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The Best American Short Stories 2004
Since its inception in 1915, the Best American series has become the premier annual showcase for the country's finest short fiction and nonfiction. For each volume, a series editor reads pieces from hundreds of periodicals, then selects between fifty and a hundred outstanding works. That selection is pared down to twenty or so very best pieces by a guest editor who is widely recognized as a leading writer in his or her field. This unique system has helped make the Best American series the most respected -- and most popular -- of its kind.
Lorrie Moore brings her keen eye for wit and surprise to the volume, and The Best American Short Stories 2004 is an eclectic and enthralling gathering of well-known voices and talented up-and-comers. Here are stories that probe the biggest issues: ambition, gender, romance, war. Here are funny and touching and striking tales of a Spokane Indian, the estranged wife of an Iranian immigrant, an American tutor in Bombay. In her introduction Lorrie Moore writes, "The stories collected here impressed me with their depth of knowledge and feeling of character, setting, and situation . . . They spoke with amused intelligence, compassion, and dispassion."
Lorrie Moore brings her keen eye for wit and surprise to the volume, and The Best American Short Stories 2004 is an eclectic and enthralling gathering of well-known voices and talented up-and-comers. Here are stories that probe the biggest issues: ambition, gender, romance, war. Here are funny and touching and striking tales of a Spokane Indian, the estranged wife of an Iranian immigrant, an American tutor in Bombay. In her introduction Lorrie Moore writes, "The stories collected here impressed me with their depth of knowledge and feeling of character, setting, and situation . . . They spoke with amused intelligence, compassion, and dispassion."
462 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 2004
17 people are currently reading
612 people want to read
About the author
Lorrie Moore
71 books2,597 followersLORRIE MOORE is the Gertrude Conaway Vanderbilt Professor of English at Vanderbilt University. She is the recipient of a Lannan Foundation fellowship, as well as the PEN/Malamud Award and the Rea Award for her achievement in the short story. She is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters. She lives in Nashville, Tennessee.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 46 reviews
April 22, 2020
Even though this collection was from only one year of magazine publications, it was, overall, the finest collection of short fiction I have ever read. 2004 must have been a good year for American short fiction, and guest editor Lorrie Moore must share my sense of what makes a short story great.
My favorites in this anthology were: “What You Pawn I Will Redeem” by Sherman Alexie; “Written in Stone" by Catherine Brady; “Screen Writer” by Charles D’Ambrosio; “Breasts” by Stuart Dybek; “Some Other, Better Otto” by Deborah Eisenberg; “Grace” by Paula Fox; “The Tutor” by Neil Freudenberger; “A Rich Man” by Edward P. Jones; “Limestone Diner” by Trudy Lewis; “Intervention” by Jill McCorkle; “Runaway” by Alice Munro; “All Saints Day” by Angela Pneuman; “What Kind of Furniture Would Jesus Pick?” by Annie Proulx; and “Mirror Studies” by Mary Yukari Waters”.
My favorites in this anthology were: “What You Pawn I Will Redeem” by Sherman Alexie; “Written in Stone" by Catherine Brady; “Screen Writer” by Charles D’Ambrosio; “Breasts” by Stuart Dybek; “Some Other, Better Otto” by Deborah Eisenberg; “Grace” by Paula Fox; “The Tutor” by Neil Freudenberger; “A Rich Man” by Edward P. Jones; “Limestone Diner” by Trudy Lewis; “Intervention” by Jill McCorkle; “Runaway” by Alice Munro; “All Saints Day” by Angela Pneuman; “What Kind of Furniture Would Jesus Pick?” by Annie Proulx; and “Mirror Studies” by Mary Yukari Waters”.
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November 29, 2012Sherman Alexie - "What You Pawn I Will Redeem" - Much of this story explores the different dimensions of the protagonist's 'homelessness', a condition which simultaneously describes an alienation he feels from his Native American heritage and his literal lack of a home or family. The story kicks off as he spots a long-lost family heirloom in a pawn-shop and is given 24 hours to pull together an impossible $999 to purchase it. In describing his daylong 'odyssey' through the decrepit Native American community in Spokane, WA (and his own decrepitude), Alexie does a great job of interweaving his mythological premise with a stark, bittersweet realism, resulting in a very well-hewn story.
