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3.59 AVERAGE
3.59 AVERAGE
Daisy Johnson's FEN is steeped in the surreal landscape of the English Fens. Here, a girl can starve herself into an eel, a dead man may turn into a fox, and witches lure men into their homes to eat them. It is at once a study in girlhood, coming of age, and mythic folklore. Though the stories in this collection are undeniably well-written and atmospheric, the collection as a whole doesn't quite come together. I was left with far too many questions and absolutely no answers as to what was actually happening in the collection and what wasn't. I kept waiting for the surreal elements to be grounded in some sort of reality, or for the stories (all set in the same town) to connect in some way, but neither happened. Overall, these stories were individually interesting, but I'm not sure they worked well as a collection.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
It is full of sentence fragments. Vulgar tangents. It is lacking in details or descriptions.
I get it. I’ve been full of energy before too, overflowing with addrenalin.
But if you don’t spend time on your stories, why should I?
This is more of an idea book.
I may be spoiled because I’ve been reading Dickens for the past month, but I couldn’t get anything out of this book.
I get it. I’ve been full of energy before too, overflowing with addrenalin.
But if you don’t spend time on your stories, why should I?
This is more of an idea book.
I may be spoiled because I’ve been reading Dickens for the past month, but I couldn’t get anything out of this book.
She has interesting ideas, but I think I just don’t like the way she writes. She comes off as young (which she is) and I feel she slides into pretension in an attempt to get a certain atmosphere. I hope to read more by her when she’s a more seasoned author.
This intertwined collection of stories from fen land is a heartbreaking love letter to a land of blood and water. The harsh landscape of the fens takes everyone as prisoners, beautifully shown in Blood Rites, where female vampires consume the men, and become them.
The stories in this collection are peeking out of eachother, a barmaid here, is the protaganist there. The stories of a starving girl and a house in love being told by a violent brother in three parts. And it's all so heavy and filled with blood, water and darkness that consumes and devours everyone, turning them into the landscape. Into fish and foxes, birds and houses. Babies molded from the mud, men called back from the dead and women jumping ship to sleep with the fish.
The language is extraordinary, drenched in metaphores and blood, fairy tales and the violence of ancient landscapes. Daisy Johnson is a dream, and I'd ready anything she writes.
The stories in this collection are peeking out of eachother, a barmaid here, is the protaganist there. The stories of a starving girl and a house in love being told by a violent brother in three parts. And it's all so heavy and filled with blood, water and darkness that consumes and devours everyone, turning them into the landscape. Into fish and foxes, birds and houses. Babies molded from the mud, men called back from the dead and women jumping ship to sleep with the fish.
The language is extraordinary, drenched in metaphores and blood, fairy tales and the violence of ancient landscapes. Daisy Johnson is a dream, and I'd ready anything she writes.
⭕ The Fen is a liminal land. Real people live their lives here. They wrestle with sex and desire, with everyday routine. But the wild is always close at hand, ready to erupt.
This is a place where animals and people commingle and fuse, where curious metamorphoses take place, where myth and dark magic still linger.
So here a teenager may starve herself into the shape of an eel. A house might fall in love with a girl. A woman might give birth to a, well, what? ⭕
This is a place where animals and people commingle and fuse, where curious metamorphoses take place, where myth and dark magic still linger.
So here a teenager may starve herself into the shape of an eel. A house might fall in love with a girl. A woman might give birth to a, well, what? ⭕
3.5 stars. Short story collections are so hard to rate.
The stories in this collection take place in the fens of England. These stories are largely about people/animal connections and how close mature is to the people in the fens, with a touch of small town life as well. A girl in love with a fish; brothers who fight like animals; an albatross. These stories are unsettling and somewhat open-ended, some are creepy. They feel like folklore.
One story is written with a backward timeline (Seinfeld, anyone?), which I read start to finish and then finish to start. It was my favorite, but you will need to find it yourself--it's a little confusing on the first read.
For Reading Envy Summer Reading 2019 "swampy"
The stories in this collection take place in the fens of England. These stories are largely about people/animal connections and how close mature is to the people in the fens, with a touch of small town life as well. A girl in love with a fish; brothers who fight like animals; an albatross. These stories are unsettling and somewhat open-ended, some are creepy. They feel like folklore.
One story is written with a backward timeline (Seinfeld, anyone?), which I read start to finish and then finish to start. It was my favorite, but you will need to find it yourself--it's a little confusing on the first read.
For Reading Envy Summer Reading 2019 "swampy"
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes