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ltwardwriter's review against another edition
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
juneday's review against another edition
3.0
3.5
as expected w short story collections, esp ones not entirely comprised of the compiler’s stories, there were some stories which were a pain to get through, but i read on for the delightful hidden gems buried within the more average stories.
top three:
“the last crop” , “the rainy moon” & “oke of okehurst”
honourable mentions: “the young girl” “the earth” “the loves of lady purple” “girl” & “life”
will probably reread this sometime in the future & annotate!
as expected w short story collections, esp ones not entirely comprised of the compiler’s stories, there were some stories which were a pain to get through, but i read on for the delightful hidden gems buried within the more average stories.
top three:
“the last crop” , “the rainy moon” & “oke of okehurst”
honourable mentions: “the young girl” “the earth” “the loves of lady purple” “girl” & “life”
will probably reread this sometime in the future & annotate!
firebird's review against another edition
dark
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
elsemma's review
3.0
THE LAST CROP - I enjoyed this one even if it was a little predictable. I think it was a good choice to open the collection with as the characters were clear from their introduction, as was the plot and it was easy to follow. 4/5
THE DEBUTANTE - This was short and not so sweet but it was enjoyable and packed a punch with delivering it’s message. 4/5
THE GLORIA STORIES - This was a little bit weird and a bit wonderful. It was an enjoyable story although I felt the pacing was a little off. The characters are well written though. 3/5
LIFE - I did enjoy this. It took a few pages to get going and the story is definitely one I had read before but it tells it well. It has a simple premise and delivers on that premise effectively with characters that jump of the page. 4/5
THE GUATEMALAN IDEAL - I didn’t enjoy this one that much. If not for the setting I wouldn’t even remember much about it. 1/5
THE YOUNG GIRL - Honestly don.’t remember anything about this particular story. It was swallowed by more enticing stories in the collection. Maybe if I re-read it I would enjoy it more. 1/5
THREE FEMINIST FABLES - This the shortest in the collection I believe but they are refreshing in that regard. It is a nice break from the longer tales and they are nice unique twists on some old tales. I especially like the Bluebeard one. 4/5
THE RAINY MOON - I did enjoy this one. Despite it being quite meandering and the plot wasn’t always clear. It had a lovely writing style that pulled you in and set the tone well. 4/5
WEDLOCK - Meh. I enjoyed it but I don't think it was original enough to stick with me long term. It was well written though and got across it's message effectively. 3/5
VIOLET - I didn't really enjoy this one. I don't think it helped that I had to put the book down in the middle of it but the characters kept getting jumbled together. I constantly had to go back and check which character was which. Now a short story is difficult to get all the characters well defined quickly enough to overcome this but plenty other stories managed it in this collection. 1/5
THE PLUMS - I was pleasantly surprised by this one. It is one of the longer stories and switches between paragraphs and verse. I'm not sure how much this switching added for me but it didn't detract. The characters were extremely well written and the story so simple but effective and impactful. I especially liked its focus on the relationship between Europe and Africa and the negative impacts. 4/5
A WOMAN YOUNG AND OLD - This was short and sweet. It lacked depth at least from my first read. It talks about a 13 year being a "menace" to men and I can see the narrative it was going for. It really spoke about the sexualisation on young girls and the impact it can have on them but I wanted more? I enjoyed it. 4/5
THE LONG TRIAL - This story told of desperation really well. It oozes off of the page from the characters. That is its strongest aspect. It was also however, a bit meh. I read it about 6 hours ago and I had to go back and check which story it was. 3/5
THE LOVES OF LADY PURPLE - I love Angela Carter. There is something about her prose that just captures me and makes me want to keep reading. This one took me a page to get into but after that it sells itself. She weaves a story so well and I genuinely couldn't tell where it was going to end up. Which predictability is a problem I have had a few times while reading this collection. 4/5
THE EARTH - Meh. Honestly I find this one difficult to review because it wasn't "bad" but it just lacked warmth and I wasn't interested in the slightest. 1/5
OKE OF OKEHURST - So this story is probably the longest in the collection? I think that helps it as it allows a good set up and I did really enjoy it. It has a really good atmosphere and pulls a lot of influence from different classics. I also liked the aspect of is there something more going on? Or are they just going crazy? It was executed very well. 4/5
THE GIRL - This story gets its point across but it is so short with no character and plot. It is essentially just a list. So while it is interesting it just isn't my cup of tea. 1/5
AUNT LIU - I think this story shows female resilience very well. It is just snapshot of a woman's life yet it conveys so much about her and what she has been through. Then with the casual way the author writes her response to that. I think it is very believable. Which is to its credit. 3/5
OVERALL - Nothing in this collection was a 5 star read for me. Nothing wowed me and tellingly I wouldn't recommend anyone that they should go right out and buy this. If you like short stories and are looking for something yes read it. If you like Angela Carter and want to read her story sure go for it. I don't think it is essential that everyone picks this up.
THE DEBUTANTE - This was short and not so sweet but it was enjoyable and packed a punch with delivering it’s message. 4/5
THE GLORIA STORIES - This was a little bit weird and a bit wonderful. It was an enjoyable story although I felt the pacing was a little off. The characters are well written though. 3/5
LIFE - I did enjoy this. It took a few pages to get going and the story is definitely one I had read before but it tells it well. It has a simple premise and delivers on that premise effectively with characters that jump of the page. 4/5
THE GUATEMALAN IDEAL - I didn’t enjoy this one that much. If not for the setting I wouldn’t even remember much about it. 1/5
THE YOUNG GIRL - Honestly don.’t remember anything about this particular story. It was swallowed by more enticing stories in the collection. Maybe if I re-read it I would enjoy it more. 1/5
THREE FEMINIST FABLES - This the shortest in the collection I believe but they are refreshing in that regard. It is a nice break from the longer tales and they are nice unique twists on some old tales. I especially like the Bluebeard one. 4/5
THE RAINY MOON - I did enjoy this one. Despite it being quite meandering and the plot wasn’t always clear. It had a lovely writing style that pulled you in and set the tone well. 4/5
WEDLOCK - Meh. I enjoyed it but I don't think it was original enough to stick with me long term. It was well written though and got across it's message effectively. 3/5
VIOLET - I didn't really enjoy this one. I don't think it helped that I had to put the book down in the middle of it but the characters kept getting jumbled together. I constantly had to go back and check which character was which. Now a short story is difficult to get all the characters well defined quickly enough to overcome this but plenty other stories managed it in this collection. 1/5
THE PLUMS - I was pleasantly surprised by this one. It is one of the longer stories and switches between paragraphs and verse. I'm not sure how much this switching added for me but it didn't detract. The characters were extremely well written and the story so simple but effective and impactful. I especially liked its focus on the relationship between Europe and Africa and the negative impacts. 4/5
A WOMAN YOUNG AND OLD - This was short and sweet. It lacked depth at least from my first read. It talks about a 13 year being a "menace" to men and I can see the narrative it was going for. It really spoke about the sexualisation on young girls and the impact it can have on them but I wanted more? I enjoyed it. 4/5
THE LONG TRIAL - This story told of desperation really well. It oozes off of the page from the characters. That is its strongest aspect. It was also however, a bit meh. I read it about 6 hours ago and I had to go back and check which story it was. 3/5
THE LOVES OF LADY PURPLE - I love Angela Carter. There is something about her prose that just captures me and makes me want to keep reading. This one took me a page to get into but after that it sells itself. She weaves a story so well and I genuinely couldn't tell where it was going to end up. Which predictability is a problem I have had a few times while reading this collection. 4/5
THE EARTH - Meh. Honestly I find this one difficult to review because it wasn't "bad" but it just lacked warmth and I wasn't interested in the slightest. 1/5
OKE OF OKEHURST - So this story is probably the longest in the collection? I think that helps it as it allows a good set up and I did really enjoy it. It has a really good atmosphere and pulls a lot of influence from different classics. I also liked the aspect of is there something more going on? Or are they just going crazy? It was executed very well. 4/5
THE GIRL - This story gets its point across but it is so short with no character and plot. It is essentially just a list. So while it is interesting it just isn't my cup of tea. 1/5
AUNT LIU - I think this story shows female resilience very well. It is just snapshot of a woman's life yet it conveys so much about her and what she has been through. Then with the casual way the author writes her response to that. I think it is very believable. Which is to its credit. 3/5
OVERALL - Nothing in this collection was a 5 star read for me. Nothing wowed me and tellingly I wouldn't recommend anyone that they should go right out and buy this. If you like short stories and are looking for something yes read it. If you like Angela Carter and want to read her story sure go for it. I don't think it is essential that everyone picks this up.
isabellec's review against another edition
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
cdcsmith's review against another edition
4.0
As with all anthologies, some of these were better than others. The truth is, I really enjoyed many of them - even the super short stories. There were a couple that I just read to be able to get to the next one though. All in all, a very good collection.
amandar9fa2f's review against another edition
4.0
An international collection of subversive, often surreal/weird short stories by women about women. Forget sugar and spice, this is women in all their glory.
Stand outs for me were the stories by Angela Carter, Colette and Rocky Gámez.
Stand outs for me were the stories by Angela Carter, Colette and Rocky Gámez.
aquakerwitch's review against another edition
2.0
Didn't actually finish it, even though I was determined to because there was always a chance I might have enjoyed one of the stories. I didn't really dislike the ones I read, was more indifferent towards all of them and can't remember what any of them were about. I never really felt the urge to pick it up and read the next story so decided to DNF it.