Scan barcode
hcube3's review against another edition
dark
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
big_doz's review against another edition
5.0
This collection was incredible, and everything I was craving. I didn't realise how malnourished I was, literary-wise, until I picked up this little beaut' of a book. Very clever and dreamlike stories, a kin to Ray Bradbury and Rick bass: 'The Watch' comes to mind. Carey's stories evolve into a metamorphosis of Salvador Dali nightmarescape; early in you can taste something bizarre, and when you're nearly finished eating Carey's words he sort of swaps out your last spoonful with a mouthful of psilocybin.
More eccentric than bass in that respect.
Highly recommend this one, absolute treat.
More eccentric than bass in that respect.
Highly recommend this one, absolute treat.
thomasmilne's review against another edition
3.0
thank you for lending this to me, darling. i never would’ve thought to pick this novel up myself. i love you, and i can’t wait to make you fall in love with me one day x.
hollyhudson's review against another edition
3.0
in honour of completing my 2020 reading challenge, a brief review-
this was an engrossing collection of dark and twisted tales. extremely prescient for being written in australia throughout the 70s. spiritually, they fit snuggly between flannery o connor and george saunders, two short storytellers i much prefer. carey is great at elaborate world-building within an opening paragraph, but the sad sack characters were never as interesting as their surroundings.
quarantine has given me too much time to read so maybe i can double my challenge. my favourite reads this year have all been non-fic (say nothing, marie antoinette, travelling mercies) so i'm in the market for non-fic recs (especially historical biographies) as well as better fiction i can sink into.
this was an engrossing collection of dark and twisted tales. extremely prescient for being written in australia throughout the 70s. spiritually, they fit snuggly between flannery o connor and george saunders, two short storytellers i much prefer. carey is great at elaborate world-building within an opening paragraph, but the sad sack characters were never as interesting as their surroundings.
quarantine has given me too much time to read so maybe i can double my challenge. my favourite reads this year have all been non-fic (say nothing, marie antoinette, travelling mercies) so i'm in the market for non-fic recs (especially historical biographies) as well as better fiction i can sink into.
peiman198913's review against another edition
3.0
مجموعه داستان های نوشته شده توسط پیتر کری یه حال و هوای عجیبی داره. قدرت نویسندگی و تفکر نویسنده همه جای متن به چشم میخوره و در کل داستان های خوبی هستند اما من سه ستاره دادم چون اونقدری که انتظار داشتم باهاش ارتباط برقرار نکردم
-هر چیزی که به آن عشق ورزیده نشود، از صحنه ی روزگار محو خواهد شد. ما تنها به واسطه ی عشق دیگران، وجود داریم و تمام ماجرا هم همین است
-هر چیزی که به آن عشق ورزیده نشود، از صحنه ی روزگار محو خواهد شد. ما تنها به واسطه ی عشق دیگران، وجود داریم و تمام ماجرا هم همین است
boyblue's review against another edition
4.0
For those of you who like George Saunders, here is George Saunders wearing an Akubra and writing better stories.
It's interesting when you come across stories that could have been written yesterday but were actually written decades ago. I didn't know Carey had this absurdist, magic-realist leaning start and I'm glad I've discovered it. These twelve stories are better than most modern Australian short stories. The characters are compelling, the plot taut, and the style smooth. The influence of Garcia-Marquez is clear, as is the Australian irreverent gaze at the world. It's fascinating how well Carey captured the Australian sentiment towards Americans, something that has mellowed over the last 30 years and moved to the unconscious, largely due to American media and tech insinuating itself into every facet of Australian life.
The final story The Fat Man In History has a Handmaid's Tale vibe but would never get the same coverage due to it's brevity and use of the girthy as the oppressed. In saying that I felt it did just as much as Atwood's piece and used a lot less of the blunt force trauma approach to getting the message across.
There's also the sort of scintillating prose you would expect from an ex-adman. This particular paragraph drew quite a snort.
"Our relationship is beyond analysis. It was Bernard, although I prefer to name no names, who suggested that the relationship had a boyscout flavour about it. So much he knows. Bernard, who travels halfway across London to find the one priest who will forgive his incessant masturbation, cannot be regarded as an authority on the matter."
It's interesting when you come across stories that could have been written yesterday but were actually written decades ago. I didn't know Carey had this absurdist, magic-realist leaning start and I'm glad I've discovered it. These twelve stories are better than most modern Australian short stories. The characters are compelling, the plot taut, and the style smooth. The influence of Garcia-Marquez is clear, as is the Australian irreverent gaze at the world. It's fascinating how well Carey captured the Australian sentiment towards Americans, something that has mellowed over the last 30 years and moved to the unconscious, largely due to American media and tech insinuating itself into every facet of Australian life.
The final story The Fat Man In History has a Handmaid's Tale vibe but would never get the same coverage due to it's brevity and use of the girthy as the oppressed. In saying that I felt it did just as much as Atwood's piece and used a lot less of the blunt force trauma approach to getting the message across.
There's also the sort of scintillating prose you would expect from an ex-adman. This particular paragraph drew quite a snort.
"Our relationship is beyond analysis. It was Bernard, although I prefer to name no names, who suggested that the relationship had a boyscout flavour about it. So much he knows. Bernard, who travels halfway across London to find the one priest who will forgive his incessant masturbation, cannot be regarded as an authority on the matter."
dickh's review
4.0
An excellent set of stories, well written and many surprises. I particularly enjoyed The Fat Man in History and The Puzzling Nature of Blue but I would recommend any number of the stories.
More...