Reviews

A Different Sound: Stories by Mid-Century Women Writers by Lucy Scholes

annathebanana's review against another edition

challenging emotional funny hopeful mysterious reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

4.0

mbest75's review against another edition

Not engaging enough.

maybreads's review against another edition

challenging tense

3.75

A Different Sound: Stories by Mid-Century Women Writers is an interesting collection of short stories. 

In my opinion there is a clear standout: The Birds by Daphne du Maurier is easily the most gripping one of the bunch. It is surrounded by other great stories (such as The Land Girl, Listen to the Magnolias and The Skylight) and some stories that were alright to good. A few of these stories were underwhelming (to me), I simply didn't understand what they were about or connected to the characters at all. Some of these felt like they were dragging on and on, not a thing you want to feel while reading a short story. 

Thematically this short story collection surrounds infidelity and sexual desire, the war (or other attacks) and anxiety around parenting. 

You are definitely able to link the different stories through motifs while reading and reflecting on them. 

Based on my enjoyment of The Birds and The Skylight alone I would recommend this. I most enjoyed this collection when the story I read was tense and filled with a sense of doom. 

Thank you to Netgalley and Pushkin Press for providing me with an ARC. The opinions expressed are my own and were not influenced in any way. 

cattytrona's review against another edition

4.0

all the stories in here are pretty good, although i wonder if my affection for 20th century realismish has wholeheartedly shifted from short stories to novels, and i want my short stories to have a bit more genre to them. i also wonder if the very beautiful hardback - the only option out when i had my book token, and, i'll reiterate, a lovely object - is at odds with the relative slightness of just 11 fairly random stories.
my favourites, or at least the two which most stuck with me, both had elements of supernatural horror. that was, 'the birds' (loved the movie recently, this is also effective and chilling, and i was interested in how much it was about the war) and the canal one, i believe 'three miles up' - yes, just checked, by elizabeth jane howard - which i found genuinely deeply chilling. am wild to know what kind of

fae or folk tradition it's tapping into. am also wondering if the fact i liked it so much also just suggests i should just read more folk horror. or like, stephen king

. i did consistently find interest in the collection, though.
scholes' introduction is also good, and i liked her comments about the unexpected juxtapositions of arranging a collection alphabetically by surname. i'm so conditioned by bibliographies and library shelves that her reminder that this was, in fact, unusual, was valuable. and there were some interesting theme moments that definitely came from it: 'the birds' followed by 'the land girl' comes to mind, with the former framing the latter in terms of the horrors and madnesses of big empty countryside, in a way the story absolutely wouldn't have delivered to me otherwise.

emma103's review against another edition

challenging reflective

3.5

taliaiceton's review against another edition

adventurous inspiring reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

4.0