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Tenth of December: Stories
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER - NATIONAL BOOK AWARD FINALIST - NAMED ONE OF TIME'S TEN BEST FICTION BOOKS OF THE DECADE - NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE DECADE BY ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY AND BUZZFEED - NAMED ONE OF THE TEN BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW One of the New York Times's 100 Best Books of the 21st Century A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR: People, The New York Times Magazine, NPR, Entertainment Weekly, New York, The Telegraph, BuzzFeed, Kirkus Reviews, BookPage, Shelf Awareness Includes an extended conversation with David Sedaris One of the most important and blazingly original writers of his generation, George Saunders is an undisputed master of the short story, and Tenth of December is his most honest, accessible, and moving collection yet. In the taut opener, "Victory Lap," a boy witnesses the attempted abduction of the girl next door and is faced with a harrowing choice: Does he ignore what he sees, or override years of smothering advice from his parents and act? In "Home," a combat-damaged soldier moves back in with his mother and struggles to reconcile the world he left with the one to which he has returned. And in the title story, a stunning meditation on imagination, memory, and loss, a middle-aged cancer patient walks into the woods to commit suicide, only to encounter a troubled young boy who, over the course of a fateful morning, gives the dying man a final chance to recall who he really is. A hapless, deluded owner of an antiques store; two mothers struggling to do the right thing; a teenage girl whose idealism is challenged by a brutal brush with reality; a man tormented by a series of pharmaceutical experiments that force him to lust, to love, to kill--the unforgettable characters that populate the pages of Tenth of December are vividly and lovingly infused with Saunders's signature blend of exuberant prose, deep humanity, and stylistic innovation. Writing brilliantly and profoundly about class, sex, love, loss, work, despair, and war, Saunders cuts to the core of the contemporary experience. These stories take on the big questions and explore the fault lines of our own morality, delving into the questions of what makes us good and what makes us human. Unsettling, insightful, and hilarious, the stories in Tenth of December--through their manic energy, their focus on what is redeemable in human beings, and their generosity of spirit--not only entertain and delight; they fulfill Chekhov's dictum that art should "prepare us for tenderness."
GEORGE SAUNDERS WAS NAMED ONE OF THE 100 MOST INFLUENTIAL PEOPLE IN THE WORLD BY TIME MAGAZINE
GEORGE SAUNDERS WAS NAMED ONE OF THE 100 MOST INFLUENTIAL PEOPLE IN THE WORLD BY TIME MAGAZINE
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Community Reviews
I've not heard of Saunders nor read anything else of his before. This is my first time dipping my toes into his world.
Once again, I heard about this from Books on the Nightstand, and I decided I needed to rediscover my love of short stories. Thankfully, I just got a credit from Audible and went ahead and downloaded this book. After reading an article, on January 3rd, that this was the best book of the year already, I was doubly intrigued.
I have to say my one regret was listening to it rather than reading and savoring it. The author read the book but I felt he went to fast, although I understand why. The stories almost all called for some intensity, some rushed feeling. I wanted to read it instead simply because of the WTF moments. The "What did he just say??" moments. Saunders slips in these moments without blinking an eye, like they are the most natural things ever, and it takes a second, when listening, to realize what just happened.
Because hiring people to have wire strung through their brains and hanging as lawn ornaments is PERFECTLY logical and mundane.
What? Yes.
I don't recall all the names of the stories (another problem with listening to the audiobook) but I did enjoy them all and was pretty engrossed in each one.
Once again, I heard about this from Books on the Nightstand, and I decided I needed to rediscover my love of short stories. Thankfully, I just got a credit from Audible and went ahead and downloaded this book. After reading an article, on January 3rd, that this was the best book of the year already, I was doubly intrigued.
I have to say my one regret was listening to it rather than reading and savoring it. The author read the book but I felt he went to fast, although I understand why. The stories almost all called for some intensity, some rushed feeling. I wanted to read it instead simply because of the WTF moments. The "What did he just say??" moments. Saunders slips in these moments without blinking an eye, like they are the most natural things ever, and it takes a second, when listening, to realize what just happened.
Because hiring people to have wire strung through their brains and hanging as lawn ornaments is PERFECTLY logical and mundane.
What? Yes.
I don't recall all the names of the stories (another problem with listening to the audiobook) but I did enjoy them all and was pretty engrossed in each one.
This short story collection is so amazing, there are no words for how great it is. Three of the stories made me cry, and not out of sadness, but because of how beautiful they were. Saunders is funny, inspiring, and turns pure goodness into stories. What a gift to read a book like this.
My favorites were: "Victory Lap," "Puppy," "Escape from Spiderhead," "My Chivalric Disaster," and "Tenth of December." Also really like "Exhortation." "Sticks" is cool in a weird artsy way.
My favorites were: "Victory Lap," "Puppy," "Escape from Spiderhead," "My Chivalric Disaster," and "Tenth of December." Also really like "Exhortation." "Sticks" is cool in a weird artsy way.
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