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3.65 AVERAGE
3.65 AVERAGE
emotional
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
slightly dark with a touch of weird! The collection of stories has definitely made me interested in reading more of Karen Russell's work.
An excellent collection of short stories, each one equally surprising and entertaining. Russell succeeds in crafting marvelous little stories, filled with comedy, memorable characters, and incredible narratives. Her imagination seems boundless, and the worlds that she creates are profoundly impacting. Saunders may not have met expectations with his Tenth of Dec.(despite critical success), but Russell more than makes up for that (and her disappointing novel) with her own brand of witty, clever stories.
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The stories in this collection that were good were amazing, and the ones that fell flat fell really flat. Overall I had fun in each world!
funny
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
A book full of the strange, wonderful, and eerie, Karen Russell's Vampires in the Lemon Grove is one of the most amazing collection of short stories I've ever read. She builds entire worlds in the span of one of her short stories, as believable and fully realized as any full length novel.
This book alone has convinced me of the scope and imagination that can be brought to the short story. I recommend this to any writer, especially those who struggle with working under the 'supposed restraints' of the short story, as proof that there is no such thing.
Amazing book.
This book alone has convinced me of the scope and imagination that can be brought to the short story. I recommend this to any writer, especially those who struggle with working under the 'supposed restraints' of the short story, as proof that there is no such thing.
Amazing book.
adventurous
mysterious
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:
Yes
I just don't think I'm that big of a fan of Karen Russell. Like Swamplandia!, a lot of these stories are just beautifully written ideas with intriguing characters stuck in stories that lead nowhere and have little to say. Vampires in the Lemongrove, Proving Up, The New Veterans, and The Graveless Doll of Eric Mutis are good reads that all end abruptly, as if she reached her target word-count and just gave up. Reeling for the Empire is an excellent story, the only fulfilling story in the bunch. The other stories in the collection are simply not good at all.
As with many books of short stories, there were some stories in this one that I really enjoyed and some that just didn't do it for me. I thought the one about the presidents as horses and the one about antarctic tailgating (Team Krill!) were pretty funny. The final story in the book, which was about a group of boys that find a doll/scarecrow that looks just like a classmate they used to torment was good and creepy.
I listened to the audiobook version of this and I enjoyed that each story had a different narrator.
I listened to the audiobook version of this and I enjoyed that each story had a different narrator.