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rereader33's review against another edition
5.0
Holy shit. HOLY FUCKING SHIT, this collection was fun! Seriously, I had pretty low expectations going in, since I've never read any of Russell's work before, but this collection was PHENOMENAL. Before I go into short reviews for each story, let me get the one constant that I loved out of the way: the writing. HOLY SHIT, the writing in this collection was INSANE. Not only was everything well-worded, the descriptions were amazing and the language fit each story's scenario to a tee. Not only was the writing stellar, I could tell Russell made sure to choose her words carefully when trying to get a point across or describing something. Also, really quick, I loved the pacing of the stories, it really made me want to keep reading just to see what would happen!
Okay, with that out of the way, let's discuss each story. I'm not going to give each story a rating because I don't feel like it nor do I think it's necessary, and I'll try to keep my reviews/reactions short so as not to spoil anything. Enough chatter, let's get started!
"The Prospectors"-a phenomenal blend of historical fiction and supernatural that was the perfect opener for this collection. It set the tone for the collection, was a solid story on its own, and gave readers a perfect idea as to what the rest of the collection would be like. And damn, those eye descriptions! I never knew eyes could be described like that! The ending was a little confusing, but it was still a good story.
"The Bad Graft"-an interesting play on human's interactions with nature and the difficulties in ending a relationship, even when said relationship is unhealthy. Not my favorite, but definitely well-written and interesting.
"Bog Girl: A Romance"-I'm not gonna lie, I almost burst out laughing at the final twist/climax towards the end. I want to add a clever line here, but it would be a spoiler so all I'm gonna say is that romance isn't everything it's cracked up to be, even one-sided ones.
"Madame Bovary's Greyhound"-My least favorite of the bunch not because it was poorly-written or the story didn't make sense, but simply because I felt it wasn't as strong as the others. Don't get me wrong, I loved the idea of how a person's emotions, especially sadness, can affect others, including animals. I thought the nature scenes were strong and I did enjoy the message, but I couldn't connect to the characters and the ending was okay bordering on confusing. Still good, just not as strong.
"The Tornado Auction"-I straight up started reading this and thought, "this story is about selling fucking tornadoes? What the fuck?" and ended up not only loving it but loving EVERYTHING about it. The story, the pacing, the message, the ending, all of it was great! One thing to note: I am NOT an expert on clouds, tornadoes, etc, so I cannot speak to the accuracy of the science behind the story. That being said, even if all the science was inaccurate, I would still LOVE this story. Unexpectedly amazing, I love it!
"Black Corfu"-I have no other way of describing this story except it's "Where the Crawdads Sing" but better. For those of you who don't know what I mean by that, read my review (or really any negative review) of "Where the Crawdads Sing" and this will make more sense. For those of you who don't want to work that hard, here's the abridged version: the writing is stronger, the story is packs more of a punch, the characters were more fleshed out and interesting, and the ending was handled better. Speaking of the ending *pulls out megaphone, turns it on* HEY DELIA OWENS! TAKE NOTES FROM THIS STORY! THIS IS HOW YOU DO A LAST-MINUTE TWIST ENDING AND NOT FUCK UP THE REST OF THE STORY! THANK YOU! *turns megaphone off, puts away*
"The Gondoliers"-Easily the best story in the collection (in my biased, humble opinion) and my favorite of the bunch. The commentary on how older generations think they fucked up the world for young people and apologizing for it, but refusing to see any of the good left in the world that younger people point out is well done. The world in this story is super interesting, atmosphere was tense all the way through, Blister was an interesting character, and I loved how familial bonds/relationships played a big role in the story. I don't want to say anything else for fear of spoilers, but this was a fantastic story.
"Orange World"-If this story doesn't make you cringe because the way the characters act is EXACTLY how you'd think mothers (new or old) act in real life, you've CLEARLY never been around mothers. I really liked the ending and the writing was incredibly strong, specifically with regards to dialogue. Not to mention this was a strong ending story for the collection without feeling like it has to be bombastic or over the top. A great ending to a great collection of stories.
Welp, those are my thoughts. I forgot to mention that this collection isn't going to be for everyone, but if I'm being completely honest, I don't think this collection is "too weird". Like Her Body and Other Parties, all of the weird happenings purely exist to push a message or enhance the plot. It's not weird for the sake of being weird *coughTHEMERRYSPINSTERcough* However, if you read the summary and thought the stories were "too weird," then I guess they are, but coming from someone who ADORES weird shit, this collection was pretty tame, all things considered. I definitely recommend giving this collection a shot, it's easily one of the best books I read this year and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Okay, with that out of the way, let's discuss each story. I'm not going to give each story a rating because I don't feel like it nor do I think it's necessary, and I'll try to keep my reviews/reactions short so as not to spoil anything. Enough chatter, let's get started!
