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3.59 AVERAGE
3.59 AVERAGE
The Manticore Spell, The Dismantled Invention of Fate, In the House of Four Seasons
adventurous
dark
funny
hopeful
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
My son and I do this thing where we go to the public library and take turns selecting a shelf for one another. The deal is we must pick a book to borrow from that shelf. That's how I came to read The Drowned Life.
This was a great find! A collection of short stories with a touch of fantasy worn throughout each of them, and there is no limit to Ford's ability to take the mundane or ordinary and transform it into something magical. He also lived in South Jersey at some point, and the Wawa references in The Fat One made me laugh.
This was a great find! A collection of short stories with a touch of fantasy worn throughout each of them, and there is no limit to Ford's ability to take the mundane or ordinary and transform it into something magical. He also lived in South Jersey at some point, and the Wawa references in The Fat One made me laugh.
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal death, Sexual assault, Sexual content
Minor: Drug abuse
Solid 3
its not bad by any means, the book is interestingly written, but at the same time I don't think the book was for me. More often than not, I was confused and didn't really understand the deeper metaphors of certain stories.
its not bad by any means, the book is interestingly written, but at the same time I don't think the book was for me. More often than not, I was confused and didn't really understand the deeper metaphors of certain stories.
Some time back my brother-in-law David and I read the same book at the same time. We chose "The Drowned Life", a short story collection by Jeffrey Ford. And for the first time when doing this, we were both reading the same things at about the same time.
Many of the stories had been published elsewhere, but here is a rundown on what makes up this collection:
"The Drowned Life"
"Ariadne's Mother"
"The Night Whiskey"
"A Few Things About Ants"
"Under the Bottom of the Lake"
"Present From The Past"
"The Manticore Spell"
"The Fat One"
"The Dismantled Invention of Fate"
"What's Sure to Come"
"The Way He Does It"
"The Scribble Mind"
"Bedroom Light"
"In the House of Four Seasons"
"The Dreaming Wind"
"The Golden Dragon"
I have become a fan of Ford's since the first time I read his work (his novel "The Portrait of Mrs. Charbuque"). All of his books, whether a novel or a short story collection, I have enjoyed on some level or another. I think he is a bit underrated as an author.
Like with his previous collection of short stories I read, Ford has brought a lot of himself and his life into it. A few of the stories he mentions his real life wife and kids, the place he grew up, where he lives now, and even an uncle that works as a Walt Whitman impersonator. Quite possibly is what makes this collection most interesting. There are truly fantastical stories here. "In the House of Four Seasons" and the title story fit this category. Where as "A Few Things About Ants" and "The Fat One" seem like they are part of his biography. Though "Ants" is more like a bunch of statements or observations all wrapped up in a story that was a real dud in my opinion, and the only one. "The Manticore Spell" is the only other story that's suspect. It just didn't give me anything to be intrigued by, though still well written.
"The Night Whiskey" and "Bedroom Light" were my favorites. But many other warranted my attention. "Scribble Mind" are rather interesting, though the ending seemed to be heading in an anti-climatic area before recovering. "The Way He Does It" was a fun play on explaining the consequences of something, but never saying what it is. Every story had something to give the reader, and I found something interesting in each. Even if I wasn't that interested in "Ants".
"In the House of Four Seasons" was one of the hardest stories to read. It is not in chronological order and the character all went by different names. It got confusing as it went along. However, it was very satisfying. Though quite possibly would have been even better if stretched into novella length. It would have given more room to stretch the crazy order that the reader is given information and given room to do more with the characters' background. It falls into the category of "great story, and could have been better yet if only ....."
Another great outing for Mr. Ford. Can't wait, as usual, for his next book.
Many of the stories had been published elsewhere, but here is a rundown on what makes up this collection:
"The Drowned Life"
"Ariadne's Mother"
"The Night Whiskey"
"A Few Things About Ants"
"Under the Bottom of the Lake"
"Present From The Past"
"The Manticore Spell"
"The Fat One"
"The Dismantled Invention of Fate"
"What's Sure to Come"
"The Way He Does It"
"The Scribble Mind"
"Bedroom Light"
"In the House of Four Seasons"
"The Dreaming Wind"
"The Golden Dragon"
I have become a fan of Ford's since the first time I read his work (his novel "The Portrait of Mrs. Charbuque"). All of his books, whether a novel or a short story collection, I have enjoyed on some level or another. I think he is a bit underrated as an author.
Like with his previous collection of short stories I read, Ford has brought a lot of himself and his life into it. A few of the stories he mentions his real life wife and kids, the place he grew up, where he lives now, and even an uncle that works as a Walt Whitman impersonator. Quite possibly is what makes this collection most interesting. There are truly fantastical stories here. "In the House of Four Seasons" and the title story fit this category. Where as "A Few Things About Ants" and "The Fat One" seem like they are part of his biography. Though "Ants" is more like a bunch of statements or observations all wrapped up in a story that was a real dud in my opinion, and the only one. "The Manticore Spell" is the only other story that's suspect. It just didn't give me anything to be intrigued by, though still well written.
"The Night Whiskey" and "Bedroom Light" were my favorites. But many other warranted my attention. "Scribble Mind" are rather interesting, though the ending seemed to be heading in an anti-climatic area before recovering. "The Way He Does It" was a fun play on explaining the consequences of something, but never saying what it is. Every story had something to give the reader, and I found something interesting in each. Even if I wasn't that interested in "Ants".
"In the House of Four Seasons" was one of the hardest stories to read. It is not in chronological order and the character all went by different names. It got confusing as it went along. However, it was very satisfying. Though quite possibly would have been even better if stretched into novella length. It would have given more room to stretch the crazy order that the reader is given information and given room to do more with the characters' background. It falls into the category of "great story, and could have been better yet if only ....."
Another great outing for Mr. Ford. Can't wait, as usual, for his next book.
slow-paced
Me gusta el estilo de Jeffrey Ford. Es extraño y desconcertante a veces, pero sus historias son tan vívidas que a veces uno no sabe de donde salieron los elementos tan poco comunes de repente. Fantástico, retorcido y gracioso, este libro invita a la imaginación.
A collection of dark short stories, dancing along and blurring the lines of science fiction and fantasy. A quick and engrossing read.