Scan barcode
ginadil's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
What I enjoy most is the way that this a collection of short stories that are connected but in a much more passive “oh, this character just happens to touch the lives of another” kind of way.
katvanfos's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
5.0
pinballserg's review against another edition
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
4.0
leonora_isabella's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
cindypepper's review against another edition
3.0
On paper, Where the Wild Ladies Are is prime Cindy-bait: feminist retellings of Japanese folklore. In the stories where the elements of magical realism were strongest, I was hooked. I loved the setup of "Having a Blast" (the ghost of a woman works alongside her husband, who is still alive), and I loved "A Fox's Life", which is very overt in its allusions to Japanese folklore. The first story, "Smartening Up", is clever, elegant, and wry in its perspective on beauty.
There were two main factors that colored my reading experience though:
- The adaptation of folklore tales are often ingratiated in a very contemporary setting. Starbucks iced chai lattes are easily namedropped alongside Dean & Deluca and The Avengers. The magical elements feel so subtle that you could easily miss them in the blink of an eye. When I was reading about the book, I had expected spoop of the ghost story variety. I'm not sure if I felt spooked out at any point. Maybe weirded out, but not the same psychological terror from reading or watching pure horror.
- I've yet to get used to the slice-of-life structure of the stories. I'm often too used to short stories that follow a buildup/conflict, climax, and resolution (the latter part isn't always necessary; sometimes a good cliffhanger can really bring it home), that some of the stories felt abrupt to me. A setting would be described in intricate detail, only to feel suddenly cut off, without any conflict or resolution (e.g. "My Superpower", "Team Sarashina"). Or maybe I just tend to conflate short stories with novellas and novels, and expect a lot more plot and heft.
There were two main factors that colored my reading experience though:
- The adaptation of folklore tales are often ingratiated in a very contemporary setting. Starbucks iced chai lattes are easily namedropped alongside Dean & Deluca and The Avengers. The magical elements feel so subtle that you could easily miss them in the blink of an eye. When I was reading about the book, I had expected spoop of the ghost story variety. I'm not sure if I felt spooked out at any point. Maybe weirded out, but not the same psychological terror from reading or watching pure horror.
- I've yet to get used to the slice-of-life structure of the stories. I'm often too used to short stories that follow a buildup/conflict, climax, and resolution (the latter part isn't always necessary; sometimes a good cliffhanger can really bring it home), that some of the stories felt abrupt to me. A setting would be described in intricate detail, only to feel suddenly cut off, without any conflict or resolution (e.g. "My Superpower", "Team Sarashina"). Or maybe I just tend to conflate short stories with novellas and novels, and expect a lot more plot and heft.
jaina8851's review against another edition
funny
reflective
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? No
3.75
I enjoyed this book but I wish I could have done a buddy read with a Japanese person so that I could understand all of the references! The summaries of the original myths at the end of the book were illuminating, but I still felt like a lot of the individual stories went a bit over my head, like I was missing a cultural anchor that would have made the story even more enjoyable. I could see how *some* of the stories related to each other, recognizing character names or descriptions from previous stories, but some of them felt stand-alone to me, and I don't know if that's because I was missing something or if it was because indeed they were stand-alone. I'm also not entirely sure what the high level arc was meant to be, if there was one.
All of that said though, I really loved the whimsical writing style. There were many moments where I genuinely laughed out loud, and I appreciated the empowering feminist take in these stories. Coincidentally, while I was reading this, a friend recommended Revenge by Yōko Ogawa to me, which seems like a similar structure with interconnected short stories, and so I'm interested to explore more Japanese fiction and maybe revisit this book someday when I have better understanding of some of the stories it is based on.
All of that said though, I really loved the whimsical writing style. There were many moments where I genuinely laughed out loud, and I appreciated the empowering feminist take in these stories. Coincidentally, while I was reading this, a friend recommended Revenge by Yōko Ogawa to me, which seems like a similar structure with interconnected short stories, and so I'm interested to explore more Japanese fiction and maybe revisit this book someday when I have better understanding of some of the stories it is based on.