This is one of my favorite books I've read this year. George Saunders deftly and with humor, walks us through four famous Russian writers and what we can glean about writing by reading their short stories. Saunders, a master of the short story himself, and a creative writing instructor, has brilliant insight into what makes these stories masterpieces by dissecting how each author is able to convey as much as possible about character, plot, voice, setting, etc. through the brevity of a short story. Not only did I learn so much that I can apply to my own practice as a short story writer, but Saunders also teaches us how to be good / aware / mindful readers. I will be keeping my copy of A Swim in a Pond in the Rain close and refer back to it often. Practical, insightful and often humorous, this was an absolute delightful reading experience. Thank you to Random House and NetGalley for the advanced review copy of this book.

I feel utterly unqualified to write a review for a book written by one of the literary giants of our time. George Saunders is knowns to many of us for his down-to-earth short stories which manage to leave us with a more open-mind about the world around us and the people in it. His stories are not pretentious lectures but sincere questions that can shine light on a path towards morality. In this gem of a book, he shares with us his favorite Russian short stories, his reflection on why they work and most importantly, how is it that they manage to do what they do? This book is an invaluable gift for any author striving to write works of literature that matter to the world.

The writing exercise in the appendix was top-notch. Extremely useful for an emerging writer who is trying to go pro! Also, the close reading of Russian classic short stories makes you want to revisit the authors — Turgenev, Tolstoy, and Chekhov! What a wonder of a book — cheaper than paying for an MFA at Syracuse, and you get all the benefits. The money I saved on application fees can go into this book!

Reading this book is like sitting in on a writing workshop with the most generous-hearted teacher you can imagine. George Saunders' voice, so vivid and idiosyncratic from his own short stories and novel, comes through here as the best possible guide toward the great masterpieces of Russian literature. He didn't always convince me of the brilliance of the stories (some of them felt quite ponderous or lumbering to my modern ear), but I was always delighted to let him try.

This book lives up to the blurbs. It is a master's course on writing short stories. I am finally beginning to understand how the short story structure works. I received this book as a Netgalley ARC and will buy a hardcopy for my home library because I will refer to this many times in the future.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for the eARC of this informative and edifying book about reading, writing, and life.

In A Swim in a Pond in the Rain, George Saunders has provided people who love reading (and reading well), who love writing (or who are enrolled in a graduate writing program), and those who simply love literature and what it can teach us about living a great gift.

By closely reading seven classic Russian short stories by Chekhov, Tolstoy, Gogol, and Turgenev, and then adding further thoughts and exercises, Saunders helps us better understand the mechanics underlying these stories as one would imagine only he could. Despite how esteemed Saunders is, I have never "gotten" his stories. But he has definitely made me a better reader for having read this book, and these wonderful stories in new and deeper ways.

I absolutely loved this book and though I’m not a fiction writer, I think this book is just as useful for those of us who want to be better readers. As a teacher, I have found that modeling close reading is the best way to help students build that skill. But as a student, no one ever did that with me! This book intentionally feels like sitting in on a class with George Saunders and having him model effective close reading strategies. It is so nerdy and profound and I am so into it!! If you’re hoping to become a better and more careful reader this year, add this one to your list!

Hands down one of the most helpful writing craft books I’ve ever come across. It should be required reading for any MFA program, particularly one with a close reading requirement. Saunders finds so much in these seven stories, and shows us how to find it all, and more.

Think about your favourite book. Imagine you could take a class with the author and have them teach you about writing.

That’s what reading A Swim in a Pond in the Rain is like.

In A Swim in a Pond, you get to read not only George Saunders (author of Lincoln in the Bardo, one of my favourite recent books), but also Tolstoy, Chekhov, Gogol, and Turgenev. You don’t need to know anything about them before you start because the seven stories are included in the book.

It’s a simple structure: each chapter begins with the Russian short story and is then followed by Saunders discussing what the author is doing and what that might make reader think. It sounds like it could be dry but it isn’t at all because Saunders is conversational and witty and human. You can almost see him sitting on the edge of a desk in front of you teaching. Maybe a little chalk dust on his sleeves. A wry smile on his face. He’s very much present as you read this.

As I made my way through each successive story, I could feel my analytical skills sharpening. I noticed moves authors made and observed my own reactions. Long, long ago, I minored in English Lit and I’ve always loved analysis (of anything, really—nature, architecture, politics, whatever—just tell me why some things work and why some things don’t; reaffirm my gut instincts or shake me out of complacency). So this took me back to what the very best classes were like. Where the language and structure of literature is unlocked. Why some stories (and novels) work. And why some don’t. As my skills improved, I found myself wanting to raise my hand to share my observations with my not-actually-there instructor.

