think he won’t go farther, but he keeps on doing so. Fun and silly. 3.5/5
Willing: The story of an actress who is unraveling due to feeling she failed to reach the level of success she felt she should have; she returns home to Chicago as she dwells on where she is in life, tries to find emotional happiness. 4/5
Friend of my Youth: A woman recalls a story of her long deceaed mother, of a friend of hers who she felt was long suffering from life’s unfairness. The story is great but feels incomplete, though it was certainly meant to be that way. But its just something in stories of this type that still bother me, even though I loved it overall. 4.5/5
American, Abroad: An American professor on a US government sponsored speaking tour, attends a dinner party at the Consul General’s home while a threat hangs over the function. While I acknowledge the author is a master of the form, this story did not speak to me; surprising given the setting and characters. It felt like, and the notes indicate it is, based on actual experience of the author. The kind that are so impactful, that I think artist think they have to use them in their art. But this feels like that, and it came out forced and unnatural, as if the author was too focused on using her experiences which left the characters unexplored. 1.5/5
Dog Stories: A character study of a woman at her wedding party, where we learn some things aren’t as sanguine as they seem initially. One of the best strories in the book. 5/5
A Sandstone Farmhouse: A man has poor recollections of his mother’s beloved farmhouse, which he moved to as a young teen. Through his memories we see his childhood and later adult years and events that transpired, the focus though is on he and his mother. This was a lovely story though it felt like what it turned out to be, events from the authors life, which felt like important events in the authors life which didn’t translate perfectly into a fictional story. I think this happens because authors can’t or won’t change or get rid of certain aspects that just don’t work in a fictional story. Nevertheless, its beautifully written and a nice read. 4.5/5
The following has spoilers in the sense they are a brief description of the story, which for many short stories spoils all the fun of reading them. The writing is exquisite throughout, but I felt some were not crafted well, and some didn’t hit me as much as others.
The Legend of Pig-Eye: A young would be boxer has found a home with his trainer’s family. I enjoyed the found family aspect of the story and the unspoken (to us) conflicted feelings of the narrator as he learns more about the trainer’s history. I have had a collection by this author, Rick Bass, in my TBR pile for about a decade. 5/5
The Disappeared: A Swedish engineer visiting Detroit become entranced by a woman who rejects relationships. One or those kind or surreal feeling stories that I am never sure if I am “getting” completely but still enjoy. 3/5
Love is not a Pie: A woman, while mourning her mothet’s death, comes to a realization regarding her parents relationship with a family friend. The weakness of the story is the main subject, her parents’ relationship with the friend, is really a small part of the story and felt incomplete since we only get glimpses of it through other characters, which felt like a strange choice, whereas the nostalgic aspects of the sisters’ childhood was beautiful. 2/5
Tall Tales from the Mekong Delta: A single mother meets a dangerous man in AA. Not bad, one or those that felt a little surreal where I wasn’t sure in the end what really happened. Which was ok to a degree. 3/5
The Trip Back: A Vietnamese refugee living in Lousiana brings his wife’s beloved grandfather home; she hasn’t seen him in a decade. I felt the end was a bit cheesy and unlikely given what we saw in the characters in the story. 2/5
The Point: A boy frequently finds himself tasked with helping home drunk neighbors from his widow mother’s parties. As if that isn’t bad enough, we see what he is really dealing with inside. The final few words said a lot. 5/5
Oil and Water: Just after the war has ended, a female engineer arrives at a California oil camp. There is something behind her ackwardness and difficulty in connecting. 5/5
Another Short Day in La Luz: An American expat widow living in Mexico takes a day trip to La Luz to run some errands which reveal a secret. Great ending lines. 5/5
The Custodian: A woman sees a old childhood friend who suddenly disappeared from her life, and recollects events from their childhood. The writing in this story is incredible, at the sentence level. While I was amazed at that, where the plot was headed seemed rather obvious if distasteful, yet I did not expect that final revalation. A great story and probably the best writing in the collection, 5/5
Separation: A mother works on speration anxiety issues with her young son. A very short story, rather depressing. 2/5
The Body Shop: A man recalls his childhood, working for his single mother in her shop artistically painting manequins. There is more to this story but it felt a garbled mess to me, a miss. 1/5
Houdini: A woman hospitalized for unexplained debilitating migraines, becomes curious of on of her roomates, an older woman who seems familiar to her. A decent story, interesting, but nothing great. 2.5/5
Bologoye: Describes the days of a young man living in Leningrad, who hopes to leave the Soviet Union. Captures the bleakness as he loves without a sense of concern for a tomorrow that will inevitably be the same. That said, its just a story of pathetic drunken debauchery and I didn’t find it deep or that interesting. 1/5
Glossolalia: A man recalls his teen years where after an incident there grows a chasim between he and his father. This was one of the more emotionally wracking storis in the book. 5/5
Viva la Tropicana: This was a fun, fantastical story of a man traveling to Cuba, asked to do a favor by his uncle that leads something else, each more fantastical. The author kept pushing things to the point you think he won’t go farther, but he keeps on doing so. Fun and silly. 3.5/5
Willing: The story of an actress who is unraveling due to feeling she failed to reach the level of success she felt she should have; she returns home to Chicago as she dwells on where she is in life, tries to find emotional happiness. 4/5
Friend of my Youth: A woman recalls a story of her long deceaed mother, of a friend of hers who she felt was long suffering from life’s unfairness. The story is great but feels incomplete, though it was certainly meant to be that way. But its just something in stories of this type that still bother me, even though I loved it overall. 4.5/5
American, Abroad: An American professor on a US government sponsored speaking tour, attends a dinner party at the Consul General’s home while a threat hangs over the function. While I acknowledge the author is a master of the form, this story did not speak to me; surprising given the setting and characters. It felt like, and the notes indicate it is, based on actual experience of the author. The kind that are so impactful, that I think artist think they have to use them in their art. But this feels like that, and it came out forced and unnatural, as if the author was too focused on using her experiences which left the characters unexplored. 1.5/5
Dog Stories: A character study of a woman at her wedding party, where we learn some things aren’t as sanguine as they seem initially. One of the best strories in the book. 5/5
A Sandstone Farmhouse: A man has poor recollections of his mother’s beloved farmhouse, which he moved to as a young teen. Through his memories we see his childhood and later adult years and events that transpired, the focus though is on he and his mother. This was a lovely story though it felt like what it turned out to be, events from the authors life, which felt like important events in the authors life which didn’t translate perfectly into a fictional story. I think this happens because authors can’t or won’t change or get rid of certain aspects that just don’t work in a fictional story. Nevertheless, its beautifully written and a nice read. 4.5/5
March 28, 2008
Does it really matter what year?
