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A Swim in a Pond in the Rain
- Narrated by: George Saunders, Phylicia Rashad, Nick Offerman, Glenn Close, Keith David, Rainn Wilson, BD Wong, Renée Elise Goldsberry
- Length: 14 hrs and 44 mins
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A Swim in a Pond in the Rain
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Summary
Bloomsbury presents A Swim in a Pond in the Rain by George Saunders, read by George Saunders, Phylicia Rashad, Nick Offerman, Glenn Close, Keith David, Rainn Wilson, BD Wong and Renée Elise Goldsberry.
From the Man Booker Prize-winning, New York Times best-selling author of Lincoln in the Bardo, a literary masterclass on how to become both a better writer and reader, on what makes great stories work and what they can tell us about how to live.
In A Swim in a Pond in the Rain, George Saunders guides the listener through seven classic Russian short stories he's been teaching for 20 years as a professor in the prestigious Syracuse University graduate MFA creative writing program.
Paired with stories by Chekhov, Turgenev, Tolstoy and Gogol, these essays are intended for anyone interested in how fiction works and why it's more relevant than ever in these turbulent times. Saunders approaches each of these stories technically yet accessibly and through them explains how narrative functions; why we stay immersed in a story and why we resist it; and the bedrock virtues a writer must foster. For the process of writing, Saunders reminds us, is as much a craft as it is a quality of openness and a willingness to see the world through new eyes.
Funny, frank and rigorous, A Swim in a Pond in the Rain ultimately shows how great fiction can change a person's life and become a benchmark of one's moral and ethical beliefs.
PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.
Critic reviews
"A morally passionate, serious writer.... He will be read long after these times have passed." (Zadie Smith)
"George Saunders makes you feel as though you are reading fiction for the first time." (Khaled Hosseini)
"What warm, kindhearted and radical writing. Such delicacy, such serious wit. I love it." (Max Porter)
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What listeners say about A Swim in a Pond in the Rain
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Spinoza66
- 08-01-23
Opens the door…
…to the beauty and mystery of russian short stories (and really to all good short stories). The book in itself is a masterpiece.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Martha Henriques
- 16-04-21
Gorgeous
An excellent book on the craft of writing, and why it matters. An incredibly thoughtful, practical and inspiring book.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Julia Churchley
- 05-09-22
totally wonderful listening experience
Just loved every minute with this audiobook. (So glad I listened as I did not enjoy Lincoln in the Bardo). I m sure the book is good but listening to Saunders warm voice delivering his lectures about writing, and reading, interspersed with a questioning analysis of various Russian short stories was captivating and so enjoyable. Inbetween lectures the short stories were read by various actors and these were exceptionally well done, as well as making the lectures more digestible. This is one I expect to listen to again, as well as return to some Chekhov and Tolstoy
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- jenny sanders
- 28-04-21
fabulous, fabulous, fabulous!
Absolutely fascinating, engaging. illuminating, witty, insightful, thought provoking, masterful... just brilliant.
Best listen this year!
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Papergirl
- 14-12-21
Accessible critical thinking for the art of storymaking
The first chapter alone of this book is worth the price of the ticket. Saunders brings the subconscious reader/writer process to the surface and very genially unbundles what goes on when we try to make or interpret a successful story (or in fact any creative work). Phylicia Rashad’s reading of Chekhov’s ‘In the Cart’ is superb (hence the five performance stars).
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Amazon Customer
- 31-01-22
Extraordinary!
Chekhov, Tolstoy, Turgenev, Dostoyevsky ... they all "came out of Gogol's 'Overcoat." The capacity to influence the future writers and enlighten future readers clearly belongs to George Saunders, too. I thank him for that every time when I return to the text he is analysing, eager to discover what I missed at the first, and second, and third ... reading.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Gule
- 28-11-21
Inspirational!
Reminded of just how great Russian 19th century literature was! George Saunders’ analysis adds a new dimension and inspiration to read again. Warmly recommend!
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Charlotte Wright
- 28-12-21
Wonderful wonderful book
I hadn't read any George Saunders previously but was hooked in by the concept of this: Saunders effectively gives you, for the price of an audible credit, part of his renowned creative writing class. I'm sure it's wonderful in print too, but I'd recommend it on audio because George reads it, so it is as close as I'll ever get to actually being in his class.
The book is 7 stories by 4 Russian Greats, interspersed with commentary by Saunders. In the first one he interrupts the story to explain things, then the other stories just play in full (read by actors) then he explains how they work afterwards. So you're getting two things for the price of one - seven great stories plus a wonderful writer helps you understand them.
Probably my favourite audiobook to date.
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3 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- I ain't givin' you no name
- 05-11-21
A Master Class
I was unfamiliar with the 7 Russian Classic short stories that Saunders uses to discuss the form. They feel like a good and broad sample of the form, but for me they only truly came to life with the tour guide narration. This is a brilliant book for anyone who enjoys the short story form , but it is particularly enriching for wannabe writers.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Tom
- 16-02-21
This has to be a 4.5 to 5 star book.
What a lovely unique book. I didn’t know much about these 4 Russians which is partly why I went for this one. I’m glad I did as it’s been a great introduction to them and I will now read more of them. I love George Saunders take on life and this is also a great personal development book as long as you’re not too pompous to see it as such. The audiobook is superbly narrated with a brilliant cast. For me Keith David was sublime. I’ll be doing a YouTube review by the end of the week
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