A Swim in a Pond in the Rain is a book for both readers and writers. If you are a writer, Saunders helps you see what great authors do to make compelling literature. He even includes appendices with writing exercises. And yet, even though it seems like Saunders is revealing all kinds of trade secrets, I’m pretty sure I still couldn’t write a short story.

In A Swim in a Pond in the Rain you get to pretend to be one of George Saunders’s students. Can you imagine? Ugh. My literature-loving heart could barely stand it. One of my most anticipated books of 2021 came out in January and turned out to be as great as I’d hoped. Highly recommend.

Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin RANDOM House Canada for eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I am new to fiction writing, and found this book tremendously helpful for a newbie writer to understand the foundations of what makes a good story. I was not the biggest fan of the stories themselves, Russian fiction is apparently not my genre, but that didn't stop me from finding Saunders' writing to be engaging and useful.

This is a great book for anyone who wants to get into or get better at writing fiction.

“A Swim in a Pond in the Rain” is an extraordinary book. In it, the author and professor George Saunders teaches us how to dissect literature. He does so by breaking down seven iconic short stories from well-known Russian authors. Then he gives us a lecture—going page by page—to explain what choices each author makes while writing, and how to keep readers interested.

I know I’ll become a better reader as a result of experiencing this book.

“I’m not a critic or a literary historian or an expert on Russian literature or any of that. The focus of my artistic life has been trying to learn to write emotionally moving stories that a reader feels compelled to finish,” Saunders writes. “The aim of this book is mainly diagnostic: If a story drew us in, kept us reading, made us feel respected, how did it do that?”

I downloaded the advanced reader ebook and also purchased the audiobook so Saunders could teach me just like he does his six MFA students every year. I felt like I was studying right alongside them at Syracuse. Saunders is so endearing and approachable, funny and instructive. If anyone intends to write a book of fiction, I would absolutely recommend “taking” this master class. It’s a game changer.

Special thanks to Random House for the e-galley, via NetGalley, in exchange for my honest review.

My review at The Dallas Morning News: https://www.dallasnews.com/arts-entertainment/books/2021/01/12/a-swim-in-a-pond-in-the-rain-mines-russian-short-story-masters-for-valuable-insight/

This is a terrific book. I spoke with Mr. Saunders about it and his work and more. The interview ran in 11 Southern California newspapers and its websites, as well as our Bay Area newspapers as well.

https://www.ocregister.com/2021/01/07/george-saunders-says-writing-new-book-was-like-a-spa-day-for-my-mind/

Thanks to Random House and NetGalley for an ARC of this book.

This feels self-indulgent in the best way. If you're George Saunders and you're known as a master of the short story who's just won the Booker prize for your first novel and you get asked what you're going to do next, you absolutely get to say "I'm going to take the class I teach at Syracuse where I teach Russian short stories to MFAs into a book." As someone who's been a fan of Saunders' writing (both fiction and non-) for a while, I was happy to follow wherever he lead, even if this was a direction I pictured us going.

I can't honestly say I ever had the desire to get deep into the short stories of Tolstoy, Gogol, Chekov, and Turgenev, but I could spend hours listening to Saunders talk about his craft, so that was well worth the price of entry. After taking the first story a few pages at a time with you so that you can see how he wants you to approach these, the book falls into a pattern of story, Saunders' notes on what he wants you to notice, and an afterword where he'll also tell you his frustrations with a piece. It's like reading these with a friend completely excited with these stories who's sitting on the other end of your couch, not intruding with your process, but wanting to make sure you catch all the little details they're obsessed with. That sounds like it could be suffocating (we've all had that friend who watched US watching their favorite movie, hoping we'd completely get on board with it), but Saunders is also willing to make space for us to really Not Like a thing and be fine with it.

I'm almost tempted to read this through again now that I've read these stories once, just to see if I see more now that I've sat through this book version of his seminar. That feels like pretty high praise.

George Saunders is brilliant, yet accessible and so is this book. I have to admit I've never read the Russian literature that he discusses, but I still gleaned so much from the big questions he asks and answers through these novels. I highly recommend for aspiring writers and lovers of literature.

This is my first foray into nineteenth century Russian short stories and Saunders’ experience teaching them page-by-page shines through this craft book that is also a specific craft study. Saunders selected works by Chekhov, Turgenev, Tolstoy, and Gogol to explore how these stories work and the connections between readers and authors.

What really stuck out to me about this collection was the subjectivity of the analysis and the dispersal of advice. Saunders makes it abundantly clear that the reader is allowed to get out of this work what they will. Disagreement with his impressions is encouraged throughout, and he even used the page space to refer to his own evolving relationship with these works. The balance between analysis of each story and more zoomed-out writing advice and Saunders’ own insights play well together, and it kept me engaged from start to finish.

