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mallaeuswastaken's review
3.0
A short story collection I picked up after an unsuccessful venture into a pair of very large nonfiction books which I won't be continuing with.
Walsh is a quiet favorite of mine, having read her more recent collection some time last year and enjoyed it. Her command of language is impressive, and she twists words and phrases around on themselves to create intricate stories, perfectly contained within themselves.
Major themes include infidelity, growing older, motherhood, language, and the sensation of being alone (but not lonely, necessarily) in a foreign country.
Walsh is a quiet favorite of mine, having read her more recent collection some time last year and enjoyed it. Her command of language is impressive, and she twists words and phrases around on themselves to create intricate stories, perfectly contained within themselves.
Major themes include infidelity, growing older, motherhood, language, and the sensation of being alone (but not lonely, necessarily) in a foreign country.
bartvanovermeire's review against another edition
3.0
Didn't really click with me. Had a bit the same feeling as with Fleur Jaeggy: seemed a very good fit on paper, but didn't really do it for me on paper, somewhat too fragmentary, unconnected for me.
veelaughtland's review against another edition
4.0
I requested this from the publisher for review - many thanks to And Other Stories for sending this my way!
Vertigo by Joanna Walsh is a very stark, minimalist, and raw collection of short stories, that focuses solely on women from a variety of backgrounds. These stories deal with young mothers, weight, and loss of love, among other things, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Despite being a relatively short collection, at under 150 pages, I found that I really wanted to take my time with these stories. The writing in its simplicity was reminiscent of Raymond Carver to me, not only for that but for its blank, depressive mood. There isn't a great deal of dialogue in these stories however, and there is a lot of repetition, but it is always done for effect rather than due to poor writing ability. I thought this collection was excellently written, and I am definitely excited to see what else Joanna Walsh has written.
One story in particular, Young Mothers, I'd like to highlight for the way it made me stop and think, and left me with an empty, sad feeling at its ends. I immediately wanted to go back to the beginning and read this short but poignant story, and although I couldn't really relate to the narrator in this, it did make me think about my future, and how I might interpret it at later stages of my life.
I would thoroughly recommend this collection, and it's definitely a collection I'd like to re-read at various points in my life, where I think I could have a wholly new interpretation of the stories every time. Well worth picking up, particularly if you like female-centered fiction.
Vertigo by Joanna Walsh is a very stark, minimalist, and raw collection of short stories, that focuses solely on women from a variety of backgrounds. These stories deal with young mothers, weight, and loss of love, among other things, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Despite being a relatively short collection, at under 150 pages, I found that I really wanted to take my time with these stories. The writing in its simplicity was reminiscent of Raymond Carver to me, not only for that but for its blank, depressive mood. There isn't a great deal of dialogue in these stories however, and there is a lot of repetition, but it is always done for effect rather than due to poor writing ability. I thought this collection was excellently written, and I am definitely excited to see what else Joanna Walsh has written.
One story in particular, Young Mothers, I'd like to highlight for the way it made me stop and think, and left me with an empty, sad feeling at its ends. I immediately wanted to go back to the beginning and read this short but poignant story, and although I couldn't really relate to the narrator in this, it did make me think about my future, and how I might interpret it at later stages of my life.
I would thoroughly recommend this collection, and it's definitely a collection I'd like to re-read at various points in my life, where I think I could have a wholly new interpretation of the stories every time. Well worth picking up, particularly if you like female-centered fiction.
zachwerb's review
4.0
3.5
An interesting read of sort of connected stories or atleast a character that feels the same through all of them. Walsh's prose is tight and the stories lean and I'm here for it.
An interesting read of sort of connected stories or atleast a character that feels the same through all of them. Walsh's prose is tight and the stories lean and I'm here for it.
jenni8fer's review
4.0
These are intelligent interlinking stories that finely examine the ebb and flow of life's moments. The negative space that is always fluid which has the potential to create a fear of falling into a void. The sentences are layered one upon another to delve deeper into the underlying context of the point the author wishes to make.
leaflinglearns's review
4.0
My daughter has made her first sacrifice to fashion. She has bought a short pink skirt with lace, which does not suit her and for which there is no suitable season or occasion. It will remain unworn, but beautiful. When she wears it, it stops being beautiful. When she takes it off, there it is, beautiful again. For this, she has given up her money.
This book engaged me like no other book could one day when I was up in the middle of nowhere with a stack of books to keep my company. I was slumping hard, but once I started this collection of vignettes, I couldn't stop. The packaging itself is stunning, the book almost square, and the words inside are also beautiful. It was one of those reads where I could tell that what I was reading was beautiful and fascinating, but I also felt not completely smart enough to get all of it. Each story takes you deep into the head of a woman (sometimes different, sometimes the same as an earlier story as far as I could tell). For the most part, we get to observe small moments but overall are given powerful insight into things like love, loss, being a person, etc. Walsh's minimalism was so elegant, I could hardly handle it. I was greatly moved by a number of these stories.
Full review with two others: Outlandish Lit's Quick Reads, Quick Reviews
meru's review against another edition
4.0
Me costó un poco entrar en este libro, pero una vez que estuve dentro ya no quise salir. El modo de escribir de Walsh es indudablemente suyo, y el hecho de que sean historias tan cortas hace que tardes quizás un poco más de la cuenta en acostumbrarte a él. Pero su rollo es indudablemente mi rollo. Todo es un poco extraño dentro de las historias del día a día, todo está un poco inconexo, un poco desplazado del sitio en el que debería estar. Leer a Walsh parece ser menos sobre la historia que está contando y más sobre las palabras y el ritmo que utiliza para hacerlo.
mallaeus's review
3.0
A short story collection I picked up after an unsuccessful venture into a pair of very large nonfiction books which I won't be continuing with.
Walsh is a quiet favorite of mine, having read her more recent collection some time last year and enjoyed it. Her command of language is impressive, and she twists words and phrases around on themselves to create intricate stories, perfectly contained within themselves.
Major themes include infidelity, growing older, motherhood, language, and the sensation of being alone (but not lonely, necessarily) in a foreign country.
Walsh is a quiet favorite of mine, having read her more recent collection some time last year and enjoyed it. Her command of language is impressive, and she twists words and phrases around on themselves to create intricate stories, perfectly contained within themselves.
Major themes include infidelity, growing older, motherhood, language, and the sensation of being alone (but not lonely, necessarily) in a foreign country.
missdaisyanna's review
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Perhaps this is the fault of the publishing house, but I certainly felt the cover and title of this collection misled me into thinking these would be short scary/spooky/horror stories. Insteadz they focussed solely on the mundane, which wasn't quite what I was looking for. Although, 'And After' does perfectly capture the experience of living in a rural town!