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3.44 AVERAGE
3.44 AVERAGE
dark
mysterious
sad
Plot or Character Driven:
N/A
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
Come for the ghost stories, stay for Dahl's bizarre, misogynistic introductory rant.
medium-paced
I don't know what passed off as scary back in the 60s when Roald Dahl compiled this collection of stories but I was expecting more of a spooky vibe, that sense of being unnerved whenever you think someone is watching you and you turn to find yourself alone. Most of the stories were really not scary, not in the terror sense but just in the thriller sense. A couple of them did have a good eerie atmosphere but in the end, I could always tell where the ghost was going to come from which defeats the purpose of a ghost story.
Let's not even get into that introduction in which Roald Dahl basically outs himself as a sexist pig. Blergh.
Let's not even get into that introduction in which Roald Dahl basically outs himself as a sexist pig. Blergh.
Roald Dahl chose these stories out of 700 short stories as the top in the horror genre. I think he did a wonderful job. These stories are great! Some of them are very scary and/or creepy. I am glad I bought a copy because this is one I will be re reading! Unfortunately, the introduction is horrible. He is praising women for being excellent at writing horror while at the same time listing a bunch of things women are bad at. Ultimately, The stories he picked are written by about half male and half female authors which disproves his idea of women being better at writing horror, so the introduction is really just a bunch of sexist rambling.
Enjoyed about half of the stories- Rosemary Timperley had two stories in the collection that were excellent. Looking forward to reading more of her work.
Borrowed from the library on a whim.
Introduction by Dahl was a pile of sexist rubbish so that kinda set the tone for the rest of the book. The rest didn’t improve mostly the stories were misogynistic or racist.
The stories weren’t scary or particularly interesting. All very predictable and dull. Incredibly disappointed after enjoying Dahl’s books as a kid.
Introduction by Dahl was a pile of sexist rubbish so that kinda set the tone for the rest of the book. The rest didn’t improve mostly the stories were misogynistic or racist.
The stories weren’t scary or particularly interesting. All very predictable and dull. Incredibly disappointed after enjoying Dahl’s books as a kid.
If you're more than a fleeting fan of literary horror, then like me, you will probably find this collection to be an utter disappointment. While all of the stories deliver on the premise of containing ghosts, I didn't find any of them scary or troubling in the slightest. That's not to say that it isn't entertaining from time to time ("Afterward" by Edith Wharton was the best of the bunch for me), but as a book I was just waiting to get to the end.
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
#12 Book of Short Stories
this was hit or miss for me. I wanted to love every story but some just really dragged on.
this was hit or miss for me. I wanted to love every story but some just really dragged on.