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3.65 AVERAGE
3.65 AVERAGE
No one writes like Karen Russell. These stories take their time to unfold: they start out almost mundane, presenting characters and situations that seem utterly familiar. But soon enough we see hints of the unreal, then evidence of it, and then the truth shines in our eyes so brightly we wish we could look away. I want to reread each of these stories again immediately.
These stories crackle with energy and strange beauty. Subtle creepiness melded with emotion give life to damaged and flawed characters, and Russell's take on fantasy is somewhere between psychological horror and magic realism.
I'm not the biggest fan of short stories, but I think this book might be the first that starts to change my mind on the format.
Russell has a powerful imagination and a real appreciation for things that are different or offbeat. However she lacks an attention to detail, at times, that harms the authenticity of a few of the short stories.
But hey, if you have a story where US presidents are reincarnated as farm yard horses, that's fine with me!
Russell has a powerful imagination and a real appreciation for things that are different or offbeat. However she lacks an attention to detail, at times, that harms the authenticity of a few of the short stories.
But hey, if you have a story where US presidents are reincarnated as farm yard horses, that's fine with me!
I remember reading this book and falling in love. Short stories are one of my favorite art forms because of this book.
dark
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I'd rate this a 3.5 stars if I could. Hit-and-miss magical realism along the same lines as Swamplandia, yet much, much creepier (in a good way), this collection of short stories is a quick read that's worth picking up just for "Reeling for the Empire," my favorite story in the book. They're all interesting and thought-provoking, and could lead to some good book club discussions about redemption and betrayal, the line between imagination and reality, and what it means to be a monster -- I'm going to suggest it for my own club's next book.
Karen Russell is one of my favorite authors. She’s unbelievably creative, and I love how her stories come together at the ends. Usually, when I’m reading one of her short stories, I’m like, “Where is this going?” and then I suddenly get it. All of the pieces click together in an awesome way. The stories have a lot of humor and weirdness, but they also have a lot of depth. I’m rarely disappointed in them.
Vampires in the Lemon Grove is a collection of eight longish short stories. Like all short story collections, some of the stories are hits and others are misses for me. These are the four stories that stand out in my mind:
In “Proving Up,” a young boy confronts greed and death while he rides across the prairie to deliver a window to his neighbors.
In “The Barn at the End of Our Term,” former US presidents are not sure if they are in heaven or hell, but they do know that they have the bodies of horses.
“The New Veterans” is about a massage therapist who learns that she can alter her client’s memories by touching the tattoo that he got after he came home from war.
The final story that stands out is “The Graveless Doll of Eric Murtis.” This is my favorite in the collection. A group of school bullies discovers a scarecrow version of a boy they used to torment, but they have no idea who made the doll or why.
I like the themes of the stories in this collection. Many of the stories have to do with time, memory, and regret. If you could alter time, would you do it? If you suddenly found yourself in a vastly different body, how would you choose to live the rest of your life? Is it ethical to change a person’s sad memories to happy ones?
I didn’t like this collection as much as the author’s other collection, and I felt like a few of the stories dragged on a little too long, but if you’re a lover of magical realism, then this is a must-read. I highly recommend it.
Vampires in the Lemon Grove is a collection of eight longish short stories. Like all short story collections, some of the stories are hits and others are misses for me. These are the four stories that stand out in my mind:
In “Proving Up,” a young boy confronts greed and death while he rides across the prairie to deliver a window to his neighbors.
In “The Barn at the End of Our Term,” former US presidents are not sure if they are in heaven or hell, but they do know that they have the bodies of horses.
“The New Veterans” is about a massage therapist who learns that she can alter her client’s memories by touching the tattoo that he got after he came home from war.
The final story that stands out is “The Graveless Doll of Eric Murtis.” This is my favorite in the collection. A group of school bullies discovers a scarecrow version of a boy they used to torment, but they have no idea who made the doll or why.
I like the themes of the stories in this collection. Many of the stories have to do with time, memory, and regret. If you could alter time, would you do it? If you suddenly found yourself in a vastly different body, how would you choose to live the rest of your life? Is it ethical to change a person’s sad memories to happy ones?
I didn’t like this collection as much as the author’s other collection, and I felt like a few of the stories dragged on a little too long, but if you’re a lover of magical realism, then this is a must-read. I highly recommend it.
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
There were a few underwhelming stories in this collection, and it definitely didn't live up to her first collection, but on the whole I rather enjoyed it. "Proving Up" is probably the most eerie story I've ever read. I enjoyed the melancholy stories "The Barn at the End of Our Term" and "The New Veterans" and the sadly whimsical "Dougbert Shackleton's Rules for Antarctic Tailgating." Russell's writing is just unparalleled when it comes to this sort of magical realism.
If you enjoyed her first collection, definitely give this one a try.
If you enjoyed her first collection, definitely give this one a try.
Swamplandia was better. This was very hard to get through.