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3.65 AVERAGE
3.65 AVERAGE
dark
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I really enjoyed the diversity of characters and plots in this collection of short stories. Russell combines magical realism, surrealism, and dark comedy to spin modern fairytales, all linked by the thematic threads of fate and free will.
Two of the stories missed the mark for me, and without them I think this collection would be just about perfect:
Dougbert Shackleton's rules for Antarctic tailgating
Graveless doll of Eric Mutis
Favorites:
Reeling for the Empire
Seagull army descends on Strong Beach, 1979
Barn at the end of our term
New Veterans
Two of the stories missed the mark for me, and without them I think this collection would be just about perfect:
Dougbert Shackleton's rules for Antarctic tailgating
Graveless doll of Eric Mutis
Favorites:
Reeling for the Empire
Seagull army descends on Strong Beach, 1979
Barn at the end of our term
New Veterans
dark
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
N/A
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Enchanting and eerie, Russell's short stories left me breathless.
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This collection of stories are weird and wonderful. Russell excels at creating richly detailed lives of her characters in the limited pages for her short stories. She transports her reader to every world she describes and forces us to feel all the feelings. Highly recommended.
emotional
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Rating: 2 stars
The short stories weren't engaging and felt unresolved.
The short stories weren't engaging and felt unresolved.
So strange and fun.
< my choice for #3 on Book Riot's 2015 Read Harder Challenge: a collection of short stories. >
< my choice for #3 on Book Riot's 2015 Read Harder Challenge: a collection of short stories. >
Meh. I really liked one of the eight, thought two more of them were alright, really disliked one, and the other four I can barely remember. To be fair, I'm not typically that fond of short stories.
Vampires in the Lemon Grove will go down in history as the book that made me realize I can read collections of short stories.
Some of the stories in this book were lovely, some were disturbing, and one was the scariest story I've ever read (other than those terrifying scary stories with the spooky, haunting pictures we all read as children).
Some of the stories in this book were lovely, some were disturbing, and one was the scariest story I've ever read (other than those terrifying scary stories with the spooky, haunting pictures we all read as children).