T.C. Boyle - "Tooth and Claw" - Delivered with an almost disarming level of clarity, Boyle delivers an urban romance story that somehow succeeds in pivoting itself on one of the most bizarre plot elements I have ever seen in a short story (which I will not spoil here). In the hands of a lesser writer, the thing I'm describing would have probably come off as being hamfistedly weird-for-the-sake-of-weird, but Boyle's descriptive prowess and believable characters combine to not only prevent that pratfall, but to treat readers with a refreshing and unique spin on some well-worn human themes.
Catherine Brady - "Written in Stone" - Now, stories like this one are precisely the reason I have faith in anthologies like this. If not for this enterprise, I would have certainly missed out on finding out about this excellent writer. The story itself is a fairly straightforward tale of one marriage's slow collapse, cross-hatched with a subtle narrative about the modern world's shifty balance between public and private existences. The writing in this story certainly includes its fair share of floating metaphors, but never bludgeons the reader over the head with them. I also thoroughly enjoyed the author's conscious goal of ambiguity, which I didn't realize right away. In my stubborn drive for meaning, I ended up frustratedly reading the story twice before checking the authors' notes section in the back and learning that the story was purposely open-ended. After slapping myself in the forehead a few times, I realized that the narrator's ambiguity is probably representative of a more salient realism than any clearer alternative. Putting this story aside, I was also thoroughly impressed by the author's writing prowess and will definitely make sure to look deeper into her body of work.
Sarah Shun-Lien Bynum - "Accomplice" - This story really did not work for me in any way, which is a shame because the author writes very well and has a gift for clever metaphors. However, in a way, I think the cleverness might be part of why the story gained no traction. Very much like volume editor Lorrie Moore, Bynum seems a little too comfortable in some insular 'liberal arts creative-writing class' universe that has little to do with the real world. The result of this is that nothing of the autobiographical-sounding Ms. Hempel, her father, her students, or her students' parents comes out sounding believable. The back-to-school-night scene was especially hamfisted and I couldn't buy into the idea of a bunch of 7th graders becoming avid readers overnight. Where the story does better is in its descriptions of the main character's own back story and the relationship she had with her unusual (yet still somewhat idealized) father. Reading this through, all I took from this story was an idea that the writer could probably stand to leave the shelter of her own life because, as such, there's just not enough dirt under those fingernails yet.
T.C. Boyle - "Tooth and Claw" - Delivered with an almost disarming level of clarity, Boyle delivers an urban romance story that somehow succeeds in pivoting itself on one of the most bizarre plot elements I have ever seen in a short story (which I will not spoil here). In the hands of a lesser writer, the thing I'm describing would have probably come off as being hamfistedly weird-for-the-sake-of-weird, but Boyle's descriptive prowess and believable characters combine to not only prevent that pratfall, but to treat readers with a refreshing and unique spin on some well-worn human themes.
Catherine Brady - "Written in Stone" - Now, stories like this one are precisely the reason I have faith in anthologies like this. If not for this enterprise, I would have certainly missed out on finding out about this excellent writer. The story itself is a fairly straightforward tale of one marriage's slow collapse, cross-hatched with a subtle narrative about the modern world's shifty balance between public and private existences. The writing in this story certainly includes its fair share of floating metaphors, but never bludgeons the reader over the head with them. I also thoroughly enjoyed the author's conscious goal of ambiguity, which I didn't realize right away. In my stubborn drive for meaning, I ended up frustratedly reading the story twice before checking the authors' notes section in the back and learning that the story was purposely open-ended. After slapping myself in the forehead a few times, I realized that the narrator's ambiguity is probably representative of a more salient realism than any clearer alternative. Putting this story aside, I was also thoroughly impressed by the author's writing prowess and will definitely make sure to look deeper into her body of work.
