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3.98 AVERAGE
3.98 AVERAGE
3.5 but rounding up. My favorite stories were "Orange World," "The Prospectors," "The Gondoliers," and "Bog Girl." I enjoyed the borderline-horror aspect; actually I picked up this book because I was looking for horror about female bodily functions as inspo for my own thing and I heard "Orange World" was about breastfeeding the devil.
mysterious
slow-paced
it’s like r/twosentencehorror but the story drags on for really long n not much happens
As I was reading this book--a dense collection that, despite the uncomplicated nature of its metaphors, requires careful reading--and had a tough time deciding what I thought. I couldn't tell if I actually like it, but knew for certain that it was 100% my taste. I'm not sure what that means--if I don't know what I want, or don't want what I like?--but I'd still recommend it if you're looking for strong literary vibes.
Brilliant and engrossing. Highly recommended for adults.
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
dark
funny
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
This collection brought a different experience for me. Previously as I read Karen's stories there was always a sense that I would love to share a drink with this person. Her mind meticulously crafting stories that I was at one surprised by and related to, but always with that thought, I would like this person.
Orange world does almost the same thing, except I think a different version of her personality has been revealed here, however subtle that might be. I love the stories. I read the one about the joshua tree and the lovers a while back now and I don't think the imagery in it will ever leave my mind. I loved the opening story about the thieves and their "wrong turn". I just feel like they're told from this position of aloofness, no longer from the position of an observer at the same level but from some other perspective.
Id recommend these if you like magical realism, the unexpected or just something to cleanse the palette as you read through something less "fun".
Orange world does almost the same thing, except I think a different version of her personality has been revealed here, however subtle that might be. I love the stories. I read the one about the joshua tree and the lovers a while back now and I don't think the imagery in it will ever leave my mind. I loved the opening story about the thieves and their "wrong turn". I just feel like they're told from this position of aloofness, no longer from the position of an observer at the same level but from some other perspective.
Id recommend these if you like magical realism, the unexpected or just something to cleanse the palette as you read through something less "fun".
dark
funny
medium-paced
Fun collection of stories I picked up while feeling particularly homesick for the states. I was particularly interested in reading "The Prospectors" and "Bog Girl: A Romance." The stories in this collection have dark and sharp edges, but are almost ridiculous in their focus, which makes for an enjoyable reading experience. There are stories about flappers attending ghostly parties, women breastfeeding devilish imps, and people living mystical alternates of our own reality. "The Tornado Auction" and "The Gondoliers" probably stand out to me the most. The idea of raising tornadoes like horses is just so fantastical yet the story is so rooted in the gritty reality of the male obsession with danger. The Gondoliers deals with a post-climate crisis Florida flooded with toxic water, and a quartet of mutated (actually or magically or not at all?) sisters who traverse this new world.
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced