A Good Man Is Hard to Find and Other Stories (1955)

This is a book of 10 short stories of various lengths. They are dark but beautiful, haunting and yet compelling. O'Connor is an exceptional writer of unique talent. It's sad she died so young. ( )

Where to start? These stories were enjoyable to read. They were well crafted. I knew I was in the hands of a very capable author. Moving on. These stories were disturbing. I only just finished yesterday, but I am not sure waiting a few weeks will change how I feel. I remember reading one story where I stopped two pages before the end because I knew something was going to happen, it was going to bother me and I needed to get away from it for a while before I continued. These stories are more about the events and situations and how the characters react to or deal with those situations, not about the characters themselves. You won't like the characters. Religion is central to many of the stories, but rarely in a positive light. Race runs through the stories, but you rarely feel a story is primarily about race. Race is so integral it can't be unwound. An unforgettable story. That's why I read. ( )

Immense parables that weave together the societal disjunctions in 1950s America through a series of stories that discuss religion, politics, poverty, rural/urban divide and the American dream with a tenacity and collectiveness that is admirable and inspiring. ( )

The writing is good and I just loved the first story but after that I was a bit bored. My mind wandered constantly. I was a bit disappointed but there is no accounting for personal taste. I'm willing to try something else by the author based on her reputation but I wonder if I'm just not the right reader. ( )

Halfway through I was unimpressed, not because there weren’t standout, amazing stories, characters, and turns of phrase, but because it’s not a consistent collection. By the end, I was overwhelmed and awed. ( )