Sarah Shun-Lien Bynum - "Accomplice" - This story really did not work for me in any way, which is a shame because the author writes very well and has a gift for clever metaphors. However, in a way, I think the cleverness might be part of why the story gained no traction. Very much like volume editor Lorrie Moore, Bynum seems a little too comfortable in some insular 'liberal arts creative-writing class' universe that has little to do with the real world. The result of this is that nothing of the autobiographical-sounding Ms. Hempel, her father, her students, or her students' parents comes out sounding believable. The back-to-school-night scene was especially hamfisted and I couldn't buy into the idea of a bunch of 7th graders becoming avid readers overnight. Where the story does better is in its descriptions of the main character's own back story and the relationship she had with her unusual (yet still somewhat idealized) father. Reading this through, all I took from this story was an idea that the writer could probably stand to leave the shelter of her own life because, as such, there's just not enough dirt under those fingernails yet.
May 17, 2020
The 2004 anthology is edited by author Lorrie Moore and series editor Katrina Kenison. The forward by Kenison is almost like a short story in itself when she tells about her quest to keep from discarding the tons of publications she gets to select the short stories for this book. She finds a used bookstore in Newbury Street in Boston whose owner agrees to take the publications for a while. Unfortunately, the store closes and she is back to storing boxes and boxes of magazines in her basement.
Moore is quite excited with the task of selecting twenty of the best stories out of the hundred that Katrina Kenison has chosen. She has published a few collections of her own stories as well as being editor of 100 Years of the Best Short Stories. In her introduction, Moore tells us how much she enjoyed the assignment and also her fondness for Katrina Kenison’s name. And maybe a wish for her job. As I started reading her choices, my hopes are high.
As with previous editions, I did not love them all and a couple were just too long.
My favorite was All Saints Day by Angela Pneuman. Grace and Prudence are the daughters of Reverend Yancy Boyd who is considering becoming a minister of First United Methodist in a town in Pennsylvania. The family is temporarily staying at the home of the Moberlys. Since their religion does not celebrate Halloween, they have a pageant on November 1st, All Saints Day where the kids dress up as characters from the Bible. Mrs. Moberly tells the girls they can use whatever they like from a closet. Prudence comes upon a risqué dance outfit and decides she and Grace will be Solome and John the Baptist. Grace will appear to have her head on a platter with ketchup for blood. Salome is the woman who demands John the Baptist’s head. In the meantime, a family is temporarily living in the church’s common rooms. Grace overhears that they have a son who is supposedly possessed and that they are going to do an exorcism on him. She is extremely curious about this. The woman running the pageant put a kibosh on the girl’s costumes. The girls run away and find themselves with the boy Ryan. Prudence proceeds to put on a dance in her costume which makes the kids quite hysterical with laughter. This story made me laugh out loud.
Moore is quite excited with the task of selecting twenty of the best stories out of the hundred that Katrina Kenison has chosen. She has published a few collections of her own stories as well as being editor of 100 Years of the Best Short Stories. In her introduction, Moore tells us how much she enjoyed the assignment and also her fondness for Katrina Kenison’s name. And maybe a wish for her job. As I started reading her choices, my hopes are high.
As with previous editions, I did not love them all and a couple were just too long.
My favorite was All Saints Day by Angela Pneuman. Grace and Prudence are the daughters of Reverend Yancy Boyd who is considering becoming a minister of First United Methodist in a town in Pennsylvania. The family is temporarily staying at the home of the Moberlys. Since their religion does not celebrate Halloween, they have a pageant on November 1st, All Saints Day where the kids dress up as characters from the Bible. Mrs. Moberly tells the girls they can use whatever they like from a closet. Prudence comes upon a risqué dance outfit and decides she and Grace will be Solome and John the Baptist. Grace will appear to have her head on a platter with ketchup for blood. Salome is the woman who demands John the Baptist’s head. In the meantime, a family is temporarily living in the church’s common rooms. Grace overhears that they have a son who is supposedly possessed and that they are going to do an exorcism on him. She is extremely curious about this. The woman running the pageant put a kibosh on the girl’s costumes. The girls run away and find themselves with the boy Ryan. Prudence proceeds to put on a dance in her costume which makes the kids quite hysterical with laughter. This story made me laugh out loud.
