The Best American Short Stories 1999

Rating:
Summary: Most of the stories were excellent
Review: This was the first BASS edition that I have read and I really enjoyed it. Maybe the fact that I enjoy Amy Tan as a writer made me appreciate the types of stories that she selected for this edition. I especially liked the stories by Rick Bass (it seems like almost everyone's favorite) and Annie Proulx. My favorite was Mrs. Dutta Writes a Letter for it's look at cultural and generational differences in families. I have started reading the 1997 edition which is good, but it lacks the diversity and range of experience that this edition has.

Rating:
Summary: Most of the stories were excellent
Review: This was the first BASS edition that I have read and I really enjoyed it. Maybe the fact that I enjoy Amy Tan as a writer made me appreciate the types of stories that she selected for this edition. I especially liked the stories by Rick Bass (it seems like almost everyone's favorite) and Annie Proulx. My favorite was Mrs. Dutta Writes a Letter for it's look at cultural and generational differences in families. I have started reading the 1997 edition which is good, but it lacks the diversity and range of experience that this edition has.

Rating:
Summary: Not Bad, but Not the Greatest Either
Review: This year's collection of "America's Best Short Stories" was a surprising mix. "The Piano Tuner" was remarkable, in my opinion, and almost all of the other stories were fairly decent selections as well. Amy Tan, I would agree, did not pick the best set of stories I've seen in this series to date, and her intro was rather asinine and mundane, almost cliched at times. However, there are some gems here, and I would say that while one reviewer cringed at the inclusion of a so called "B-writer," Pam Houston, in this case, it is this kind of writing that, for me at least, makes the series so compelling and exciting. Discovering new authors, and watching an up and coming author evolve in style from year to year is the most rewarding facet of this series.

Rating:
Summary: Reviewed by Todd
Review: Upon reading several short stories in this book I would have to declare that the title "The Best American Short Stories 1999" is either horribly misleading or Americans just cannot write good short stories. I haven't found one story in this book that should be worthy of being called one of the best.