Reviews

New Islands: And Other Stories by Maria Luisa Bombal

carateresa's review

dark emotional mysterious sad fast-paced

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

4.75

jbabi's review

loved 3 of the 5 stories, overall great. the last story, new islands, was really nice. also i love those words; just saying "new islands" is such a pleasure

lauren_endnotes's review

4.0

New Islands collects five short stories by Chilean writer Bombal, ranging from a few pages ("The Unknown") to novellas ("The Final Mist"). Primarily written in the 1930s, there is a distinct gothic mood to the stories: large empty estates, wandering at night, melodramatic courtship and love. Natural imagery is also a part in each story, encourtering mists/fogs, images of the sea and sea life, trees, and the darkness of night. This imagery often takes on a mystical quality, symbolic to the emotions of the characters, their grief, longing, or confusion.

The stories themselves are whispers, very little is permanent of confirmed to be "real". Dreams and visions blur into every day events. Did this happen? That isn't the point. However, it is an interesting note that this translation - by Lucia Guerra Cunningham and Richard Cunningham - has been criticized for "paraphrasing" and not capturing the spirit of the original.

Was something lost in translation? Perhaps. Still, there is definitely that spark that kept me reading, and curious for more.