"The Prospectors"-a phenomenal blend of historical fiction and supernatural that was the perfect opener for this collection. It set the tone for the collection, was a solid story on its own, and gave readers a perfect idea as to what the rest of the collection would be like. And damn, those eye descriptions! I never knew eyes could be described like that! The ending was a little confusing, but it was still a good story.
"The Bad Graft"-an interesting play on human's interactions with nature and the difficulties in ending a relationship, even when said relationship is unhealthy. Not my favorite, but definitely well-written and interesting.
"Bog Girl: A Romance"-I'm not gonna lie, I almost burst out laughing at the final twist/climax towards the end. I want to add a clever line here, but it would be a spoiler so all I'm gonna say is that romance isn't everything it's cracked up to be, even one-sided ones.
"Madame Bovary's Greyhound"-My least favorite of the bunch not because it was poorly-written or the story didn't make sense, but simply because I felt it wasn't as strong as the others. Don't get me wrong, I loved the idea of how a person's emotions, especially sadness, can affect others, including animals. I thought the nature scenes were strong and I did enjoy the message, but I couldn't connect to the characters and the ending was okay bordering on confusing. Still good, just not as strong.
"The Tornado Auction"-I straight up started reading this and thought, "this story is about selling fucking tornadoes? What the fuck?" and ended up not only loving it but loving EVERYTHING about it. The story, the pacing, the message, the ending, all of it was great! One thing to note: I am NOT an expert on clouds, tornadoes, etc, so I cannot speak to the accuracy of the science behind the story. That being said, even if all the science was inaccurate, I would still LOVE this story. Unexpectedly amazing, I love it!
"Black Corfu"-I have no other way of describing this story except it's "Where the Crawdads Sing" but better. For those of you who don't know what I mean by that, read my review (or really any negative review) of "Where the Crawdads Sing" and this will make more sense. For those of you who don't want to work that hard, here's the abridged version: the writing is stronger, the story is packs more of a punch, the characters were more fleshed out and interesting, and the ending was handled better. Speaking of the ending *pulls out megaphone, turns it on* HEY DELIA OWENS! TAKE NOTES FROM THIS STORY! THIS IS HOW YOU DO A LAST-MINUTE TWIST ENDING AND NOT FUCK UP THE REST OF THE STORY! THANK YOU! *turns megaphone off, puts away*
"The Gondoliers"-Easily the best story in the collection (in my biased, humble opinion) and my favorite of the bunch. The commentary on how older generations think they fucked up the world for young people and apologizing for it, but refusing to see any of the good left in the world that younger people point out is well done. The world in this story is super interesting, atmosphere was tense all the way through, Blister was an interesting character, and I loved how familial bonds/relationships played a big role in the story. I don't want to say anything else for fear of spoilers, but this was a fantastic story.
"Orange World"-If this story doesn't make you cringe because the way the characters act is EXACTLY how you'd think mothers (new or old) act in real life, you've CLEARLY never been around mothers. I really liked the ending and the writing was incredibly strong, specifically with regards to dialogue. Not to mention this was a strong ending story for the collection without feeling like it has to be bombastic or over the top. A great ending to a great collection of stories.
Welp, those are my thoughts. I forgot to mention that this collection isn't going to be for everyone, but if I'm being completely honest, I don't think this collection is "too weird". Like Her Body and Other Parties, all of the weird happenings purely exist to push a message or enhance the plot. It's not weird for the sake of being weird *coughTHEMERRYSPINSTERcough* However, if you read the summary and thought the stories were "too weird," then I guess they are, but coming from someone who ADORES weird shit, this collection was pretty tame, all things considered. I definitely recommend giving this collection a shot, it's easily one of the best books I read this year and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
oraines's review
challenging
dark
funny
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
king_ink's review against another edition
dark
funny
informative
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
timna_wyckoff's review against another edition
4.0
Once again, short stories are the perfect aliquots for this author's very very weird imagination. As I was reading each, I was thinking "this is so odd", but when each was done: "that was amazing". I particularly loved "The Gondolier".
joannasamantha's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
danileighta's review against another edition
5.0
Gah! These stories are so weird and so darkly funny and so disturbing and so fun! Russell has such a creative mind. She writes much like a poet and her descriptions are stunning, really. I could see every character and scene and could feel each emotion so plainly. The distance between written word and experience is not far in this collection, and I feel excited to check out some of her other work.
kittey2ng's review against another edition
5.0
Wow! I really enjoyed this book. If I had really read description of it I don’t think I would have thought I would like it! Loved the stories especially the 1st one.
fictionista3's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5