A Swim in a Pond in the Rain: In Which Four Russians Give a Master Class on Writing, Reading, and Life

4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars | 3,776 ratings

Price: 17.72

Last update: 01-09-2025


Top reviews from the United States

Michael J. Anderson
5.0 out of 5 stars A great and detailed look at classic Russian stories
Reviewed in the United States on April 21, 2021
For whatever reason, I have never really sought out short stories - but I loved George Saunders' "Lincoln in the Bardo" so I was excited to check out "A Swim in a Pond in the Rain". By the end of the book I have slotted in a couple of books of stories - one by Saunders and another set of Russian classics - into my reading queue.

The book is essentially an on-paper class on the short story form and analysis of classic Russian fiction as taught by Syracuse professor Saunders. Does that sound pretty awesome to you? It did to me, and it still does - and I highly recommend it!

In terms of structure, you read the original (translated, obviously) story and then Saunders digs into all aspects of the story thoroughly, followed by an afterword where he brings additional context. For the first story he takes things apart one page at a time, which was actually incredibly instructive and sets your mind into an analytical frame for the remainder of the book. That was important for me, as the style and importance of each word and sentence of a short story is much greater than in a longer novel or analysis book.

There is some really great stuff here - from disparate stories such ‘Master and Man’ to ‘The Nose’, you are taken on a journey of wildly varying styles, narration, subjects, intents, and translational difficulties. These are clearly masters of the form - in ‘Master and Man’ I put the book aside for a couple of days because I knew bad stuff was coming and wasn’t ready yet!

If I had a single complaint - and of course I do - it is that the combined story analysis and afterthoughts started to ‘overstay their welcome’ for the stories in the middle of the book. A couple of times I found myself saying “I GET IT” and had to slog through the extended analysis - but it wasn’t that I disagreed or had issues with Saunders’ takes on things, just that I was already ‘there’ in terms of understanding the story and nuances.

While reading these stories and the analysis I learned a ton about the form - every sentence had a purpose, every paragraph advanced the action - and wondered why I never got into them before. I am excited to read collections of stories soon!

Make no mistake - this is as much a college course as it is a set of short stores. There are exercises and side-studies for the reader to do, such as reworking paragraphs of text. If you are interested in not just reading great stories, but also learning about the form, authors and individual stories in depth I strongly recommend checking it out!
Flying Scot
5.0 out of 5 stars Reading the Russians
Reviewed in the United States on February 6, 2021
The very best thing about this book is what it does for the underappreciated short story, a form more demanding than any save the poem. Perhaps it will encourage many who read only the novel to experience the gem-like beauty of the genre and become converts to its myriad merits.

The author is a teacher of writing at Syracuse University. He guides our reading through stories by the great Russian masters Chekhov, Turgenev, Gogol, and Tolstoy, as if we were sitting with him in his classroom. By interposing various techniques of criticism throughout the stories - sometimes after just one page of the story, sometimes after two or more - he brings us to a much deeper understanding of the work than might have been gained by a typically less involved, more superficial reading. He shows us how to become responsive to author's purpose, even regarding the most seemingly trivial effects and apparently small details of the stories; he explains how the author raises our expectations only to dash them and then turn them into something much finer than we might have considered; and he creates deep empathy with the protagonist, so much so that we tend to lose ourselves in her life and in the difficulties and disappointments that attend it.

In Chekhov's story "In the Cart" we are able to apprehend the irresoluble loneliness of an unmarried school teacher in a rural district, a woman of apparently early middle age whose reflection on a once happy and loving life long since denied due to accidental misfortune yet achieves, in that very act of remembrance, a kind of epiphany which allows both herself and the reader to ultimately experience her small sense of personal triumph. Thus we realize a perfect example of truth and beauty in the harsh reality of, on the one hand, her inescapable loneliness and, on the other, its ultimate small redemption.

The full realization of the many nuanced components of this story that lead us to this depth of appreciation is much predicated on the careful and meticulous instruction of author George Saunders, our teacher here. As he says, "We really feel Marya's loneliness. We feel it as our own." Indeed we do. This surely exemplifies Chekhov's finest achievement. Our emotions are involved, but not in a cheap or manipulated way. There is no sentimentality here, but we are not emotionally unaffected. It is the kind of very real and very personal loneliness objectified not just through a piece of fiction, but through our own experience and observance of life as well.

I've always disliked thinking of reading as a strictly private activity. Reading is best when it is shared, for example, in a classroom of sympathetic readers. The author of this book makes us feel as though we are reading and learning in company with that sympathetic other, almost right beside us, teaching and guiding us as we go. It is almost that personal.

"We read to know we're not alone," a student once told author and teacher C.S. Lewis. And so this story by Chekhov clarifies. I can only surmise how helpful and attentive Mr. Saunders must be to his students' understanding of literature if he is able to so thoroughly enhance my own understanding through this book.
Bob Aubrey
5.0 out of 5 stars Great book
Reviewed in the United States on June 11, 2024
It's not only an entertaining read in itself about Russian writers, but a great tool for writers
litophile
4.0 out of 5 stars A Master Class Written Just for Me
Reviewed in the United States on April 18, 2021
As a chronicler of Cold War and recent Soviet and Russian history, as an enthusiast of Russian literature and culture, this book spoke to me in ways that made me appreciate previously unrecognized thoughts about the authors and their works. I loved Saunders’ poignant observations and insights. It shone a light on stories I read decades ago that made me see their brilliance. Thank you, Professor. Do you offer your lectures via Zoom?
Trane Lover Brian
5.0 out of 5 stars Totally enjoyable
Reviewed in the United States on March 6, 2021
This book is a real treat and just a joy to experience. The stories Saunders has chosen are all engaging and can certainly be read multiple times but what really makes this soar is the analysis of each story. It is like a journey of discovery to peruse Saunders' observations and it really adds so very much depth to the reading experience. Saunders comes at this from a writing perspective and his manner is conversational and unpretentious and enables a reader to follow along even if he has never attempted to write anything. I simply tore through this one and couldn't put it down. Each page is like special gift. I only wish that there were 50 or more stories in this book so I could read and learn more. It is so very cool to see how and why a story works and to see what choices the writers made and what possible alternatives they could have used that would not have worked as perfectly as the ones they chose. As well as providing so much wonderful insight on the craft of each story the book is entertaining in the very best sense of that word. A very wonderful book that I highly recommend and I am very hard to please when it comes to stories. Terrific accomplishment Mr. Saunders!!!! Thank you.

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