Tag: George Saunders

“You asked if you are supposed to stand by and watch your friend’s life be ruined.”

A review of “Liberation Day” in 100 words by Catherine Stover

Let’s say you wanted to write a story about an American who watches an authoritarian regime crush democracy. What could you do to challenge as many readers’ expectations as possible? Well, you could decide the title would be “Love … Read More

“Tell me, do you believe it? Really believe it? Bad and good are the same?”

A review of “Virgil” in 100 words by Catherine Stover

At first glance, it seems this novel is about a greedy rich guy who is dying, while being comforted by a simple angel who is interrupted by comic-relief angels. If that were the case, you’d expect a Christmas Carol ending, … Read More

“At the core of each lay suffering; . . .We must try to see one another in this way.”

A review of “Lincoln in the Bardo” in 100 words by Catherine Stover

This novel, set in the time of Lincoln’s son Willie’s death, is the most challenging book I’ve read in years. Its subject is grim, its list of characters exceeds 100, and its style resembles a play, without … Read More

“If a story drew us in, kept us reading, made us feel respected, how did it do that?”

A review of “A Swim in a Pond in the Rain” in 100 words by Catherine Stover

Here’s what I like about George Saunders: even though he is an award-winning author and a creative writing professor –  some go so far as to call him “a secular saint of American … Read More