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myriadreads's review against another edition
5.0
Johnson's poetic stories are strange and beautiful. I was reminded of Kelly Link or Karen Russell. Unusual, dark plots jolted me into alertness and pulled me into a world all new. Johnson draws connections between characters, settings, and even movie references, giving the stories a unifying thread that pulled the collection together. This is one I'll definitely want to reread.
musingswithmiranda's review against another edition
4.0
I picked this up from my local library after seeing Jeff VanderMeer tweet about it. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I figured it would probably be a bit strange. And I was not wrong. I was very intrigued by the weirdness of some of the stories. I had never read anything by Daisy Johnson before, but I’m looking forward to reading more because of Fen.
Overall, I am very glad that I read this collection of short stories. I loved many of them, but others felt like they were lacking something for me personally so I’m giving this book four stars. I definitely want to reread some of the stories, so I already picked up my own copy of the book!
If anyone is looking to read Fen, I would recommend not looking too much up beforehand. I think not knowing much about the stories before really enhanced my reading experience by adding surprise and keeping me on edge.
Overall, I am very glad that I read this collection of short stories. I loved many of them, but others felt like they were lacking something for me personally so I’m giving this book four stars. I definitely want to reread some of the stories, so I already picked up my own copy of the book!
If anyone is looking to read Fen, I would recommend not looking too much up beforehand. I think not knowing much about the stories before really enhanced my reading experience by adding surprise and keeping me on edge.
katrinelinden's review against another edition
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
2.5
adayafterautumn's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
emwerbeach's review
challenging
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
tmpate255's review
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
5.0
I will read anything that Daisy Johnson writes. Modern master of the English language. I don’t typically go for the collections of short stories, but this was Johnson showing off (and I mean that in the best way).
marjoleinvanderspoel's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
What a strange little collection! Some of these stories were wonderful, others definitely not my cup of tea. The take away is that Daisy Johnson is a great writer, but I'm not a fan of sexual horror if that's even a genre? I just don't think we need to be demonising female desire :/ in general the stories about relationships were not my faves but I loved the stories about the fen and turning into fish and being made of mud, that's the good stuff!!