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3.65 AVERAGE
3.65 AVERAGE
This book was not bad. It was just so strange that I’m not sure what to make of it. Definitely a “decide for yourself” set of stories!
Such an odd book, but great writing! Very clever and easy to get lost in the stories. Definitely not my normal type of read, but I highly recommend. I’ll be thinking about this collection for quite a while.
This is a book of short stories by Swamplandia! author Karen Russell. I wasn't surprised to find each story to be inventive and unusual, but I was unprepared for how much variety and heart Russell put into a slender volume of stories. From an eerie story about homesteaders in Nebraska, to a group of former presidents reincarnated as horses, each story was fantastic. I'm looking forward to more from Russell.
Fun stories. Made you think but didn't try to be too deep.
A short story collection is always a mixed bag. I enjoyed Russell's magical realist style and about half of the stories stood out for both plot and writing: the title story, reeling for the empire, proving up, and the barn at the end of our term. Overall, the collection seemed disconnected - there was no common thread going from story to story to make me keep wanting to read more.
Probably more of a 4.5. As with all short story collections, some tales are better than others, but even my least favorite of these stories from Karen Russell has merit. Russell is an imaginative writer but also one grounded in real human emotions of fear, lust, jealousy, and love. She creates characters who fight with dignity against cruel circumstances that are sometimes of their own creation. I loved how the banality of "Vampires in the Lemon Grove" transformed into something larger and shocking. "Dougbert Shackleton's Rules for Antarctic Tailgating" left me both laughing out loud and understanding the absurdity of cheering for the Chicago Cubs (or substitute whatever un-winning team of your choice here). "Reeling for the Empire" uses the trope of emerging from a cocoon as a physical and spiritual metamorphosis, the effect is fresh under Russell's prose. You may prefer different stories but you won't regret picking up this delightful, thoughtful collection.
This is the first book that I have read by Karen Russell and what stands out to me is that her writing seems effortless. Her stories are fresh and thought-provoking, but the message is always wrapped in a spine tingling bizarre package. All of the stories were good, but I did have three favorites: Reeling for the Empire looks at working in a sweatshop, but through the eyes of human silkworms - big ick factor with this one, The Barn at the End of Our Term combines a little history of The Homestead Act with a spooky ending and The New Veterans where a massage therapist tries to heal a returning Iraqi veteran's wounds by manipulating his tattoos. This was the perfect book to read the week of Halloween - grown up scary.
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
Started this book back in April 2013 and finished it in Aug 2014. This is what happened to my half-read books