June 17, 2018
It’s interesting how authors in different collections in this series, reflecting either the year or, more likely, the guest editor, reflect similar stylistic issues. In 2003 (the books are named for the year after most of the stories were written, probably to avoid confusing bookstores) authors have a fear of endings. That final step, meeting the object of their search, is too much for them. And so, just before the final period, a minor character changes their mind and the story ends hanging.
Possibly my favorite story here is John Updike’s The Walk with Elizanne, which turns that on its head, ending with the beginning in an extraordinarily bittersweet finale.
Possibly my favorite story here is John Updike’s The Walk with Elizanne, which turns that on its head, ending with the beginning in an extraordinarily bittersweet finale.
March 29, 2013
I typically read speculative fiction. That is, stories centered on characters in extraordinary situations, the times or the technology used to illustrate either the macroscopic view of humanity as a cynical waste or an affirming animal, or focused pieces that highlight the power of family, friendship,and the perils of temptation, set against myriad backdrops of technology and the supernatural.
Literary fiction is much the same, save that it removes the technology and supernatural, and places things in the real world, where the writer's imagination is limited by the concrete. This both gives the writer room to expand on character and limits the availability of plots. That being said, this particular collection focuses a lot on character pieces.
Nearly every story has a lot of room taken up by exposition, flashbacks that highlight character traits and motives while taking time, sweet, lengthy time, with the plot. All of the stories take the microscopic road, analyzing character against dysfunctional family, loss (both physical and emotional), loneliness, and nostalgia. It has its highlights and lowlights, but the collection as a whole, while superior in story quality (this is, after all, the BEST short fiction) fails to deliver enough story diversity, choosing to play it safe and present yarns that are, for the most part, safe choices that become repetitive in style the further one reads.
Lowlights:
"Limestone Diner"-An abundance of overwhelming, colorful, fruity, fizzy, describingful adjectives.
"Some Other, Better Otto"-Sharon and Portia are fantastic characters, the most interesting by far. And they are physically present in this bloated tale of family dysfunction for maybe a fifth of its length. Honorable mention: William
"Written in Stone"-Let's all reflect on a broken marriage for a while and have some food.
Highlights:
"Tooth and Claw"-An offbeat tale by the king of offbeat literary writers, T.C. Boyle, about a lovesick loner who wins a serval in a game of dice
"All Saint's Day"-A story about an exorcism, and the power of the human will as demonstrated by precocious children. The most surprising story in the bunch.
What You Pawn I Will Redeem-Sherman Alexie rocks.
Docent-A tour (literally) through the Lee Chapel at Washington and Lee University. The most experimental story (narratively speaking) of the bunch.
The Walk With Elizanne-John Updike's story of reflection on the innocence of youth and the realities of age will make you giddy for your memories and excited at the prospect of relationships as they evolve throughout the decades.
Literary fiction is much the same, save that it removes the technology and supernatural, and places things in the real world, where the writer's imagination is limited by the concrete. This both gives the writer room to expand on character and limits the availability of plots. That being said, this particular collection focuses a lot on character pieces.
Nearly every story has a lot of room taken up by exposition, flashbacks that highlight character traits and motives while taking time, sweet, lengthy time, with the plot. All of the stories take the microscopic road, analyzing character against dysfunctional family, loss (both physical and emotional), loneliness, and nostalgia. It has its highlights and lowlights, but the collection as a whole, while superior in story quality (this is, after all, the BEST short fiction) fails to deliver enough story diversity, choosing to play it safe and present yarns that are, for the most part, safe choices that become repetitive in style the further one reads.
Lowlights:
"Limestone Diner"-An abundance of overwhelming, colorful, fruity, fizzy, describingful adjectives.
"Some Other, Better Otto"-Sharon and Portia are fantastic characters, the most interesting by far. And they are physically present in this bloated tale of family dysfunction for maybe a fifth of its length. Honorable mention: William
"Written in Stone"-Let's all reflect on a broken marriage for a while and have some food.
Highlights:
"Tooth and Claw"-An offbeat tale by the king of offbeat literary writers, T.C. Boyle, about a lovesick loner who wins a serval in a game of dice
"All Saint's Day"-A story about an exorcism, and the power of the human will as demonstrated by precocious children. The most surprising story in the bunch.
What You Pawn I Will Redeem-Sherman Alexie rocks.
Docent-A tour (literally) through the Lee Chapel at Washington and Lee University. The most experimental story (narratively speaking) of the bunch.
The Walk With Elizanne-John Updike's story of reflection on the innocence of youth and the realities of age will make you giddy for your memories and excited at the prospect of relationships as they evolve throughout the decades.
January 5, 2008
While reviewing every story in this anthology would be beyond the limits of my attention span, the 2004 edtion contains my favorite story by Sherman Alexie, ¨I Will Redeem What You Pawn,¨ I believe is the title.
While I´ve long been an admirer of Alexie´s writing, I haven´t ever much liked Alexie as a person; a lot of a person´s attitudes about life come through in their writing, and while I appreciate Alexie´s fearlessness, wry, ironic humor, and compassion for native peoples living in the modern world, his writing has always lacked that more general compassion for people, all people, as twisted and damaged as we are. This story changed my mind about that. Such genuine warmth for Seattle, all the people in Seattle, and just people in general, shone through in this story. I was living in Seattle myself when I read this story, and I also love the city, and I suddenly found myself relating to Alexie as a person as I read this story.
While I´ve long been an admirer of Alexie´s writing, I haven´t ever much liked Alexie as a person; a lot of a person´s attitudes about life come through in their writing, and while I appreciate Alexie´s fearlessness, wry, ironic humor, and compassion for native peoples living in the modern world, his writing has always lacked that more general compassion for people, all people, as twisted and damaged as we are. This story changed my mind about that. Such genuine warmth for Seattle, all the people in Seattle, and just people in general, shone through in this story. I was living in Seattle myself when I read this story, and I also love the city, and I suddenly found myself relating to Alexie as a person as I read this story.
August 26, 2009
I wish I could say that Best 2004 took so long to read because I was savoring each story, but not so much. Of the twenty stories in the anthology, I would say I liked about half of them. That makes it the most disappointing of these collections that I have read (I’d read five of them before this one).
I like reading stories from newly discovered authors, but the strongest stories this year came from seasoned storywriters – Alice Munro, Annie Proulx, and John Updike. Many of the other stories were instantly forgettable. I think one of the reasons that it took so long to get through the collection was the fact that many stories didn’t make me want to take the book out whenever I could squeeze some reading in. Instead, the book stayed in my briefcase and was only read while I was on the train.
I like reading stories from newly discovered authors, but the strongest stories this year came from seasoned storywriters – Alice Munro, Annie Proulx, and John Updike. Many of the other stories were instantly forgettable. I think one of the reasons that it took so long to get through the collection was the fact that many stories didn’t make me want to take the book out whenever I could squeeze some reading in. Instead, the book stayed in my briefcase and was only read while I was on the train.
July 21, 2018
What a terrific set of stories! A few clunkers in there, of course—there always are—but the overall quality was stratospherically high. Giving a full five to this one: I've read 27 volumes of the BASS series now, and they really don't get much better than this.
