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3.59 AVERAGE
3.59 AVERAGE
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Fen by Daisy Johnson is a wonderful collection of short stories. Set in the Fen-lands of East Anglia it’s a collection with a number of repeating themes - desire, pregnancy, loss and longing.
I didn’t grow up in the fens but near enough to them that I know them well. Johnson captures the feeling of the place, and infuses it with a kind of East Anglian magic realism which she handles extremely well. I read this on the back of reading the excellent Everything Under last year. This isn’t quite as strong, but is definitely worth (re)reading.
I didn’t grow up in the fens but near enough to them that I know them well. Johnson captures the feeling of the place, and infuses it with a kind of East Anglian magic realism which she handles extremely well. I read this on the back of reading the excellent Everything Under last year. This isn’t quite as strong, but is definitely worth (re)reading.
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Read this a few years ago, maybe the year it came out, and was knocked off my feet. A little older, Fen now feels a little younger, tenacious but messy, full of ideas that never coalesce, vibes that were just vibes to begin with. But atmosphere, the architecture of a feeling--Daisy Johnson has it in spades.
I recommend Fen lightly, but even more, Everything Under! It's not without its own versions of these hangups, but when done well, story adds to atmosphere as much as everything else, and I think Johnson does it really well in her debut novel. Still enjoyed reading these stories again, she sparks a really specific wildness that I forget is my own, so her work has a lot of personal value even when grappling with its potentially shifting critical value for me.
I recommend Fen lightly, but even more, Everything Under! It's not without its own versions of these hangups, but when done well, story adds to atmosphere as much as everything else, and I think Johnson does it really well in her debut novel. Still enjoyed reading these stories again, she sparks a really specific wildness that I forget is my own, so her work has a lot of personal value even when grappling with its potentially shifting critical value for me.
Me encantaron los temas y me enamoré de algunos fragmentos pero terminé cansada y aburrida, lo que no me parece aceptable en un libro tan breve. Creo que la mayoría de las historias te deja deseando más, pero porque no son finales satisfactorios o porque no se exploran a fondo las ideas presentadas.
Quizá hubiera sido mejor leer los cuentos por separado entre otros textos.
Quizá hubiera sido mejor leer los cuentos por separado entre otros textos.
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
sad
