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icequeen37's review against another edition
2.0
I thoroughly hated these stories. I love Highsmith's writing, but this book was just awful. I didn't care for any of the themes or characters and overall, this was a disappointment.
howardl's review against another edition
dark
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
charlottelikestoread's review against another edition
Good collection of short stories. I only stopped because I was reading it for school and the requirements only included the first seven stories. I would be interested in finishing the book when I’m less busy.
lairn's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
gryndlepuffpaste's review against another edition
5.0
This is the best book I’ve read this year so far
ilsegt's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
kabeju's review against another edition
medium-paced
3.0
Read this because it was mentioned in the film Perfect Days
jwsg's review against another edition
3.0
Patricia Highsmith's Eleven is a collection of, well, 11 dark tales featuring a cast of bizarre characters, some twisted, some troubled and yet others just tragic. I picked up the collection after reading The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating, which mentioned one of the short stories in Eleven - The Quest for Blank Claveringi. This particular short story is about a professor of zoology's deadly quest to find the mythical giant man-eating snails of Kuwa. Reading the first story, The Snail Watcher, I was a little concerned that this might turn out to be a collection of tales about snails and other assorted molluscs but thankfully, this was not the case (although there was a story called The Terrapin and the final story in the collection featured an unidentifiable creature plaguing a young couple). Not quite my kind of fiction but the tales were well written and suitably engrossing.
lykida's review against another edition
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
sshabein's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
First off, why do so many people hate "The Quest for Blank Claveringi" ? What's not to love about 15 FT, MAN-EATING LAND-SNAILS? Come on, that is hilariously over the top, and the explorer gets eaten! Amazing. Perfect.
That said, I liked most stories in here, but cw: for "The Terrapin" because that death scene for the little turtle is a lot! Still a good story, but fair warning. I'd say this collection is more of a horror collection than mystery/regular crime fiction, but these labels are up to reader, I suppose.
That said, I liked most stories in here, but cw: for "The Terrapin" because that death scene for the little turtle is a lot! Still a good story, but fair warning. I'd say this collection is more of a horror collection than mystery/regular crime fiction, but these labels are up to reader, I suppose.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death and Violence
Moderate: Misogyny