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1.07k reviews for:
Krótka historia Stowarzyszenia Nieurodziwych Dziewuch i inne opowiadania
Helen Oyeyemi
3.76 AVERAGE
1.07k reviews for:
Krótka historia Stowarzyszenia Nieurodziwych Dziewuch i inne opowiadania
Helen Oyeyemi
3.76 AVERAGE
Oyeyemi is certainly a creative person and has come up with some very unusual stories, but I'm not sure I always loved her writing style. I really enjoyed the opening story the most, but the others didn't grasp me quite as much. The idea of keys being a recurring concept throughout was a neat idea though. Some of my difficulty was in her trying to do world building and storytelling all in a short time frame, so maybe I will check out one of her novels at some point.
2.5 stars. A bit on the weird side, and not as much resolution at the end of some of the stories as I would have preferred. I loved how some of the characters keep appearing in other stories. My favorites were "Drownings" and "A Brief History of the Homely Wench Society"
This was a wonderful collection of stories. Oyeyemi has an interesting way of creating worlds, with some semblances of familiarity and yet many ways in which we recognize the world is not our own. I really enjoyed the thematic focus on locking and unlocking, often affiliated with some symbolic potential. "Dornicka and the St. Martin's Day Goose" was a particular favorite.
However I ultimately can like get this collection of four stars because I didn't find that completely captivating. I enjoyed reading it when I picked it up again each time, but I never felt compelled to keep going as if I couldn't put it down. And ultimately for me that's what qualifies as a perfect book, one that I simply can't put down. So while this is an excellent collection and one I do recommend, it's simply didn't resonate with me in an arresting way.
However I ultimately can like get this collection of four stars because I didn't find that completely captivating. I enjoyed reading it when I picked it up again each time, but I never felt compelled to keep going as if I couldn't put it down. And ultimately for me that's what qualifies as a perfect book, one that I simply can't put down. So while this is an excellent collection and one I do recommend, it's simply didn't resonate with me in an arresting way.
DNF’d because I am just not feeling it. My favorite stories were only 4 stars so it’s just like not worth my time at the moment.
I really wish I'd been able to appreciate this book more, but I've learned that I really struggle reading short stories.
Took about 8 hours! I guess? Though that seems a bit long to me.
Definitely the thing or enjoyed the most about this collection was the way that not only are its stories set in the same universe, but the characters and places influence each other in a really lovely way. I really enjoyed them all!
Definitely the thing or enjoyed the most about this collection was the way that not only are its stories set in the same universe, but the characters and places influence each other in a really lovely way. I really enjoyed them all!
I don't really like short stories, so I'm not sure what led me to this book. A couple of the stories were really spectacular and some I really hated. But most were meh.
Lots of diversity though! So that was nice.
Lots of diversity though! So that was nice.
A short story cycle with some rather dark and Gothic themes. The stories are interlinked, with characters from one showing up in another, so I recommend reading the stories in order and paying close attention. Certain motifs (like keys and books) run through the whole collection.
Books and Roses--A tangled web of relationships involve a Gothic mansion with a fantastic library and a peculiar old boarding house.
Sorry Doesn't Sweeten Her Tea--The more interesting story seems to be the one not told in these pages. The narrator is staying in his friend's House of Locks, a mansion with innumerable locked doors and a questionable past. But the story focuses on the narrator's partner's daughters and their obsession with a pop star whose reputation plummets after a woman comes forward to speak of his abusive behavior.
Is Your Blood as Red as This?--A somewhat terrifying tale of sentient puppets
Drownings--A fairytale-like story of a tyrant king who likes to have people drowned and a poor man who lives in his kingdom
Presence--One of the most thought-provoking stories, and scary in a psychological way. Two married psychologists involve themselves in an experiment meant to study grief.
A Brief History of the Homely Wench Society--A cute, realistic story amidst these darker fantastical tales. A star-crossed lovers scenario between a member of the kind of misogynistic fraternal society and the feminist girl group created to oppose them.
Dornica and the St Martin's Day Goose--A Red Riding Hood retelling involving a goose and a wily grandmother
Freddie Barondoff Checks In--A man who works at a quirky hotel accepts a job to try to break up a couple. Not my favorite in the collection
If a Book Is Locked, There's Probably a Good Reason For That, Don't You Think?--The weird anti0-social coworker has a diary that holds more than just her secrets.
Books and Roses--A tangled web of relationships involve a Gothic mansion with a fantastic library and a peculiar old boarding house.
Sorry Doesn't Sweeten Her Tea--The more interesting story seems to be the one not told in these pages. The narrator is staying in his friend's House of Locks, a mansion with innumerable locked doors and a questionable past. But the story focuses on the narrator's partner's daughters and their obsession with a pop star whose reputation plummets after a woman comes forward to speak of his abusive behavior.
Is Your Blood as Red as This?--A somewhat terrifying tale of sentient puppets
Drownings--A fairytale-like story of a tyrant king who likes to have people drowned and a poor man who lives in his kingdom
Presence--One of the most thought-provoking stories, and scary in a psychological way. Two married psychologists involve themselves in an experiment meant to study grief.
A Brief History of the Homely Wench Society--A cute, realistic story amidst these darker fantastical tales. A star-crossed lovers scenario between a member of the kind of misogynistic fraternal society and the feminist girl group created to oppose them.
Dornica and the St Martin's Day Goose--A Red Riding Hood retelling involving a goose and a wily grandmother
Freddie Barondoff Checks In--A man who works at a quirky hotel accepts a job to try to break up a couple. Not my favorite in the collection
If a Book Is Locked, There's Probably a Good Reason For That, Don't You Think?--The weird anti0-social coworker has a diary that holds more than just her secrets.
Confusing storylines. Maybe I'll finish it some day but I had to put it on pause after 100+ pages of reading about puppets and ghosts and getting so confused. However, I really liked one of her short stories titled "Sorry" doesn't sweeten her tea. That was a great one. The rest of the book is pretty blank and I didn't feel anything of significance while reading.