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3.84 AVERAGE
3.84 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
N/A
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
If you want to read a bunch of Irish goons and chavs who drink and make bad decisions, then this is the book for you. There are a couple redeeming moments in a few of the stories, but mostly it didn't grab my interest.
I thoroughly enjoy a good short story and Colin Barrett is certainly a good story teller.
There are no real twists in the stories and they can come across as quite gloomy. However they convey a small town Ireland that is easily recognisable (or small town anywhere come to that). There's not much hope for the inhabitants with few job opportunities and very little in the way of passionate romances either.
However Mr Barrett has a way with words that keeps you reading. The stories start out strong and get better. I look forward to more by this author and hope he dares to write a novel in the future.
Recommended.
There are no real twists in the stories and they can come across as quite gloomy. However they convey a small town Ireland that is easily recognisable (or small town anywhere come to that). There's not much hope for the inhabitants with few job opportunities and very little in the way of passionate romances either.
However Mr Barrett has a way with words that keeps you reading. The stories start out strong and get better. I look forward to more by this author and hope he dares to write a novel in the future.
Recommended.
After hearing so much praise for Young Skins, I quickly bought a copy to see what it was all about, and to learn a little bit more about the art of the short story. Overall, I was satisfied with the stories in this collection, and it started very strong however I could have done without the last two stories -- Diamonds and Kindly Forget My Existence. They were a drastic shift from the first fives stories, which were all much more insightful and well written.
Young Skins by Colin Barrett is a haunting collection of stories which focus on modern, working-class Ireland. Barrett manages to use gorgeous prose to evoke a gritty sense of the restless, aimless lives of his protagonists. I look forward to his next collection.
3.5, rounded down to 3. ¿Por qué? Well, first, let me just say that three stars represents a solid, or solid-enough book. I point that out because, for some Goodreads readers/raters, a three represents just a so-so book, while for me, that's what a TWO-star rating represents. Anyway, coming back to "Young Skins," there's some real talent there, some vivid characterizations, for example, but I did not find enough in the book to round up rather than round down. Paradoxically, I am still very much looking forward to Colin Barrett's sophomore effort, "Homesickness," which I have at home from the library. But I say that with some reserve; as I wrote recently about another collection of short stories, I have come to realize that, in general, I am just not the right audience for short story collections. Let's see if anything changes, but in the meantime, I would feel comfortable recommending "Young Skins" and Colin Barrett if you're looking for fresh voices.
The prose in this collection is brilliant. It's a fabulous introduction to the work of Colin Barrett. Each story features a "slice of life" cutting of deeply flawed men and women in modern day Ireland. While perhaps a bit melancholy at times, I look forward to reading more of this author's work in the future.
dark
funny
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Hands down the best short stories I’ve read this year.
Raw and vivid middle class Irishness. Brilliant writing.
Raw and vivid middle class Irishness. Brilliant writing.