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shanshanshannon's review against another edition
2.0
This was a collection of dark and creepy short stories. Lots of magical realism!
storybookvisitor's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
ska1224's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
3.5
some stories i loved
ridgewaygirl's review against another edition
5.0
Samanta Schweblin is an Argentinian author whose work is finally being translated into English, first with Fever Dream and now with a collection of short stories called Mouthful of Birds. The stories in this collection are varied, but share a sense of discomfort, of things being off-kilter, of the ordinary rules not applying. A man murders his wife and stuffs her body into a suitcase only to find that his actions are badly misunderstood. A father comes to terms with his daughter's changing diet needs. An unhappy woman meets a merman.
Each story is odd, unsettling, and none of them are interested in answering any questions a reader might have. Stories begin in the middle or stop before or during the the moment of crisis. Backstories are hinted at. These are not stories to rush through, but to read singly, with time to mull over what happened or didn't happen or might happen later. There's often the sense of the environment being destroyed or turning against the people living in it. Intriguing and not necessarily satisfying, I'm eager to read more by this author.
Each story is odd, unsettling, and none of them are interested in answering any questions a reader might have. Stories begin in the middle or stop before or during the the moment of crisis. Backstories are hinted at. These are not stories to rush through, but to read singly, with time to mull over what happened or didn't happen or might happen later. There's often the sense of the environment being destroyed or turning against the people living in it. Intriguing and not necessarily satisfying, I'm eager to read more by this author.
shedontknowyoulilbro's review against another edition
3.0
Al leer la mayoría de los cuentos en esta colección me quedé con una sensación difícil de describir, me encantaba la atmósfera que se creaba pero al final del cuento no sentía nada, no había el nocaut del que habla Julio Cortázar.
Debo decir que sí me la pasé bien con esta autora, le daré otra oportunidad con otro de sus colecciones.
Mis favoritos fueron Conservas, Bajo tierra, Mariposas y En la estepa.
Debo decir que sí me la pasé bien con esta autora, le daré otra oportunidad con otro de sus colecciones.
Mis favoritos fueron Conservas, Bajo tierra, Mariposas y En la estepa.
debbieurbanski's review against another edition
5.0
Fever Dream (Schweblin's novella published in English in 2017) is one of my favorite books -- precisely written and haunting, it captures the anxieties of motherhood amazingly well. So I was very excited to read this collection of short stories. From what I understand, Mouthful of Birds was originally published in Spanish in 2010 (and in English in 2019). Fever Dream was originally published in Spanish in 2014 (and published in English in 2017). Meaning the stories in Mouthful of Birds were originally written some time before Fever Dream. Some of these stories do feel like an author's early work. Rather than finding that a negative, I find it exciting to get to see how Schweblin's writing has progressed (and it makes me excited for what Schweblin will be publishing next). She is not a static writer by any means and appears interested in exploring and poking at boundaries. Two stories in this collection are some of my favorite short stories ever: "Olingiris" and "A Great Effort." ("A Great Effort" had interesting hints of Fever Dream - "Then the boy put down the puppet and he looked out from the stage himself. He hid behind the curtain for a few seconds and then appeared again. The pain he felt every time his son disappeared was something brutal. Every time the boy hid behind the curtain again, an invisible thread pulled at him violently."!!). These two pieces are odd, emotional, subtle, and moving in the best way. Other favorites from this collection include "Mouthful of Birds," "Heads Against Concrete," "Underground" (creepy story about parenthood, also reminded me of Fever Dream a little), and "On the Steppe." Some of the other stories I didn't connect with as much, but I think that's expected in a collection.
dameguillotine's review against another edition
3.0
Me gustó pero también lo odié, y es muy difícil articular si eso es bueno o malo.
En un nivel de pura apreciación artística le pondría 4/5. Siento que deja un poco que desear narrativamente, y en algunos casos (sobre todo en los primeros cuentos) se le ven demasiado las costuras; puedo encontrar la oración que inspiró el cuento, o la idea que trabajosamente intentó constituir en una historia. Su absurdismo es incluso un poco esforzado, insistente. En el cuento que da título a la antología, por ejemplo, se nota mucho en los diálogos. Dicho eso está bien logrado, es efectivo, y las ideas son originales. Estoy segura de que muchos de estos cuentos me van a quedar en la cabeza.
Ahora bien, si estamos hablando de disfrute es un 2. Entiendo que generar incomodidad es su propósito y por eso mi propio disgusto es una prueba de su éxito, pero eso no elimina ese disgusto. Así que quedará en el medio.
Algunos de los cuentos me recordaron un poco a cuentos de Lovecraft. Si tengo que recomendar uno creo que sería el último, En la estepa.
En un nivel de pura apreciación artística le pondría 4/5. Siento que deja un poco que desear narrativamente, y en algunos casos (sobre todo en los primeros cuentos) se le ven demasiado las costuras; puedo encontrar la oración que inspiró el cuento, o la idea que trabajosamente intentó constituir en una historia. Su absurdismo es incluso un poco esforzado, insistente. En el cuento que da título a la antología, por ejemplo, se nota mucho en los diálogos. Dicho eso está bien logrado, es efectivo, y las ideas son originales. Estoy segura de que muchos de estos cuentos me van a quedar en la cabeza.
Ahora bien, si estamos hablando de disfrute es un 2. Entiendo que generar incomodidad es su propósito y por eso mi propio disgusto es una prueba de su éxito, pero eso no elimina ese disgusto. Así que quedará en el medio.
Algunos de los cuentos me recordaron un poco a cuentos de Lovecraft. Si tengo que recomendar uno creo que sería el último, En la estepa.
aliraebanz's review against another edition
5.0
These were such interesting and beautiful stories, rich with culture and language. I have truly never read anything like it. I enjoyed how the author, a female, was able to write from a male perspective so beautifully. The stories were dark, but at times so light and beautiful. I enjoyed this collection immensely.
amycrea's review against another edition
4.0
This is an uneven collection, but the good stories are worth the read.