My favorites, in order of preference:
* Deborah Eisenberg - "Some Other, Better Otto"
* Charles D'Ambrosio - "Screenwriter"
* Paula Fox - "Grace"
* Alice Munro - "Runaway"
* John Updike - "The Walk with Elizanne"
* Mary Yukari Waters - "Mirror Studies"
* Thomas McGuane - "Gallatin Canyon"
* Jill McCorkle - "Intervention"
* Sherman Alexie - "What You Pawn I Will Redeem"
* Sarah Shun-Lien Bynum - "Accomplice"
(Yes, that's literally half of the stories in the collection.) And some honorable mentions as well:
* Angela Pneuman - "All Saints Day"
* T. Coraghessan Boyle - "Tooth and Claw"
My favorites, in order of preference:
* Deborah Eisenberg - "Some Other, Better Otto"
* Charles D'Ambrosio - "Screenwriter"
* Paula Fox - "Grace"
* Alice Munro - "Runaway"
* John Updike - "The Walk with Elizanne"
* Mary Yukari Waters - "Mirror Studies"
* Thomas McGuane - "Gallatin Canyon"
* Jill McCorkle - "Intervention"
* Sherman Alexie - "What You Pawn I Will Redeem"
* Sarah Shun-Lien Bynum - "Accomplice"
(Yes, that's literally half of the stories in the collection.) And some honorable mentions as well:
* Angela Pneuman - "All Saints Day"
* T. Coraghessan Boyle - "Tooth and Claw"
April 5, 2020
Loved this, as I do everything in the series. The depth at which issues are addressed and handled is direct, life-affirming and frequently invigorating. The heaviness and seriousness of this particular edition is a little too much, is as if uncertainty and pain were really the main issues lurking beneath every surface. Those of us trying to live full lives know there is so much more.
October 6, 2017
A couple of yawners (ex. Docent), a couple ok.
March 22, 2020
Like most short story anthologies, this is a mixed bag. My favorites were the ones by Sarah Shun-Lien Bynum, Edward P. Jones, R.T. Smith, Mary Yukari Waters, and John Edgar Wideman.
August 18, 2022
I love short story collections and this was okay. I liked all of the varied types of writing but a lot of the stories left me wanting more and I was confused.
September 10, 2023
The great selection of stories from the best littering magazines
August 25, 2021
good variety with unexpected endings
January 13, 2023
This anthology would have been more aptly named "Stories About Depressed, Lost, and Lonely People." Hell, why not: it's 2020 after all.
What You Pawn I Will Redeem: 5 (moving, poetic, eye-opening)
Tooth and Claw: 1 (horrid, pointless)
Written in Stone: 3.5 (nuanced, thoughtful and thought provoking)
Accomplice: 3.5 (slow start, but inspiring once it gets going)
Screenwriter: 2.5 (depressing, with some tender, lyrical notes)
Breasts: -10 (misogynistic, brutal, ugly)
Some Other, Better Otto: 4 (hard to read, but an incredibly accurate depiction of what depression and ruminative self-doubt feels like)
Grace: 3.5 (similar to Otto)
The Tutor: 1 (pointless mental masturbation)
... and I'm realizing I don't want to read any more of these. I should have stopped after the first story by Sherman Alexie, because that was great... and the rest was just a bunch of stories, nothing I would consider The Best of anything. There were a couple good stories, and a couple truly awful ones, and a bunch of forgettable ones. And to be honest, the awful writers left far more of an impression than the good ones did. Other than "What You Pawn I Will Redeem," there was nothing in this book that I would have regretted not reading. I'm willing to risk missing out on a possible second gem, because I can't make myself slog through more of the mediocre depressing stuff. So I will call this a DNF at page 232.
What You Pawn I Will Redeem: 5 (moving, poetic, eye-opening)
Tooth and Claw: 1 (horrid, pointless)
Written in Stone: 3.5 (nuanced, thoughtful and thought provoking)
Accomplice: 3.5 (slow start, but inspiring once it gets going)
Screenwriter: 2.5 (depressing, with some tender, lyrical notes)
Breasts: -10 (misogynistic, brutal, ugly)
Some Other, Better Otto: 4 (hard to read, but an incredibly accurate depiction of what depression and ruminative self-doubt feels like)
Grace: 3.5 (similar to Otto)
The Tutor: 1 (pointless mental masturbation)
... and I'm realizing I don't want to read any more of these. I should have stopped after the first story by Sherman Alexie, because that was great... and the rest was just a bunch of stories, nothing I would consider The Best of anything. There were a couple good stories, and a couple truly awful ones, and a bunch of forgettable ones. And to be honest, the awful writers left far more of an impression than the good ones did. Other than "What You Pawn I Will Redeem," there was nothing in this book that I would have regretted not reading. I'm willing to risk missing out on a possible second gem, because I can't make myself slog through more of the mediocre depressing stuff. So I will call this a DNF at page 232.
