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1.08k reviews for:
Krótka historia Stowarzyszenia Nieurodziwych Dziewuch i inne opowiadania
Helen Oyeyemi
3.76 AVERAGE
1.08k reviews for:
Krótka historia Stowarzyszenia Nieurodziwych Dziewuch i inne opowiadania
Helen Oyeyemi
3.76 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I would give this maybe 2.5 or 2.75 stars honestly. As always Oyeyemi is strong in concept, all of the ideas presented are so specific and intriguing throughout each story, and there are a couple of narratives that run throughout the book over several stories, and here is where I ran into problems with it. Short stories are really only effective when they are quite insular and narrow, so you can get some sense of satisfaction and some story element tied up--this is not the case with most of these stories. There are so many ideas and themes and characters presented in some of these stories that they just become confusing. You think the story is one thing and then that plot or concept is almost entirely dropped and it becomes about something else that also never really gets resolved. A lot of these left me with sort of the mental equivalent of blue balls.
All that being said, there are two stories in this collection I really enjoyed; A Brief History of the Homely Wench Society and Dornička and the St. Martin's Day Goose. Those two being the most insular and most satisfying of the stories within the collection while still presenting really unique and cool ideas.
I'm not entirely against the idea of a short story collection as an ecosystem in itself, with shared themes and characters, but I feel like it would be a difficult task to pull of well. As it is, this just wasn't really for me.
All that being said, there are two stories in this collection I really enjoyed; A Brief History of the Homely Wench Society and Dornička and the St. Martin's Day Goose. Those two being the most insular and most satisfying of the stories within the collection while still presenting really unique and cool ideas.
I'm not entirely against the idea of a short story collection as an ecosystem in itself, with shared themes and characters, but I feel like it would be a difficult task to pull of well. As it is, this just wasn't really for me.
I think this might be the best book of short stories I've ever read. Gorgeous writing. I loved the magical realism woven through the collection, and the (pleasantly) surprising overlaps in the stories. Oyeyemi has such a unique voice and a clear talent.
I loved this collection of mystical short stories written in beautifully lyrical prose. I definitely plan to read this again as I can see getting more from each story when I reread them.
Favorites:
"sorry" doesn't sweeten her tea
presence
a brief history of the homely wench society
"sorry" doesn't sweeten her tea
presence
a brief history of the homely wench society
A lot of the time I didn't understand what was happening or wasn't sure what a story was supposed to mean after I finished it but I enjoyed reading them nevertheless. This was super weird in a good way.
books and roses - 5/5 stars
"sorry" doesn't sweeten her tea - 4/5 stars
is your blood as red as this? - 3/5 stars
drownings - 5/5 stars
presence - 5/5 stars
a brief history of the homely wench society - 3/5 stars
dornička and the st. martin's day goose - 5/5 stars
freddy barrandov checks... in? - 2/5 stars
if a book is locked there's probably a good reason for that, don't you think? - 3/5 stars
books and roses - 5/5 stars
"sorry" doesn't sweeten her tea - 4/5 stars
is your blood as red as this? - 3/5 stars
drownings - 5/5 stars
presence - 5/5 stars
a brief history of the homely wench society - 3/5 stars
dornička and the st. martin's day goose - 5/5 stars
freddy barrandov checks... in? - 2/5 stars
if a book is locked there's probably a good reason for that, don't you think? - 3/5 stars
Some discomforting, magic realism, overlapping short stories about puppets and keys. Definitely owes something to Angela Carter’s feminist fairy tales, but Oyeyemi is writing in an all together warmer register. These stories still have some bite to them but the framing is lush and deceptively gentle.
The writing style was lovely. I just... didn't get it.
I enjoyed reading it while I was reading it, but didn't feel drawn to it after I'd put it down. I had a hard time accepting that none of the stories had endings. I don't know what that was supposed to mean, but I don't care. I want to know what happened. And I want to know why the puppeteers were mentioned in other stories but no one else was (I think, anyway. By the time I got to the end I'd already forgotten most of the other stories, let alone any of the characters names.)
Its such an unpleasant and disappointing feeling to have a story finish before the end. I kept finding myself getting really invested and then-
I enjoyed reading it while I was reading it, but didn't feel drawn to it after I'd put it down. I had a hard time accepting that none of the stories had endings. I don't know what that was supposed to mean, but I don't care. I want to know what happened. And I want to know why the puppeteers were mentioned in other stories but no one else was (I think, anyway. By the time I got to the end I'd already forgotten most of the other stories, let alone any of the characters names.)
Its such an unpleasant and disappointing feeling to have a story finish before the end. I kept finding myself getting really invested and then-
Helen Oyeyemi's writing is the kind that makes me want to scour the internet for literary analysis (which I did) before rereading select passages to try and better understand them. Her short stories often end without resolution, occasionally to be teased several stories later for those who recall the names of various auxiliary characters; Oyeyemi does not do the work of reminding you that these are characters we have seen before. As in all her other writing, the prose in "What is Not Yours..." reads like a chocolate-chip cookie, smooth and clean interspersed with gems of sweetly beautiful descriptions.
This collection is both feminist and queer in the most optimistic sense. Female characters do not wage the typical battles so many strong female characters must in other literary works, they simply say no to men and assert themselves in society and this is accepted. A man helps to raise his boyfriend's two girls whose mother is the boyfriend's ex-wife and women are dating women and men throughout the stories without ever coming-out or explaining their sexuality. It all simply is.
This beautiful collection of stories left me wondering what the doors we come through are and what the keys each of us encounters is. Although some of the images are foreign (puppets who are animated by the souls of dead people?) the themes and concepts are canonical and this is perhaps one of the greatest strengths of Oyeyemi's writing.
This collection is both feminist and queer in the most optimistic sense. Female characters do not wage the typical battles so many strong female characters must in other literary works, they simply say no to men and assert themselves in society and this is accepted. A man helps to raise his boyfriend's two girls whose mother is the boyfriend's ex-wife and women are dating women and men throughout the stories without ever coming-out or explaining their sexuality. It all simply is.
This beautiful collection of stories left me wondering what the doors we come through are and what the keys each of us encounters is. Although some of the images are foreign (puppets who are animated by the souls of dead people?) the themes and concepts are canonical and this is perhaps one of the greatest strengths of Oyeyemi's writing.