Sorry, my copy is special as it is annotated by my English teacher from sophomore year. Two awesome stories- Love is Not a Pie and The Trip Back (I loooooove Robert Olen Butler). Unfortunately, your copy of The Trip Back will not have a scribble by Mr. Novo at the end: In our actions- not our self perceptions, we prove our love and self worth.
Sorry, my copy is special as it is annotated by my English teacher from sophomore year. Two awesome stories- Love is Not a Pie and The Trip Back (I loooooove Robert Olen Butler). Unfortunately, your copy of The Trip Back will not have a scribble by Mr. Novo at the end: In our actions- not our self perceptions, we prove our love and self worth.
March 20, 2022
Okay, I read all but the very last Updike story because I've had a lifetime of Updike and, like every time I read one of these dang collections, by story #20 I am pooped.
Turns out I love Rick Bass. Deborah Eisenberg I knew I liked, and once upon a time I read Charles D'Ambrosio (here just a fresh Iowa baby). Names new to me: Millicent Dillon, Siri Hustvedt.
Also: feels very, very weird to read these and be the age of the moms and middle-aged drifters, not the hopeful kids and burn-out twentysomethings.
Total '22 stories: 39! 183 to go.
Turns out I love Rick Bass. Deborah Eisenberg I knew I liked, and once upon a time I read Charles D'Ambrosio (here just a fresh Iowa baby). Names new to me: Millicent Dillon, Siri Hustvedt.
Also: feels very, very weird to read these and be the age of the moms and middle-aged drifters, not the hopeful kids and burn-out twentysomethings.
Total '22 stories: 39! 183 to go.
July 23, 2017
I read about 80% of these. Some of them I think will stick with me. Those being: "The Legend of Pig-Eye" by Rick Bass, "The Body Shop" by Elizabeth Graver, "Friend of My Youth" by Alice Munro. I also liked "Houdini" - my first time reading Hustvedt, as well as Charles Baxter's "The Disappeared" and "American, Abroad" by Joyce Carol Oates. My favourite of them all has to "Willing" by Lorrie Moore though.
Recommended for the short story connoisseur I guess.
Recommended for the short story connoisseur I guess.
February 10, 2020
All the stories in this collection were enjoyable. Perhaps three of them only moderately so, while four were outstanding. Of that four, one was by an author already well-known to me: “A Sandstone Farmhouse” by John Updike. Three were by authors new to me: “Another Short Day in La Luz” by Harriet Doerr; “Houdini” by Siri Hustvedt; and “Glossalalia” by David Jauss.
May 13, 2018
3.5 This is just my personal opinion. I would not tell anyone NOT to read it. It's just that most of the stories were just not my thing. There were a few good ones and maybe 3 that when the story ended I was thinking, "Wait, its done already?" Again this is just my opinions.
October 19, 2018
Solid collection with some really notable authors.
September 2, 2016
Two or three classics here: from Lorrie Moore and Rick Bass for sure, with a lot of the others sticking in the mind even when they didn't seem that great on first reading. The whole Best American Short Stories series is worthwhile, but this in retrospect seems like a high water mark; the 2013 volume, the latest I have read, is a dismal, lifeless thing by comparison.
May 29, 2017
Favorites:
Rick Bass - "The Legend of Pig-Eye"
John Updike - "A Sandstone Farmhouse"
Charles D'Ambrosio, Jr. - "The Point"
Deborah Eisenberg - "The Custodian"
Francine Prose - "Dog Stories"
Honorable mentions:
Charles Baxter - "The Disappeared"
Joyce Carol Oates - "American, Abroad"
Rick Bass - "The Legend of Pig-Eye"
John Updike - "A Sandstone Farmhouse"
Charles D'Ambrosio, Jr. - "The Point"
Deborah Eisenberg - "The Custodian"
Francine Prose - "Dog Stories"
Honorable mentions:
Charles Baxter - "The Disappeared"
Joyce Carol Oates - "American, Abroad"
August 11, 2016
Favorite: Love is a Pie
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews