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bookmaddie's review against another edition
challenging
dark
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and Blood
seethinglloron's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
The first story is so strong, and from there we get highs and lows. Even the lows aren't particularly low, but I found myself trying not to nod off in places. Still, some great work here by Gallardo and well-translated.
jcrnom03's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
reflective
medium-paced
4.5
Stories that require patience and thought. Many are very beautiful and I especially loved the ones from non-human perspectives.
knicassio's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
2.0
alexiacambaling's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
3.5
lauren_endnotes's review against another edition
3.0
Gallardo's collection started strong with the atmospheric "On the Mountain" story, but was unable to keep that momentum going forward. I found the longer stories in the collection to be confusing and muddled, I liked the shorter ones better. Towards the middle, the momentum kicked up again with some one and two-pager micros on such varied subjects as an existential hunting dog, life as seen by grass in a public yard, urban rats, a horse that gives advice, and a train yard where the old trains revolt against the new updated trains.
fearandtrembling's review against another edition
4.0
I loved how enchanted the world became through these short stories and flash fiction. Houses floating away. Captive animals making a bid for freedom. Basque deserters living in a cave with unknown creatures. Stories about animals, far from anthropomorphising them and becoming twee, conveyed their wildness with dignity. I'm sure there's a deeper meaning to be gleaned from the symbolism, especially in relation to what was going on in Argentina at the time. But even if you don't quite "get" what it might mean in that sense, the stories still find a way to burrow into your psyche and shake things up. Gallardo's prose is exquisite, like a cross between Clarice Lispector and Fleur Jaeggy. Poetic, haunting, imaginative, and memorable.
blankgarden's review against another edition
4.0
My thoughts: https://theblankgarden.com/2021/02/02/review-land-of-smoke-sara-gallardo/
balancinghistorybooks's review
2.0
Whilst Sara Gallardo's Land of Smoke very much appealed to me in terms of its blurb, I was not overly keen on its execution. I did not like the prose style, or perhaps the translation style, and gave up after around the 10% mark.
vg2's review
2.0
I enjoyed the longer stories in this collection, which explore, primarily through magical realism, themes such as loss and loneliness, identity and belonging, and the depth, or lack, of emotion. However, these were few and far between compared to many shorter tales, often only a page long, which failed to capture my imagination in the same way - they were instantly forgettable and lacking in substance. The writing is beautifully lyrical, and I would definitely consider picking up something else by this author in the future, but would stick to a full-length novel instead of short stories.
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