Amazon.com: Customer reviews: The Best American Short Stories 2014

Top positive review

For readers of literary fiction.

Reviewed in the United States on May 14, 2015

Collected in this book are some of the best stories I've ever read, but if you're not a reader of literary fiction, you might miss the point of a lot of them and think they're "dull" simply because the narrative isn't as flashy or "clever" as the stack of mystery novels you blazed through on your Florida beach vacation. If you read for good writing, powerful emotional hooks, and all around good storytelling, then this is certainly worth looking through. There is some really incredible writing on display here from some true masters of the craft. Some of these stories moved me to tears, most of them had me saying "Damn..." to an empty room after I read the last word.

Stories:
Charity
The Indian Uprising
The Night of the Satellite
After the Flood
Long Tom Lookout
Medium Tough
The Breeze
Hover
A Hand Reached Down to Guide Me
At the Round Earth's Imagined Corners
The Judge's Will
Evie M.
Kattekoppen
This Is Not A Love Song
La Pulchra Nota
God
Mastiff
Next to Nothing
Madame Bovary's Greyhound
Antarctica

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Kindle Customer

This years selections are well written but horribly depressing and flat

Reviewed in the United States on May 30, 2015

been reading these collections for 2 decades. This years selections are well written but horribly depressing and flat. There are NO upbeat moments in any of these stories. While one can appreciate the skill of the writing, its pure drudgery. Remember reading Raymond Carver and really feeling the lives of peoples travails? I do, and did not seem so bleak and draining as all these stories.

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From the United States

Keith Blenman

Okay. Not great.

Reviewed in the United States on April 18, 2018

Verified Purchase

One or two of these stories stood out above the others, but I was somewhat disappointed throughout. Nothing in this was particularly bad, but for a curated collection there wasn't much here to get excited over. Or ponder. For the most part it was just okay.

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opnbook

Very disappointing…

Reviewed in the United States on February 28, 2015

Verified Purchase

I have bought every American Short Stories collection for at least the past 10 years and have always loved them. I was very surprised and dismayed by the caliber of most of the stories in this particular collection. Hopefully, next year's collection will redeem this one.

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Kindle Customer

Fiction disappointed

Reviewed in the United States on January 8, 2016

Verified Purchase

I was very disappointed with the quirkiness of this volume! I read this series every year and these stories were too bizarre for my liking!!

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sandi

unseemly

Reviewed in the United States on September 15, 2016

Verified Purchase

Too vulgar for my taste.

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William Beckman

only ok

Reviewed in the United States on March 10, 2015

Reviewed in the United States on April 2, 2015

Verified Purchase

In my humble opinion, very few were interesting enough to read all the way through.

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CounterCulture

The Dullest American Short Stories

Reviewed in the United States on January 9, 2015

Each time I bought The Best American Short Stories collections (this and O Henry), I was amazed how weak and un-engaging they were. Usually, there are only just 2-3 good stories, no great stories, never any thought-provoking ones, and the stories by the most well-known writers are typically an embarrassment. Not worth a buy! This time, I glanced at this collection after borrowing it from NYPL (I'd learned that spending hard cash on this collection is a risky proposition) only because of the huge respect I have for the author Jennifer Eagan; yet, like always, the book didn't excite me.

3 people found this helpful

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$!%$ !#$

Could not believe how bad some of these stories were

Reviewed in the United States on February 13, 2015

Could not believe how bad some of these stories were. The lack of diversity and the sheer boredom of reading them. Only Stephen O'Connor's Next to Nothing made any impact on me. I can only assume the editor was paying back literary favors in this terrible selection of stories.

3 people found this helpful

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Bluefish

A better description might be "stream of consciousness impressions

Reviewed in the United States on September 8, 2015

Calling the entries in this book "stories" is a bit of a stretch. A better description might be "stream of consciousness impressions." Then if you like that kind of literature I would rate it top notch.

One person found this helpful

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Michael Jungman

Wholly unremarkable

Reviewed in the United States on May 5, 2015

Boring stories about white people doing mundane things.

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