The Half-Mammals of Dixie by George Singleton

I can’t do it! I’ve tried, I really have. But this book is unfinishable.

I’m only 80ish pages away from finishing it, but I have no desire to do so. The Half-Mammals of Dixie is a collection of short stories that take place in or around the town of Fourty-Five, South Carolina. George Singleton was recommended to me by a teacher after I told him that I was a big fan of George Saunders. While Saunders offers up social satire, Singleton offers irrelivant short stories of people. What holds this book back is that it is a collection of short stories. The characters in it are interesting but can never be fully developed because they end after a couple pages. Maybe I would enjoy one of his novels. But after this book I don’t think I’ll be looking in to his books again any time soon.

You could also see what people who managed to finish the book have to say about it though:

A Girl and Her Books
Goodreads
Entertainment Weekly

6 Responses to “The Half-Mammals of Dixie by George Singleton”

  1. Becca Adler Says:

    I never like short story collections for just that reason. As soon as I start liking a character they're cut off and I have to start all over with someone new. Why not just develop your characters and give me a fully formed book?

  2. The Book Pirate Says:

    I tend to like short story collections. Since they are short they have to cut out all the filler and get right to the point.

  3. Becca Adler Says:

    I never like short story collections for just that reason. As soon as I start liking a character they're cut off and I have to start all over with someone new. Why not just develop your characters and give me a fully formed book?

  4. The Book Pirate Says:

    I tend to like short story collections. Since they are short they have to cut out all the filler and get right to the point.

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Since January 2008 I have been using this blog to write about the books i've read and other book related news that I find interesting. I also find pirates interesting so from time to time I may blog about pirates. I see this as killing two birds with one stone.

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