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klaws500's review
4.0
Fantastic collection as always. I look forward to the Best American series every year. My favorite story from the 2024 edition was definitely P's Parties by Jhumpa Lahiri. Other stand outs for me include Mall of America by Suzanne Wang, Seeing Through Maps by Madeline Ffitch, and The Happiest Days of Your Life by Katherine Damm.
gregzimmerman's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
inspiring
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
5.0
Heidi Pitlor, the retiring series editor, writes in the Foreward that after the first batch of 30 stories she sent this year’s guest editor Lauren Groff, Groff replied that she wanted more stories that took “wild swings, risks, pushing against narrative expectations.”
You’d expect nothing less from a book with Groff’s name on it.
Then, in the introduction to the collection, Lauren Groff writes: “What I tried to draw together for you, here, are twenty stories that buzz with their own strange logic.”
Two things: 1) I LOVE Lauren Groff, and 2) Mission accomplished.
All this is to say that there isn’t too much traditional in this year’s collection. And for that reason, I loved it.
noahfinny's review
challenging
emotional
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.25
Some stories caught my interest and some absolutely gripped me. Overall a great read and very easy to get through. First book of the year!
amyredgreen's review
4.0
All over the place of course. Standouts were Jamel Brinkley, Alexandra Chang, Laurie Colwin, Katherine Damm, Madeline Fitch, Jhumpa Lahiri, Daniel Mason, Lori Ostlund, and Suzanne Wang.
ladywindemere's review
emotional
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
5.0
verumsolum's review against another edition
4.25
This is a tough one, because… all of the stories were of a high quality and I enjoyed reading most of them, but that is despite so many of them being focused on characters that I did not enjoy. Were there really no more uplifting or pleasant stories that deserved to be among those chosen for this year's edition?
barbette's review
5.0
While some of the early entries left me untouched, many of the stories in THE BEST AMERICAN SHORT STORIES 2024 are emotionally rich and structurally complex. I often give up on story collections before finishing them, but I eagerly read this one through to the end. Juxtaposing established writers, including Jhumpa Lahiri and Daniel Mason, with a cast of newer voices, author and bookshop owner Lauren Legroff (with Heidi Pitlor) has created a satisfying and immensely readable collection. Highlights include "Just Another Family" by Lori Ostlund and "Seeing Through Maps" by Madeline Ffitch; both of these stories irritated me in their early pages--too smug, too self-aware--but both proved to be emotional powerhouses. "Valley of the Moon" by Paul Yoon and "Blessed Deliverance" by Jamel Brinkley also stand out. Recommended.