I enjoyed this book. It was a good mix of authors and stories, and different formats and voices. They may have put in too many stories because they started to blur together, but I enjoyed it.

I had been waiting to find something like this and was glad to find these stories relating to how people experience, or have experienced the global pandemic. I feel that this is really the tip of the iceberg when it comes to people being inspired by this very different time in history. I really liked that different cultures were represented and that diversity was definitely at the heart of this collection. Thanks for the ARC, NetGalley.

This was a phenomenal collection of short fiction! All of the stories were so engaging and I didn't find any that I openly disliked. My favorite is hands down Rivers Solomon's story. Although there are several that stood out. I think that more people should definitely pick this up. I absolutely loved it and want to get a physical copy for everyone I know.

Like many collections, the stories within The Decameron Project are uneven, with some being truly outstanding and others falling flat. I also think it might have been too early for me to read an entire collection about the pandemic considering it's far from over. If that is something you can handle, pick it up and at least skim through to find the stories that resonate with you.

Very enjoyable and intriguing series of stories. The writing is wonderful down to the introduction my Rivka Galchen

This is an anthology of 29 short stories commissioned by the editors of The New York Times Magazine during the pandemic. The NYT managed to attract a lot of very famous authors, including Margaret Atwood, Tommy Orange, David Mitchell, Laila Lalami, Colm Tóibín and Edwidge Danticat. The stories reference the pandemic to varying degrees but some provide glimpses of what life was like during the initial global lockdown, new ways to cope and an appreciation of familiar places and activities that are now changed. It also gave me ideas for new authors to try. Although uneven, the anthology is “a reminder that the best fiction can both transport you far from yourself but also, somehow, help you understand exactly where you are.”

Some standouts for me:

“Recognition” by Victor LaValle - two women form a connection in a mostly-deserted Washington Heights apartment building

“Impatient Griselda” by Margaret Atwood - a funny story in which a visitor from another planet tries to entertain a group of earthlings during the pandemic (“only snacks whimper”)

“If Wishes Was Horses” by David Mitchell - a quarantined prisoner lives with COVID-19

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.

In some ways it was challenging to read these stories while we’re still dealing with the pandemic. But there was something beautiful in the rawness and vulnerability of these stories and in the sense of connection I felt reading them. I look forward to revisiting this work when we’re not still working to adjust to this new normal. Perhaps I’ll find a different sense of value in it then.

4 stars

Like all collections - particularly those by a compilation of distinct authors - there are some standout works here and some that fall a bit short.

In some ways, it's too soon to appreciate these writings. After all, we're still very much living in the pandemic; in Southern California, especially, the life we started living in March clearly reflects the experience we're in now. I wonder if I'll appreciate more of these works when I have added distance from the immediate situation.

On the other hand, there is something quite unifying about reading these pieces. Being in this situation is wildly isolating, and it's impossible to know what others' experiences are when you are in less contact verbally and no contact in person. I really enjoy that connective element throughout the collection.

A good collection to distract folks from the pandemic, but definitely not the same types of tales as in the original.
I'd say I liked about 90% of these stories, a few were total stinkers for me. The ones that hit home hit home hard for sure.

Some folks may not be able to read these during the pandemic, and that's ok. It's kind of like watching horror films alone in the dark on a rainy night.

As with (nearly) any short story collection, some are going to connect better than others. Love the concept of this - like a time capsule of life in 2020. Probably want to own a copy of this. Enjoyed that it wasn't just US-based; there were stories from around the world.

Wow! I'm really amazed at how much I enjoyed this book. It's such a great read in this moment. There's a lot of variety here and not a single dud. Some of the stories made me laugh and some made me cry. The pandemic isn't always right in your face; sometimes it's playing out quietly in the background.

During the absolutely abnormal times we are in, this collection of short stories is a wonderful way to commemorate and explore the changes we are living, both as a society and as individuals. I found this collection to be simultaneously touching and almost terrifying. I loved reading about the same types of experiences I have had, as well as getting a different perspective on what has been going on. This was terrifying in the sense that it almost became more real. I feel like at this point in the pandemic, I have adjusted a bit to my new sense of life and self. Many of these stories brought me back to the sense of uncertainty and fear that I had at the beginning, and probably still have now (if I am honest) under the surface of a routine. I think this will be a collection that I come back to again later, with a little more distance still, to read again and remind myself of how much life changed in such a short time. The collection of authors in this book was wonderfully varied and, while there will always be some stories that speak to me more than others, I was pleased to find a sense of cohesion to this group, even through the differences, that made it feel like a whole look at something larger than ourselves.

