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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
Sumptuous and strange. I should have hated these stories because they favour mystery over clarity. It was the atmosphere that won me over in the end. So much gorgeousness in such a small package.
Oyeyemi has quite an imagination! I think this is often true of short story writers, but it bears saying. I liked a lot of these stories, I don't think I would go so far as to say that I loved any of them. I might be able to grow to love them though. I've discovered that Oyeyemi is one of those authors whose work grows on me.
This is not a collection of linked stories, at least not in the way that I think of linked stories. Locks and keys are a recurring theme, but it felt like a loose theme. Characters did reappear peripherally sometimes, and it always felt like a sighting of an old friend, even when they were characters from the one story that I just didn't like. (The one with puppets? My library book was overdue. Although did the puppet story have locks and keys?) Anyway, if I were to guess a theme, I would say the title is a biggie. Also it is fun to say.
This is not a collection of linked stories, at least not in the way that I think of linked stories. Locks and keys are a recurring theme, but it felt like a loose theme. Characters did reappear peripherally sometimes, and it always felt like a sighting of an old friend, even when they were characters from the one story that I just didn't like. (The one with puppets? My library book was overdue. Although did the puppet story have locks and keys?) Anyway, if I were to guess a theme, I would say the title is a biggie. Also it is fun to say.
Stunning, and disturbing at times, this took me a long time to read as I often had to pause between stories to process. The writing is phenomenal, the imaginativeness brilliant. Can't wait to read other books by her.
challenging
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
I’ve been a fan of Helen Oyeyemi since I discovered Mr. Fox a couple of years ago. She has a gift for turning stories inside out so that you can see their guts and ponder how they work, while also dropping bits of truth here and there. That said, her short story collection What is Not Yours is Not Yours is…not my favorite.While the stories are linked and characters reappear here and there, the collection lacked coherence for me. Tonally, some stories are vaguely fairy-tale like. Others are bluntly literal. As I read the stories, I felt a recurring fear that I wasn’t smart enough to pick up on the deeper links between the stories that I suspected were there...
Read the rest of my review at A Bookish Type.
Read the rest of my review at A Bookish Type.
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
You may like this book if you like lyrical prose, whimsical ideas and ambiguity
I didn't really enjoy it because it was so ambiguous that I often felt that I didn't get the story. Also, whilst the characters are diverse in age, sex and race they all seem to talk and behave the same as one another, which in the end made them all a bit forgettable.
I didn't really enjoy it because it was so ambiguous that I often felt that I didn't get the story. Also, whilst the characters are diverse in age, sex and race they all seem to talk and behave the same as one another, which in the end made them all a bit forgettable.
adventurous
informative
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Breathtaking collection of short stories. I have got to read more from this author!
"It was the usual struggle between one who loves by accepting burdens and one who loves by refusing to be one."
Recommendation from the Soapwalla Book Club
"It was the usual struggle between one who loves by accepting burdens and one who loves by refusing to be one."
Recommendation from the Soapwalla Book Club
interesting but too speculative for me, gave up on this one.