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runnerjules's review against another edition
4.0
"Legoland" is a wonderful collection of fifteen short stories written by the British author Gerard Woodward, who was shortlisted for both the Man Booker Prize and Whitebread Prize. Fifteen completely different stories, covering a wide range of themes, such as the power of authority, family relationships, jealousy, imagination,… with as common characteristic the fact that the story starts out with a very familiar, daily scene until something unexpected suddenly happens and the regular rules in life no longer apply. Stories with a twist. Darn good twists. Really.
One of the stories is "the family twist", which was shortlisted for the Sunday times EFG Short story award. A story in which a woman's husband returns home after having fought in the war, only to discover his wide thinks he's been back for years because another man has already claimed his place. A brilliant story, and one of my favourites in the book, together with:
* legoland
* the under house
* the unloved ("her capacity to put up with unhappiness was one of her strongest qualities, she decided…)
"The title, "Legoland" offers a simile for the experience of reading the book too good to pass up. Immersion in these stories is comparable to entering an amusement park to which people carry the ordinary and everyday aspects of their lives, but which is also a hyperreal space marked by the marvellous and a carnival atmosphere. Repeatedly, Woodward’s stories astonish: they seem to offer a predictable direction, then swerve elsewhere. And just like the toy that lends the title story’s playground its name, these narratives are meticulously designed, building into dazzling and surprising structures". (The Guardian, 26/3/2016).
One of the stories is "the family twist", which was shortlisted for the Sunday times EFG Short story award. A story in which a woman's husband returns home after having fought in the war, only to discover his wide thinks he's been back for years because another man has already claimed his place. A brilliant story, and one of my favourites in the book, together with:
* legoland
* the under house
* the unloved ("her capacity to put up with unhappiness was one of her strongest qualities, she decided…)
"The title, "Legoland" offers a simile for the experience of reading the book too good to pass up. Immersion in these stories is comparable to entering an amusement park to which people carry the ordinary and everyday aspects of their lives, but which is also a hyperreal space marked by the marvellous and a carnival atmosphere. Repeatedly, Woodward’s stories astonish: they seem to offer a predictable direction, then swerve elsewhere. And just like the toy that lends the title story’s playground its name, these narratives are meticulously designed, building into dazzling and surprising structures". (The Guardian, 26/3/2016).
carrie328's review against another edition
5.0
One of the best short story collections I've read in a good while. Woodward has a real way with the "gently odd"--baboons becoming more present in a city, a man losing his memory and having only a playing card with the protagonist's name and number on it, the evolving role a gorilla mask has in a family. I'm sure I'll revisit it and recommend it to others.
misty_ttm's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
amandamiller's review
dark
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
erin_jessie's review
dark
funny
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5