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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
I really enjoyed some of these stories and overall thought they were quite well written. In general I think I've realised magical realism isn't really my thing. I did very much appreciate the lgbtqi+ and multicultural representation in this collection. If you're into magical realism and lyrical writing I think you would enjoy this
challenging
reflective
slow-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
challenging
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Disclaimer: I received a free proof of this book as a part of GoodReads First Reads program.
3 1/2 stars.
This was my first Oyeyemi, who I've been wanting to read. She definitely has a beautiful way with words, but I found this collection to be a little uneven for me. Most stories, like Books and Roses, Sorry Doesn't Sweeten Her Tea, Presence, A Brief History of the Homely Wench Society, and Freddy Barrandov Checks...In?, I thought were wonderful. But occasionally I'd come across one that I just didn't like very much, and it interrupted the experience for me.
Still, overall a great story collection, and I do want to read more of her work.
3 1/2 stars.
This was my first Oyeyemi, who I've been wanting to read. She definitely has a beautiful way with words, but I found this collection to be a little uneven for me. Most stories, like Books and Roses, Sorry Doesn't Sweeten Her Tea, Presence, A Brief History of the Homely Wench Society, and Freddy Barrandov Checks...In?, I thought were wonderful. But occasionally I'd come across one that I just didn't like very much, and it interrupted the experience for me.
Still, overall a great story collection, and I do want to read more of her work.
I have an interesting relationship with this book. While reading, the best way I could think of it was the line from Knives Out -
"It makes no damn sense. Compels me though."
One of my goals this year is to expand my genres and this was a step in that direction. By being both short stories and what is generally deemed "adult contemporary fiction" it's one I wouldn't often pick up. It's also not one I'm likely to ever reread, hence why I have a hard time rating this. Because I give 5 stars to those books I'll go back to again and again.
If this had been a full novel and not short stories, I think I would have hated it. The style lent itself really well to the short story format, dropping you into the middle of a vignette and pulling you out of it again before everything was resolved. Again, this is not the type of book I like. I want a mystery story with every loose end wrapped up, a story where you never learn anything about the secrets that are teased goes against everything I am as a reader. So I didn't really like it. And yet I also loved it. It's extremely immersive, the characters are interesting even when being sketched in a story less than 20 pages long, and the fantastical twist of each really lifts it overall.
The only story that did nothing for me was freddy barrandov checks ... in?. I'm not quite sure what was lacking in that one, but it was definitely a poorer story compared to the rest.
"It makes no damn sense. Compels me though."
One of my goals this year is to expand my genres and this was a step in that direction. By being both short stories and what is generally deemed "adult contemporary fiction" it's one I wouldn't often pick up. It's also not one I'm likely to ever reread, hence why I have a hard time rating this. Because I give 5 stars to those books I'll go back to again and again.
If this had been a full novel and not short stories, I think I would have hated it. The style lent itself really well to the short story format, dropping you into the middle of a vignette and pulling you out of it again before everything was resolved. Again, this is not the type of book I like. I want a mystery story with every loose end wrapped up, a story where you never learn anything about the secrets that are teased goes against everything I am as a reader. So I didn't really like it. And yet I also loved it. It's extremely immersive, the characters are interesting even when being sketched in a story less than 20 pages long, and the fantastical twist of each really lifts it overall.
The only story that did nothing for me was freddy barrandov checks ... in?. I'm not quite sure what was lacking in that one, but it was definitely a poorer story compared to the rest.
adventurous
challenging
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
mysterious
reflective
medium-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
In Helen Oyeyemi's works I've found everything I've ever wanted. In this particular book, I've found love, confusion, indifference, indecision, and a bevy of keys in many different forms. Oyeyemi is an utter master of short stories and I don't doubt for a second that children two hundred and fifty years from now will be reading her stories like we now read Snow White and Cinderella. Only, I believe that children two hundred and fifty years from now will gain from their reading a much deeper insight into what it means to be human.
As if subtly hard-hitting and pithy writing wasn't enough, Oyeyemi does something that it is still rare for an author to do: casually and naturally writes diverse characters into narratives. That is something that I would like to someday personally thank her for.
As if subtly hard-hitting and pithy writing wasn't enough, Oyeyemi does something that it is still rare for an author to do: casually and naturally writes diverse characters into narratives. That is something that I would like to someday personally thank her for.
Whimsical and unpredictable. I really enjoyed the imagination at play within these stories.
I honestly thought I was going to give this book 5 stars but the second half just didn't live up to the first half. The description says that all of the stories are related somewhat but really just some characters show up in some stories, although never in a major way. The first story was amazing and beautiful and most of them were good, or at the very least thought provoking but a couple I just did not enjoy. If you don't mind extremely vague endings and unanswered questions and enjoy stories that flit between reality and fantasy then I'd recommend giving this book a try.