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riotsquirrrl's review
Sometimes you just need to know when to quit.
I was disappointed to check this book out of the library and find that that I'd read about half of the stories already in The Best of Connie Willis.
But I decided to push on and read the stories included in this 700 page tome that I hadn't read before. I was whelmed. That is until about halfway through, with a frivolous piece called Ado about how the teacher couldn't teach any Shakespeare because people objected to everything in the plays.
And then I read the story about incest and beastiality on a space station, and I was just done. I haven't been able to pick up the book in a week since that happened and so I'm just calling it quits.
I've already read all of Willis' best works, and given the abrupt tonal changes between Ado and All My Darling Daughters, I don't trust that I'm not going to be hit with more surprise incest. And with Ado directly before this piece, I can't help but see it as a sort of dare for us to not be like those prigs. But jeez, Connie Willis, maybe you could warn a person?
I was disappointed to check this book out of the library and find that that I'd read about half of the stories already in The Best of Connie Willis.
But I decided to push on and read the stories included in this 700 page tome that I hadn't read before. I was whelmed. That is until about halfway through, with a frivolous piece called Ado about how the teacher couldn't teach any Shakespeare because people objected to everything in the plays.
And then I read the story about incest and beastiality on a space station, and I was just done. I haven't been able to pick up the book in a week since that happened and so I'm just calling it quits.
I've already read all of Willis' best works, and given the abrupt tonal changes between Ado and All My Darling Daughters, I don't trust that I'm not going to be hit with more surprise incest. And with Ado directly before this piece, I can't help but see it as a sort of dare for us to not be like those prigs. But jeez, Connie Willis, maybe you could warn a person?
drlisak's review
3.0
As with many collections, I loved some, I disliked some. The most powerful story for me was "The Winds of Marble Arch". Some of the others simply fell flat.
gillothen's review against another edition
3.0
Three stars, but some of this bumper collection of stories rate more, and rather too many rate less.
Connie Willis seems fascinated by the London Blitz in some of these stories, presumably written in some cases when she was working on her pair of time-travel novels set then. Like them, however, her research seems superficial at times; if fanfic writers can get Britpickers at need, I really don't see why she can't. She makes some extraordinarily silly mistakes - a 'raspberry torte' in late autumn wartime London? Rutabagas? 'Row houses'? A Duchess of York giving the VC to an airman for shooting down 15 enemy planes. (And one, moreover, called Quincy. Who in Britain named a son that in the 1920s?) Measuring London distances in terms of blocks and omitting 'street', 'road' and so-on from street names?
These are just a few I noted from one story. They would all leap out at any Brit, but pass unnoticed by many Americans. They set my teeth on edge, particularly when historical characters, embedded in their own eras say them.
One or two of the stories were enjoyable, though quite a few were forgettable. I would suggest this collection works best for Willis completists and non-Brits.
Connie Willis seems fascinated by the London Blitz in some of these stories, presumably written in some cases when she was working on her pair of time-travel novels set then. Like them, however, her research seems superficial at times; if fanfic writers can get Britpickers at need, I really don't see why she can't. She makes some extraordinarily silly mistakes - a 'raspberry torte' in late autumn wartime London? Rutabagas? 'Row houses'? A Duchess of York giving the VC to an airman for shooting down 15 enemy planes. (And one, moreover, called Quincy. Who in Britain named a son that in the 1920s?) Measuring London distances in terms of blocks and omitting 'street', 'road' and so-on from street names?
These are just a few I noted from one story. They would all leap out at any Brit, but pass unnoticed by many Americans. They set my teeth on edge, particularly when historical characters, embedded in their own eras say them.
One or two of the stories were enjoyable, though quite a few were forgettable. I would suggest this collection works best for Willis completists and non-Brits.
caroparr's review
4.0
700 pages of short stories and novellas, showing the range of her interests (academia, WWII, pets,, movies) as well as her recurring themes (compassion, mourning for lost things). Like all collections, this includes better and lesser stories, but the best are so good.
jonmhansen's review against another edition
4.0
It's a good collection. I will say, in many of her stories she's got at least one character that I desperately want to see get punched in the nose but somehow never do. It is infuriating.
cmbohn's review
challenging
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
libkatem's review
4.0
Some stories in this collection are repeats of stories in other collections. I'm not repeating them here, sorry!
