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kateleereads's review
emotional
hopeful
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
4.0
liked that it had so many different stories that were all qutie short, so the book went by really fast.
it was crazy seeing representations of early quarantine because i'd honestly forgotten how crazy that entire time period was.
i also liked that there were some international/translated stories!
it was crazy seeing representations of early quarantine because i'd honestly forgotten how crazy that entire time period was.
i also liked that there were some international/translated stories!
xtinetreasure's review against another edition
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
thunderousdandelion's review
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
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? It's complicated
4.5
carolin_'s review
2.0
I think my expectations for this were way too high but I only actually enjoyed Impatient Griselda and Prudent girls tbh but there were no 5 star stories and a ton of slightly boring 2-3 stars. Overall I enjoyed the pitch of the stories more than the actual story.
remireadingnook's review
3.0
This was more of a 2.5 for me.
There are some stories from this collection I really enjoyed, but overall I was very underwhelmed, and honestly a bit bored, with this collection.
There are some stories from this collection I really enjoyed, but overall I was very underwhelmed, and honestly a bit bored, with this collection.
romacalderon's review
3.0
while this has been fun it makes me worried for the next five to ten years with all the mediocre covid related/inspired media we're gonna be getting.
but if it's margaret atwood who's gonna wrote those, i'll be all in.
but if it's margaret atwood who's gonna wrote those, i'll be all in.
hokieaddyo's review
1.0
I didn’t even finish... which is something I never do. Depressing, poor written stories about the pandemic, which it is likely too soon to be reading fiction stories about.
yanareads6969's review
4.0
A great short story collection, I would rate most of these a 4 or 5 on their own, at a minimum. Here are the top 7 (I wanted to do 5 but couldn't choose) that not only most stuck with me, but most seemed to capture the spirit of this and the 14th century Decameron and the intention of this collection:
1. Impatient Griselda by Margaret Atwood
2. Barcelona: Open City by John Wray
3. The Girl with the Big Red Suitcase by Rachel Kushner
4. The Cellar by Dina Nayeri
5. Systems by Charles Yu
6. If Wishes Was Horses by David Mitchell
7. Prudent Girls by Rivers Solomon
Most of these were my favorites because the pandemic was there to provide some kind of context, but didn't overwhelm the plot to the point that it became a Story About Life During Covid. That would go against the idea of the Decameron, which I read in high school and didn't even remember being related to the Black Plague, I mostly remembers stories about nuns having sex. In that sense, Impatient Griselda was the most perfect of all. I did appreciate the diversity of experiences, especially the many immigrant stories, and when silliness turned to sadness it was always appropriate, though hard to read when the pandemic and sadness continues.
1. Impatient Griselda by Margaret Atwood
2. Barcelona: Open City by John Wray
3. The Girl with the Big Red Suitcase by Rachel Kushner
4. The Cellar by Dina Nayeri
5. Systems by Charles Yu
6. If Wishes Was Horses by David Mitchell
7. Prudent Girls by Rivers Solomon
Most of these were my favorites because the pandemic was there to provide some kind of context, but didn't overwhelm the plot to the point that it became a Story About Life During Covid. That would go against the idea of the Decameron, which I read in high school and didn't even remember being related to the Black Plague, I mostly remembers stories about nuns having sex. In that sense, Impatient Griselda was the most perfect of all. I did appreciate the diversity of experiences, especially the many immigrant stories, and when silliness turned to sadness it was always appropriate, though hard to read when the pandemic and sadness continues.