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megan_prairierose's review against another edition
1.0
Overall this book was a big disappointment. I like short stories that tell a story about a snap shot in time. Most of these stories felt like they were rejected ideas for novels.
jannyslibrary's review against another edition
4.0
Whimsical and wistful collection of short stories by one of my favorite authors, really well done.
I'd heard a lot of these stories read on CBC probably 10+ years ago and I was amazed at how much I remembered them and could still hear them being read in my head.
Very good, I think in general I'm learning my preference is for big stories rather than short stories.
I'd heard a lot of these stories read on CBC probably 10+ years ago and I was amazed at how much I remembered them and could still hear them being read in my head.
Very good, I think in general I'm learning my preference is for big stories rather than short stories.
davidscrimshaw's review against another edition
5.0
These magical short stories made me want to write my own outrageous stories.
What's stopping me besides time and energy?
They just wouldn't be this wonderful.
And technically, I don't want to spoil this for you, but there might even be a talking cat.
What's stopping me besides time and energy?
They just wouldn't be this wonderful.
And technically, I don't want to spoil this for you, but there might even be a talking cat.
chelseamartinez's review against another edition
3.0
Semi-fairy-tale stories set in Montreal and Quebec; pervasive thread of pervy old men and the young women whose lives they control or ruin, but maybe that was just to make them seem old-timey. Or maybe that's what French Canada is like!
lindacbugg's review against another edition
5.0
Probably a 4.5 but I love her so I'm rounding up! She's got a distinct style for sure which just pushes all my buttons in all the right places.
kristy_gardner's review against another edition
3.0
This book was magical and horrifying at the same time, much like other books by Heather. I didn't give it four stars though simply because I struggled to get into the stories as much as I have with her other books. Still a great read though.
clyssandre's review against another edition
4.0
Daydreams of Angels is a little piece of magic. It brought me back to the same feelings I had in my childhood while reading Alice in Wonderland or The Wizard of Oz. These books immersed me in a world of wonders, which left me fascinated but also slightly scared… after all, Alice almost drowns in her tears and a walking scarecrow wasn't my vision of a best friend!
Daydreams of Angels possesses this ambivalence too. It's beautifully written and immerses the reader into its oneiric worlds with no effort. However it's also heartbreaking and very often tragic. While giving life to angels and talking bears and abandoned dolls and half-mechanical people, it also tells extremely thought-provoking stories about real-life childhood and family legacy.
"It was because of his childhood that he couldn't trust anybody."
A few themes tie all twenty six stories of Daydreams of Angels together. My favourite one was the consequences of a child's environment and family over his or her future. Several characters in the book—often little girls—are abused or neglected. Sometimes they live in extreme poverty. Always, they were born with a good heart but their surrounding—social pressure, mean adults or families—eventually define who they become.
In "The Saddest Chorus Girl in The World", a girl is running away from her step-father and become a dancer with not much ambition in life; "The Story of Little O"—probably the most heartbreaking story in the book—shows the tragic depravation of a little girl left to her own devices; and "The Story of Rose Bush", a girl fostered by an abusive family after her father disappeared during WW2, will remind you of Sarah in A Little Princess by Burnett with a much darker, grown-up twist. A few characters, like the guru in "The Holy Dove Parade", even despise the whole family concept:
"He didn't believe in biological families. He thought that the root of capitalism was that when we were born, our parents owned us. And he said that biological families had a knack of teaching people to band together and hate outsiders, which was essentially just getting them prepared to wage war against others."
However, Heather O'Neill shows how nurture and a child's future are tied in a peculiar way, not always giving the expected result. In the incredible story "Swan Lake for Beginners"—one of my favourites in the book—a (slightly mad) scientist is trying to clone the famous dancer Rudolf Nureyev. While they manage to give birth to batch after batch of clones, the team is confronted with an odd issue: most clones don't want to dance, most of them—when forced to—hate dancing, and the ones who eventually dance are nowhere as good as the original Nureyev. The story shows that Nureyev's relation to dancing was much more than the result of an adequate physiology. Dancing was a way to express and affirm himself, and even survive in a harsh environment.
"You were defined by being loved. Love exposed you to loneliness. Love gave you a personality but damaged you, too."
Yet, not all stories are (entirely) tragic. Other shows the power of a single person to make a child's life brighter. "The Man Without A Heart"—another favourite of mine—shows how a single man, damaged and prejudiced against, can make a difference in a child's future. "Bartok for Children", a modern Pinocchio story, also shows how a man can instil affection and a family sense into a seemingly heartless boy.
There would be a lot more to say about Daydreams of Angels but instead of going on forever about it, I thought you might as well pick up the book and enjoy it first hand. It feels like reading a mix of dreams and childhood recollections. Heather O'Neill's style is simple, vivid and fluid, immersing the reader with great ease in magic and sometimes sinister worlds. Let's wish Daydreams of Angels the best of luck for the Giller Prize 2015 and in any case: read it. Just read it.
beckyisbookish's review against another edition
5.0
Ahhh! It was perfect! It was everything I wanted it to be and more! My favorite Canadienne author and short stories (my favourite). I could read these stories forever.
whipcreamsucks's review
5.0
Magical. My heart broke for every character. I love the style, the metaphors, the sensuality incorporated into everything.