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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
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
--Thoughts when I was two stories in: The stories are intensely engaging, but so far both have had 2-3 distinct storylines that only mesh tangentially and the secondary storyline is left abandoned, without resolution. I appreciate that this is supposed to be a reflection of real life in which not everything is resolved, but A) it’s a repeated technique (which may be evident in a SS collection but of course not a novel), and B) even the primary story didn’t have a totally satisfactory resolution that might in some way excuse the lack of resolution for the second story line (ok in the Maytas Fuk storyline I did like the ending, but in the first story the ending left me wanting).
--Thoughts upon finishing: I intend to read more Oyeyemi because both her writing and storylines are eerie, off-kilter, disturbing, yet full of subtle truths. I suppose they could be called magical realism, but the unearthliness is mostly present in the tone; not that much happens that’s actually physically impossible. I’m torn because I still have a bad taste in my mouth from the story “is your blood as red as this?” but I’m deeply in love with the story “presence.” The latter reminds me of a short story I started myself a few years ago, which I’ll now have to sweep under the rug because “presence” was so much more beautifully complex and haunting. The former just seemed gimmicky with the puppets, and showed Oyeyemi at her worst: weird for the sake of weird. Overall, though, I liked this collection quite a bit and I’m curious to see how the author operates in the space of a novel.
--Thoughts upon finishing: I intend to read more Oyeyemi because both her writing and storylines are eerie, off-kilter, disturbing, yet full of subtle truths. I suppose they could be called magical realism, but the unearthliness is mostly present in the tone; not that much happens that’s actually physically impossible. I’m torn because I still have a bad taste in my mouth from the story “is your blood as red as this?” but I’m deeply in love with the story “presence.” The latter reminds me of a short story I started myself a few years ago, which I’ll now have to sweep under the rug because “presence” was so much more beautifully complex and haunting. The former just seemed gimmicky with the puppets, and showed Oyeyemi at her worst: weird for the sake of weird. Overall, though, I liked this collection quite a bit and I’m curious to see how the author operates in the space of a novel.
Wonderful collection! Not quite sure how to describe it generically; reminded in equal parts of Kelly Link and Jose Cortazar, and Oyeyemi has a distinct voice. Magical realism and absurdism, really lovely.
I'm not sure I entirely "got" all the stories, but I really liked the ones that were interconnected and the weird little world they built.
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
A collection of imaginative, stirring stories with interesting characters, and beautiful prose. Ambiguous just as I like it, with open endings, and hidden ideas.
I think I will read anything Oyeyemi writes because she's so very unpredictable. I respect her writing even when I don't enjoy it. I just get the feeling that she's wicked smart and doesn't give a sh*t about anything "normal," which is super refreshing but also humbling and at times confounding. In this collection of stories, some of them grabbed me and some of them didn't. I prefer her writing when the plot is simpler and less meandering, like in the Little Red Riding Hood-esque story or the "If a Book Is Locked..." Some of the other stories had too many characters for me to keep track of, and when there are more characters, I find that the lack of any sense of resolution is magnified. Reading these stories is like having a really weird dream.
slow-paced
challenging
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes