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A review by thebookhito
Everything That Rises Must Converge: Stories by Flannery O'Connor
4.0
Two and a half stars really, but I round up.
This is an odd little book. Nearly all the stories have a very similar feel to them, that's not bad (in a collection work), but it feels like a lot of the characters are the same people but with different faces.
It's well written, but lacks excitement. I don't mean explosions or fast paced occurrences, just nothing in particular grabbed me. There's plenty of drama and the lines are witty and thought out. But in the end it felt hollow. The images the stories painted are vivid, but didn't hit me as hard as they probably could have.
I was trying to describe the book to my friend the other day and said, "The stories are boring to read until the end, but they're interesting to talk about afterwards."
Yes, I had to read this for class, and that's what I mean by it's fun to discuss. There's plenty in the stories to talk about, but I think the way O'Conner went about writing them was just bland, for lack of a better word.
I felt the same way when I read Wise Blood and couldn't finish that. It had its moments, but I got frustrated by not getting any kind of enjoyment out of it. I may go back and try to read it again. Possibly age or life experiences could help me get through it.
So overall, I didn't care for this book. It had potential, but it stopped short before it could be realized. Would I recommend it to someone? Most likely, yes. If they want a book with many layers and something Southern. Though I would probably suggest Faulkner before O'Connor if it was a Southern thing.
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I reread this book in 2021. Six years later. I still feel the same way as I did before when I read this book. It was a lot of potential that didn’t go anywhere.
For myself, this is a hyped-up book. O’Connor can certainly write very well, and as stated above, she really shines in parts. If you enjoy her writing, you’ll most certainly enjoy this, but for me, I was pushing myself towards the end just to finish it.
As far as reviews go, I now give it a three and a half star rating. One step above what I said previously. Who knows, maybe in a few years I’ll read it again and finally the light bulb will go off of what I’ve been missing.
During this reading, I kept pondering how would O’Connor’s writing career would have went if she had lived longer or not gotten sick at all. How would she have improved and what kind of stories would she have tackled. She may very well have stuck to what she knew, but one can’t help but wonder.
This is an odd little book. Nearly all the stories have a very similar feel to them, that's not bad (in a collection work), but it feels like a lot of the characters are the same people but with different faces.
It's well written, but lacks excitement. I don't mean explosions or fast paced occurrences, just nothing in particular grabbed me. There's plenty of drama and the lines are witty and thought out. But in the end it felt hollow. The images the stories painted are vivid, but didn't hit me as hard as they probably could have.
I was trying to describe the book to my friend the other day and said, "The stories are boring to read until the end, but they're interesting to talk about afterwards."
Yes, I had to read this for class, and that's what I mean by it's fun to discuss. There's plenty in the stories to talk about, but I think the way O'Conner went about writing them was just bland, for lack of a better word.
I felt the same way when I read Wise Blood and couldn't finish that. It had its moments, but I got frustrated by not getting any kind of enjoyment out of it. I may go back and try to read it again. Possibly age or life experiences could help me get through it.
So overall, I didn't care for this book. It had potential, but it stopped short before it could be realized. Would I recommend it to someone? Most likely, yes. If they want a book with many layers and something Southern. Though I would probably suggest Faulkner before O'Connor if it was a Southern thing.
—————————————
I reread this book in 2021. Six years later. I still feel the same way as I did before when I read this book. It was a lot of potential that didn’t go anywhere.
For myself, this is a hyped-up book. O’Connor can certainly write very well, and as stated above, she really shines in parts. If you enjoy her writing, you’ll most certainly enjoy this, but for me, I was pushing myself towards the end just to finish it.
As far as reviews go, I now give it a three and a half star rating. One step above what I said previously. Who knows, maybe in a few years I’ll read it again and finally the light bulb will go off of what I’ve been missing.
During this reading, I kept pondering how would O’Connor’s writing career would have went if she had lived longer or not gotten sick at all. How would she have improved and what kind of stories would she have tackled. She may very well have stuck to what she knew, but one can’t help but wonder.