May 21, 2009
(before reading)Something I recently posted on a writing forum had been compared to an author that shows up in this collection. Naturally, I looked said author up and grabbed the first thing I could get my hands on with a sample of his writing. This should be interesting... (after reading)I'm not mentioning any names after reading this, but I don't see the comparison. After that comparison I like comparisons even less.
Regarding the collection: Eh... The title seems a bit of a misnomer. To clarify—this is a collection of short stories that seems more like a collection of character developments that all wound up being very close to stories. Not all of them, mind you, but a large percentage. Just to stay honest, there are a few good stories here.
If you're looking for a good example of character development, look no further.
Regarding the collection: Eh... The title seems a bit of a misnomer. To clarify—this is a collection of short stories that seems more like a collection of character developments that all wound up being very close to stories. Not all of them, mind you, but a large percentage. Just to stay honest, there are a few good stories here.
If you're looking for a good example of character development, look no further.
December 5, 2012
The anthology, of twenty short stories, had both interesting and less interesting stories, some of them almost novella-length.
Intransigently American, there are several of the stories whose appreciation is linked to the appreciation of the American culture and other sub-cultures. It reminded me of what Horace Engdahl, the permanent secretary of the Nobel Prize jury, said in 2008, that "The US is too isolated, too insular. They don't translate enough and don't really participate in the big dialogue of literature...That ignorance is restraining." I'm not a student of literature and so cannot say for certainty that these words are true but reading the stories, this statement crossed my mind.
Read the rest here http://freduagyeman.blogspot.com/2012...
Intransigently American, there are several of the stories whose appreciation is linked to the appreciation of the American culture and other sub-cultures. It reminded me of what Horace Engdahl, the permanent secretary of the Nobel Prize jury, said in 2008, that "The US is too isolated, too insular. They don't translate enough and don't really participate in the big dialogue of literature...That ignorance is restraining." I'm not a student of literature and so cannot say for certainty that these words are true but reading the stories, this statement crossed my mind.
Read the rest here http://freduagyeman.blogspot.com/2012...
November 30, 2007
I enjoyed this collection moreso than the collection of essays of the same year. Some of these stories I even enjoyed quite a bit. However, even in this, none of the stories sits with me as I reflect back a month or more to when I read them. Once or twice I tried to take note of the author's name because I liked a piece, but I haven't yet found myself interested enough to seek out new works by any of these writers.
In one or two cases, I found the works to be rather pretentious -- writing more to a style for the age, rather than crafting an interesting story.
This was a good book to have on hand for the occassion when I was looking for a short work that I could read in one sitting, but not one that I will refer to time and again.
My local library will enjoy the donation.
In one or two cases, I found the works to be rather pretentious -- writing more to a style for the age, rather than crafting an interesting story.
This was a good book to have on hand for the occassion when I was looking for a short work that I could read in one sitting, but not one that I will refer to time and again.
My local library will enjoy the donation.
May 31, 2007
The Best American Short Stories of 2004 edited by Lorrie Moore
I’d have to say, for the best of 2004, theses weren’t half as interesting as they could have been. It was actually a challenge to keep reading. On the other hand, I read L Magazine’s first Fiction Issue during this time and the three or four stories in there were fabulous. When a book is compiled of stories in multiple magazines over a year long period, one magazine issue shouldn’t entirely trump the book, right? Sad day. I have a feeling that these were the best written short stories of 2004, but the editor should remember that interest is also a factor in the overall ‘best’ qualifier.
