Reviews

Being Various: New Irish Short Stories by Lucy Caldwell

hayleighlouise's review

medium-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

3.0

rebeccarc's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? N/A
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

greys's review against another edition

challenging dark slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character

3.0

greybeard49's review against another edition

4.0

Most of the stories are well constructed and skilfully written - definitely of the here and now. If you want to be uplifted or to increase your positivity about the human race then these are not for you. Really powerful stuff but not for the faint hearted. Subjects covered include bulimia, abject loneliness, child killing, family incest - 'Stretch Marks' should be required reading for all prospective fathers who need an insight into how dreadful a difficult pregnancy can be - and so much more.

A strong anthology which does illustrate the strength and variety of current Irish writing. Lucy Caldwell has chosen well.

entwederoda's review against another edition

medium-paced

3.75

bridie_books's review against another edition

4.0

Another great anthology of Irish writing!

lgiery's review against another edition

3.0

A fantastic collection of short stories written by contemporary Irish authors (all written after the Good Friday Agreement). Many of the stories engage with themes of death, mortality, loneliness, culpability, isolation, love/dating, and maternity. My one criticism is that I found the book start strong with well-written, thought-provoking stories which the second half of the book lacked.

Some of my favorites include:
"How I fell in love with the well documented life of Alexander Whelan"
"The Swimmers"
"The Partial List of the Saved"
"Legends"
"Strech Marks"
"BrownLady12345"
"Pillars"
"Privacy"
"Jack's Return Home"
"Who's dead McCarthy"

lotteee11's review against another edition

4.0

Short stories by various authors. The central theme was a bit absent in some, and the plots were generally quite dark & depressing. Still it provided some interesting insights into the concept of “Irishness” with a hint of political and religious context.

hhannahm's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny inspiring lighthearted reflective medium-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? N/A

4.25

annabarbarabittner's review against another edition

emotional medium-paced

4.5