"The Winds of Marble Arch" is the story that the collection is named for. It was a good story- set in London, and told the story that... pretty much suffering can be felt. It lingers. Not my favorite of her work, but made for a good mystery.
"Blued Moon," is utterly zany and fun! One of her "screwball comedy" stories. They always make me smile.
"Just Like the Ones We Used to Know" had me rolling at one moment, and my heart breaking in another. I loved all the characters and their problems, and ALL THE SNOW. Snow EVERYWHERE. So brilliant. I would recommend this story to everyone.
"Nonstop to Portales" I suspect I would have enjoyed it more if I knew who Jack Williamson is. Maybe I'll read one of his books someday. Add him to the list.... ;)
"The Curse of the Kings" was so creepy. So creepy.
"Inn" made me wonder what I would do in that situation.
"Samaritan" was odd. Baptizing orangatangs? Natalie, the character who wanted to baptize Esau, seemed deranged.
"Cash Crop" was also creepy. It was an extreme of genetic engineering, to make people more hearty and capable of surviving on alien worlds.
"The Soul Selects Her Own Society" was hilarious. It was an "academic paper" on Emily Dickinson and an academic paper. As someone who cannot stand Dickinson, this story was genius. Love it.
"Epiphany" is such a fascinating story on what "Armageddon" might be. Because, really, who knows? And there are worse things than carnivals. Willis is a creative genius!
"The Winds of Marble Arch" is the story that the collection is named for. It was a good story- set in London, and told the story that... pretty much suffering can be felt. It lingers. Not my favorite of her work, but made for a good mystery.
"Blued Moon," is utterly zany and fun! One of her "screwball comedy" stories. They always make me smile.
"Just Like the Ones We Used to Know" had me rolling at one moment, and my heart breaking in another. I loved all the characters and their problems, and ALL THE SNOW. Snow EVERYWHERE. So brilliant. I would recommend this story to everyone.
"Nonstop to Portales" I suspect I would have enjoyed it more if I knew who Jack Williamson is. Maybe I'll read one of his books someday. Add him to the list.... ;)
"The Curse of the Kings" was so creepy. So creepy.
"Inn" made me wonder what I would do in that situation.
"Samaritan" was odd. Baptizing orangatangs? Natalie, the character who wanted to baptize Esau, seemed deranged.
"Cash Crop" was also creepy. It was an extreme of genetic engineering, to make people more hearty and capable of surviving on alien worlds.
"The Soul Selects Her Own Society" was hilarious. It was an "academic paper" on Emily Dickinson and an academic paper. As someone who cannot stand Dickinson, this story was genius. Love it.
"Epiphany" is such a fascinating story on what "Armageddon" might be. Because, really, who knows? And there are worse things than carnivals. Willis is a creative genius!
jessalynn_librarian's review
5.0
I'm giving this one five stars, not because all the stories were perfect, but because taken as a whole, the collection presents a fabulous variety. Some of the stories are science fiction (like "Cash Crop"), some are contemporary with odd little twists (like "Just Like the Ones We Used to Know"), some have time travel (like "Fire Watch," which has the added bonus of a [b:Doomsday Book|24983|Doomsday Book|Connie Willis|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1167544945s/24983.jpg|2439628] reference), and one is so downright creepy I'd like to forget it. Some short story collections feel awkward, not because the stories themselves aren't good, but because they weren't really written to be read all at once. With Willis' stories, the book is organized by loose themes, rather than chronology, and while the style is all distinctly Willis, they never feel repetitive. The only thing missing was a note about when all the stories were originally published. This book is massive and a bit of a chore to lug around, but it's just so well-rounded. I don't always take easily to short stories (which is odd because I spent a whole class writing them in college) but this one more than won me over, and I'll definitely reread it.