I’d have to say, for the best of 2004, theses weren’t half as interesting as they could have been. It was actually a challenge to keep reading. On the other hand, I read L Magazine’s first Fiction Issue during this time and the three or four stories in there were fabulous. When a book is compiled of stories in multiple magazines over a year long period, one magazine issue shouldn’t entirely trump the book, right? Sad day. I have a feeling that these were the best written short stories of 2004, but the editor should remember that interest is also a factor in the overall ‘best’ qualifier.
March 17, 2008
I am an enthusiast when it comes to the "Best American..." series.
The problem is at this point I am getting confused as to which I have read or not, they look so close to the same!
My request? An added little icon in the corner of each cover helping me distinguish, a fuzzy bee or a winter tree even an angry baby face, anything would help!
I have also started delving into the Essays and Travel Writing collections...
The problem is at this point I am getting confused as to which I have read or not, they look so close to the same!
My request? An added little icon in the corner of each cover helping me distinguish, a fuzzy bee or a winter tree even an angry baby face, anything would help!
I have also started delving into the Essays and Travel Writing collections...
December 26, 2007
Stories I especially liked:
A Rich Man by Edward P. Jones
Intervention by Jill McCorkle
Runaway by Alice Munro
What You Pawn I will Redeem by Sherman Alexie
Written in Stone by Catherine Brady
Accomplice by Sarah Shun-Lien Bynum
Screenwriter by Charles D’Ambrosio
The Tutor by Nell Freudenberger
A Rich Man by Edward P. Jones
Intervention by Jill McCorkle
Runaway by Alice Munro
What You Pawn I will Redeem by Sherman Alexie
Written in Stone by Catherine Brady
Accomplice by Sarah Shun-Lien Bynum
Screenwriter by Charles D’Ambrosio
The Tutor by Nell Freudenberger
April 16, 2012
Of course, I can't (or won't) review each story. I recommend "Accomplice" by Sarah Shun-Lien Bynum. But the collection as a whole doesn't really impress me. The stories tend towards the long side, which I disapprove of arbitrarily. I also found many of the selections to be mediocre, regardless of length. I would get recommendations rather than trudging through the whole thing yourself.
September 12, 2010
There are some excellent stories in this collection. Some I like better than others, but all are wonderful reading. Nice way to sample the short stories published in a year. I may have to start picking these up every year.
August 1, 2015
These stories were universally "slice of life" stories without much plot/climax, etc. Many of the stories were pretty depressing, much alcoholism, etc. I enjoy reading as entertainment, so would have liked some mystery or humor in at least a few of the stories in this collection.
November 28, 2014
I read about three quarters of the stories before I left the book in the seat pocket in front of me on the Lufthansa flight to Frankfurt (Freudian slip?).
Not as good as I would have expected from editor Lorrie Moore. I didn’t love as many of the stories as I do in her collections.
Not as good as I would have expected from editor Lorrie Moore. I didn’t love as many of the stories as I do in her collections.
January 12, 2015
I read the first four stories, none of which encouraged me to continue. They weren't particularly bad, just not good. Definitely not what I hoped for considering these are supposed to be the "best" of the year.
August 21, 2007
blech.
("Some Other, Better Otto" is actually really good.)
("Some Other, Better Otto" is actually really good.)
March 10, 2008
I like short stories and these are always worth reading.
August 6, 2008
Favorite stories:
"Tooth and Claw" - T.C. Boyle
"Accomplice" - Bynum
"Some Other, Better Otto" - D. Eisenberg
"Intervention" - McCorkle
"Runaway" - Munro
"A Walk with Elizanne" - Updike
"Tooth and Claw" - T.C. Boyle
"Accomplice" - Bynum
"Some Other, Better Otto" - D. Eisenberg
"Intervention" - McCorkle
"Runaway" - Munro
"A Walk with Elizanne" - Updike
Currently reading
May 6, 2008I pick this up between books I'm reading - they're usually pretty good selections!
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