There are definitely bits that I am taking with me as far as the exercises go, and some of the adages of what makes great writing work. A recommended read for people who learn by example (like yours truly).

Like the best of MasterClass, here is a book that let’s you sit in the front seat and absorb the insights of a true genius of the written word and a gifted teacher. The lessons are profound, yet approachable. I could imagine giving this to a gifted high school student or grandparent.

If you’ve never had the pleasure of taking a course in creative writing from George Saunders, this is your chance to take advantage of what he has to share without spending a semester in Syracuse, New York. This time of year, especially, it makes sense to opt out of the chillier weather and sit in on some of the lessons, virtually, as Saunders’ shares with his Syracuse students, in a <i>master class</i> on the Russian short story.

He includes two stories by Tolstoy: <i>Master and Man</i> and <i>Alyosha the Pot,</i> three stories by Anton Chekhov: <i>In the Cart,</i> <i>The Darling</i> and <i>Gooseberries,</i> one by Ivan Turgenev: <i>The Singers</i> and one by Nikolai Gogol: <i>The Nose.</i>

Each story includes Saunders thoughts, musings on these stories, <i>which are, for the most part, quiet, domestic, and apolitical...resistance literature, written by progressive reformers in a repressive culture... The resistance in the stories is quiet...and comes from perhaps the most radical idea of all: that every human being is worthy of attention and that the origins of every good and evil capability of the universe may be found by observing a single, even very humble, person and the turnings of his or her mind.</i> Following each story, are his <i>Afterthoughts.</i>

His enthusiasm sharing this is palpable, and more than a bit contagious. Those unfamiliar with these authors and or Russian literature needn’t feel overwhelmed, Saunders breaks it all down, sharing his thoughts and showing what makes a story worth reading with undisguised joy. I enjoyed reading the stories themselves, but even more than that, I enjoyed reading Saunders break it all down and share his thoughts on what makes each story work, and how variations from the story would alter it. His love of teaching really made this an absolute joy to read.



Pub Date: 12 Jan 2021

Many thanks for the ARC provided by Random House Publishing Group - Random House

I was thrilled to read that George Saunders and I have something in common - a great appreciation of Russian literature. In this book, he “takes apart” the essence of seven significant Russian short stories as we learn what makes these particular stories stand out, techniques for writing a compelling short story how to evaluate them. Oh, to be fortunate enough learn from this master. I would love to see more of these literature explorations in the future.

Suppose you find yourself in the mood to read some good short stories. Let’s also say that you have a particular interest in reading the fiction of some of the great Russian masters. However, one thing that has always troubled you when you tried to satisfy such an urge in the past is that, despite enjoying the stories, you could not figure out exactly <i>why</i> they are considered to be so great. Wouldn’t it be nice if you had a knowledgeable friend available to help you understand the subtleties of such things as character development, narrative construction, plot escalation, and the like? And wouldn’t also be great if that person was always good-natured, witty, and insightful, without a trace of the hubris that sometimes goes with the territory? If so, <i>A Swim in a Pond in the Rain</i> by George Saunders is the perfect book for you.

In addition to being a first-rate author himself, Saunders is also a professor in a top MFA program where, among other things, he teaches a course in Russian literature. That is important to understand because his goal with this volume is essentially to transcribe his lectures and classroom discussions onto the written page. The result is a spectacular success which, as a teacher myself, I can attest to being <i>very</i> hard to do. The basic structure of the book is fairly straightforward, being divided into chapters focusing on seven iconic short stories—three by Anton Chekhov, two by Leo Tolstoy, and one each by Ivan Turgenev and Nikolai Gogol. Along with a translated version of the story, each chapter also includes Saunders’ critical analysis of what makes it work so well, as well as an “Afterthought” in which he discusses crucial aspects of the writer’s process, including his own (Revise! Revise! Revise!).

If that sounds too much like a textbook, be assured that it really is not. At the heart of the book, of course, are the seven wonderful stories themselves. Saunders’ analyses, while sometimes more involved than seemed warranted, are always accessible, perceptive, and illuminating. He has thought deeply about this topic and he is clearly a fan of the genre, which shows through on every page. (By the way, I had read three of the stories already—or thought I had until I reread them with Saunders as a guide!) Also, while I am unlikely to ever try producing my own short fiction, I still found the author’s many digressions on the craft of creating compelling stories to be very interesting; if nothing else, knowing how hard to writers have to work to make a tale come to life will make me a better reader in the future. <i>A Swim in a Pond in the Rain</i> was a very satisfying experience and it is a volume that should be essential for budding writers and seasoned readers alike.