Many thanks to the publisher and to NetGalley for the free copy in exchange for an honest review.

An excellent line-up of authors, and mostly good stories. Atwood and several others are in fine form here. It will be interesting to re-visit this in about 10 years, to see if the stories feel different or just as fresh.

I really appreciate the ARC for review!!

It can be really difficult to put together an anthology written by such a diverse collection of authors that has any sort of cohesion, but The Decameron Project surprised me with its flow, the way it took one prompt and created so many disparate and unique worlds that provided some solace in our own, yet united so gracefully around the themes of pandemic and plague– and the eternal hope and goodness of humanity despite it all.
I think this is a great collection not because I personally enjoyed every story, but rather because there is something here for everyone to enjoy. There were some standouts for me; Victor LaValle's 'Recognition' was an excellent start, Edwidge Danticat's 'One Thing' a remarkable close; and stories like Charles Yu's 'Systems' and David Mitchell's 'If Wishes Was Horses' were some of the bright spots throughout. But I'm sure that as much as these particular tales moved me, there were stories I skimmed that meant the world to other readers, and vice versa. I'm grateful for the ARC I received from Netgalley, and I hope everyone gets the opportunity to find the stories in this collection that can provide some respite and healing from these difficult times

Early in the lockdown I was jarred by television images of people at parties and large groups, people not wearing masks, family gatherings around dinner tables. None of it reflected my reality: my spouse and I isolated in our home, walking in freezing weather before anyone else was on the street, learning Instacart and Doordash and Zoom.

This collection of stories caught my attention because they were reflections of this new reality. And, seeing the top-notch writers who contributed, I knew I would not be disappointed.

The stories reflect the shifting concerns and fears we experienced and are experiencing.

Oh yes, the early dearth of toilet paper! In a panic, my spouse ordered some from Amazon at an exorbitant cost. It took three months to arrive from Asia.

Zooming, homeschooling your kids, the obsession with news, watching for a glimmer of hope. The daily deaths. Learning how death can show up any time.

The fleeting happiness of isolating in place with another. Dreading that this is the new normal for ever. Teenagers obliviously carrying on as usual. Making masks. Scarfing up Chromebooks.

We are sharing a nightmare. Those who escape will be haunted. Some of these stories stick in my mind as perfect reflections of what haunts me.

I received a free ebook from the publisher through NetGalley. My review is fair and unbiased.

Very good read. I had never heard of this project until reading the blurb. I am really glad to have had the opportunity to read this collection of stories. Some are better than others but, they all are ok. Thanks to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for the arc of this book in return for my honest review. Receiving the book in this manner had no bearing on this review.

The Decameron Projest began with an essay - Riva Galchen writing in the New York Times about the original Decameron. That is, the book written by Giovanni Boccaccio around 1350 is a collection of stories which are told by seven men and three women who have run off to the countryside near Florence in order to escape the Black Death, or, as we know it today, Bubonic Plague.

The 29 short stories in The Decameron Project were commissioned by the New York Times Magazine and originally published there. This anthology contains stories from authors all over the world (some in translation) and if there's one thing they demonstrate, it is that the human experience of a deadly pandemic is the same wherever you go - from a prison to a taxi to a New York City high rise, Covid 19 affects us all in similar ways.

While I was initially afraid that reading about a pandemic whilst in the middle of that same pandemic would be overwhelming, I personally found it to be just the opposite. Knowing in the abstract that everyone else on earth is going through exactly the same thing can seem crushing; reading the particular, individual stories in this book allows a reader to feel the connection and the one-on-one humanity that good fiction allows, and indeed, strives for. A wonderful, varied collection. Recommended.

Thank you to Scribner and NetGalley for the Advanced Reader's Copy!

Available Nov 10 2020

Honestly, this collection was just fun to read. That's really all I have to say. From Mona Awad's chilling tale of plastic surgery gone wrong in "A Blue Sky Like This" to Margaret Atwood's hilarious alien comic in "Impatient Griselda" to the emotional connection between a New York City taxi driver and his nephew in Dinaw Mengestu's "How We Used to Play", The NYT's The Decameron Project is a richly textured, multifaceted collection that offers a kaleidoscopic view into the current pandemic. Some stories are available online in the New York Times Magazine, but it's a different experience reading the stories together and realizing the vast impact of the pandemic on all aspects of life.