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A review by richardrbecker
A Swim in a Pond in the Rain: In Which Four Russians Give a Master Class on Writing, Reading, and Life by George Saunders
5.0
Well, anyway, according to George, he wasn't trying to write a book about writing as much as mentor writers by writing a book that shared his experiences with seven short stories. By doing so, he hoped any students might remember or recognize something they already understand or even resist his insights and carve out some iconic and, perhaps, defendable space. He does this, at times, brilliantly.
A Swim in a Pond in the Rain is a beautifully written conversational lecture book that makes you feel like you are sitting in on his classes. In between (and sometimes during) seven stories — by Checkhov, Turgenev, Tolstoy, and Gogol — Saunders shares what he has tried to impart to students over the years. While there are times the book meanders far afield, cutting any of it would be a loss.
I was especially fond of how he breaks down In The Cart by Anton Chekhov, alternately between the story and his notes on the story a few pages at a time. Doing so gave him room to point out any number of instances to say "look at this" and "look at that" and "look what he did over here." I'm not sure every reader appreciates it, but I certainly did — so much so I almost felt cheated having to read the other six stories in entirety before reading his notes (although it might have ruined one or two of them had he kept it up).
By the end of it, however, I think many people will come away better writers (and if not, have a better understanding of why they like some stories or books better than others) after reading A Swim. By studying these Russians with him, we come away with a great deal of knowledge, ranging from the idea that a great story is a "continual system of escalation" in the first story to another idea that it is possible to deliver a dual ending, whereby readers can easily argue their interpretations. I love that.
In sum, this book is a delight and has immediately become one of my favorite books on writing, easily on par with online classes I've enjoyed from Walter Mosley and Joyce Carol Oates. More than he promises, A Swim serves up affirmations, dismissals, and discoveries that will make you want to be a better writer and find yourself a little more pointed on why some stories and novels don't measure up. I highly recommend to anyone writing, studying, or reading short fiction. A Swim has certainly influenced my work along the way.
A Swim in a Pond in the Rain is a beautifully written conversational lecture book that makes you feel like you are sitting in on his classes. In between (and sometimes during) seven stories — by Checkhov, Turgenev, Tolstoy, and Gogol — Saunders shares what he has tried to impart to students over the years. While there are times the book meanders far afield, cutting any of it would be a loss.
I was especially fond of how he breaks down In The Cart by Anton Chekhov, alternately between the story and his notes on the story a few pages at a time. Doing so gave him room to point out any number of instances to say "look at this" and "look at that" and "look what he did over here." I'm not sure every reader appreciates it, but I certainly did — so much so I almost felt cheated having to read the other six stories in entirety before reading his notes (although it might have ruined one or two of them had he kept it up).
By the end of it, however, I think many people will come away better writers (and if not, have a better understanding of why they like some stories or books better than others) after reading A Swim. By studying these Russians with him, we come away with a great deal of knowledge, ranging from the idea that a great story is a "continual system of escalation" in the first story to another idea that it is possible to deliver a dual ending, whereby readers can easily argue their interpretations. I love that.
In sum, this book is a delight and has immediately become one of my favorite books on writing, easily on par with online classes I've enjoyed from Walter Mosley and Joyce Carol Oates. More than he promises, A Swim serves up affirmations, dismissals, and discoveries that will make you want to be a better writer and find yourself a little more pointed on why some stories and novels don't measure up. I highly recommend to anyone writing, studying, or reading short fiction. A Swim has certainly influenced my work along the way.