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angelinaslibrary's review
dark
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
0.5
madtraveler's review
5.0
A great collection. A lot of great images that will stick with me for some time. Nicely crafted characters and so very human and poignant. Situations range from the very ordinary to the fantastic, yet each story rings as true as the next. Settings in Wisconsin perhaps make me a little biased as well, and let me just say that alcohol always results in a story, tragic or otherwise. Lol.
abookwanderer's review
4.0
*I was very excited to win a copy of this collection of stories from the publisher, St. Martin's Press.
Beneath the Bonfire: Stories is a collection of ten short stories with a weaving of common threads: all the tales are set in the midwest, nature plays an important role, and the characters are beautifully painted with colorful brushstrokes and definitive lines. I enjoyed some stories more than others, but together they all created a complete picture. Butler writes with an easy, poetic style, capturing the reader's nostalgic imagination.
Beneath the Bonfire: Stories is a collection of ten short stories with a weaving of common threads: all the tales are set in the midwest, nature plays an important role, and the characters are beautifully painted with colorful brushstrokes and definitive lines. I enjoyed some stories more than others, but together they all created a complete picture. Butler writes with an easy, poetic style, capturing the reader's nostalgic imagination.
amber_reads's review
4.0
I read Butler's debut novel for my book club. I thought it was OK, but part of me felt the storyline was very familiar, just set near Eau Claire, Wisco. He was able to capture Wisconsin very well, but it seemed I had read the story numerous times - friends come together after years apart, lives aren't what they seem to be, one of them is wealthy, one is famous (at this point I thought the famous guy was based on Bon Iver's Justin Vernon), marriages on the rocks, etc.
But Beneath the Bonfire was much better. I finished it within a few days. Very seldom do we get a nice collection of short stories. None of the stories fell short, even the one I didn't think was that great. Butler captured Wisconsin very well except for a few small details - we don't all smoke that much pot, our choice of beer is more likely to be PBR or Miller, and we're not all outdoorsy people. That's just me being picky; I know Butler lives in Wisco but c'mon, I have yet to meet a Wisconsinite that drinks Hamms.
The writing is great and Butler obviously found some wonderful analogies to use. If I could only read one Butler book, it would be this one.
But Beneath the Bonfire was much better. I finished it within a few days. Very seldom do we get a nice collection of short stories. None of the stories fell short, even the one I didn't think was that great. Butler captured Wisconsin very well except for a few small details - we don't all smoke that much pot, our choice of beer is more likely to be PBR or Miller, and we're not all outdoorsy people. That's just me being picky; I know Butler lives in Wisco but c'mon, I have yet to meet a Wisconsinite that drinks Hamms.
The writing is great and Butler obviously found some wonderful analogies to use. If I could only read one Butler book, it would be this one.
deweyscrapper's review
3.0
I liked this, but it wasn't as good as his first book, Shotgun Lovesongs.
peterangelo's review
5.0
I was really excited to read this book after enjoying Shotgun Lovesongs. I purchased it as soon as it was released and decided to savor it slowly reading one story between longer books. I was not disappointed. I am always amazed at how a well written short story can very quickly draw you in and connect with you. Each of the stories here did that for me. I found myself thinking every story was better than the last and that to me is the sign of an excellent collection. Bravo Nick!
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