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brandenburgreads's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
3.0
studiouspoppy's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
none of the stories really caught my attention; a couple of them had me really confused about what i was supposed to root for (like the abortion one, i don't get if it was extremely conservative or if it was irony and i was supposed to see them as the villains). Oh also i felt really weird about the story with a chilean character bc he felt really like such a stereotype of a random latin person with no specifically chilean traits and a weird accent that doesn't sound at all like ours.
allysadventuresinbooks's review against another edition
4.0
I loved this book. I read it in under a week - and for someone who doesn't read much, that's very quick!
The stories focus a lot around death/grieving, unhappy lives and coping techniques. It shows a number of characters dealing with loss or with the fact that their life is different than they had hoped. There are also a couple of fantasy-type stories, and a few comedic ones. I found it easy to pick up the book at lunch or in the evenings and pop a story in. Each were interesting and left a lasting impression. A few of them weren't entirely exciting or "page-turners", but they were still pleasant and since they were short it didn't bore or bother me.
The stories focus a lot around death/grieving, unhappy lives and coping techniques. It shows a number of characters dealing with loss or with the fact that their life is different than they had hoped. There are also a couple of fantasy-type stories, and a few comedic ones. I found it easy to pick up the book at lunch or in the evenings and pop a story in. Each were interesting and left a lasting impression. A few of them weren't entirely exciting or "page-turners", but they were still pleasant and since they were short it didn't bore or bother me.
aclarke91's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.25
shannen_m's review against another edition
4.0
The Purple Jar - Maria Edgeworth 2/5
Frank's Resolve - Charlotte Riddell 2.5/5
Poisson d'Avril - Somerville and Ross 1/5
A Bus from Tivoli -Kate O'Brien 3.5/5
When Miss Coles Made the Tea - Norah Hoult 3/5
The Demon Lover - Elizabeth Bowen 4/5
In the Middle of the Fields -Mary Lavin 4/5
The Eldest Child - Maeve Brennan 3/5
Winter Journey (The Apparitions) - Anne Devlin 3.5/5
The Meaning of Missing - Evelyn Conlon 4/5
The Coast of Wales - Éilís Ní Dhuibhne 3/5
The Crossing - Lia Mills 4.5/5
The Cat and the Mouse - Christine Dwyer Hickey 3/5
Three Stories About Love - Anne Enright 3.5/5
As Seen from Space - Susan Stairs 2.5/5
My Little Pyromaniac - Mary Costello 3.5/5
Frogs - Molly McCloskey 3/5
A Fuss - Bernie McGill 3/5
Somat - June Caldwell 4/5
Shut Your Mouth, Héléne - Nuala Ní Chonchúir 4.5/5
I'll Take You There - Niamh Boyce 4.5/5
Beneath the Taps: A Testimonial - Anakana Schofield 4.5/5
Somewhere to Be - Siobhán Mannion 3.5/5
Through the Wall - Eimear McBride 2.5/5
Long Distance - Belinda McKeon 3/5
Multitudes - Lucy Caldwell 5/5
Berghain - Lisa McInerney 2/5
Infinite Landscapes - Roisín O'Donnell 3.5/5
Gustavo - EM Reapy 3.5/5
Lane in Stay - Eimear Ryan 2.5/5
Frank's Resolve - Charlotte Riddell 2.5/5
Poisson d'Avril - Somerville and Ross 1/5
A Bus from Tivoli -Kate O'Brien 3.5/5
When Miss Coles Made the Tea - Norah Hoult 3/5
The Demon Lover - Elizabeth Bowen 4/5
In the Middle of the Fields -Mary Lavin 4/5
The Eldest Child - Maeve Brennan 3/5
Winter Journey (The Apparitions) - Anne Devlin 3.5/5
The Meaning of Missing - Evelyn Conlon 4/5
The Coast of Wales - Éilís Ní Dhuibhne 3/5
The Crossing - Lia Mills 4.5/5
The Cat and the Mouse - Christine Dwyer Hickey 3/5
Three Stories About Love - Anne Enright 3.5/5
As Seen from Space - Susan Stairs 2.5/5
My Little Pyromaniac - Mary Costello 3.5/5
Frogs - Molly McCloskey 3/5
A Fuss - Bernie McGill 3/5
Somat - June Caldwell 4/5
Shut Your Mouth, Héléne - Nuala Ní Chonchúir 4.5/5
I'll Take You There - Niamh Boyce 4.5/5
Beneath the Taps: A Testimonial - Anakana Schofield 4.5/5
Somewhere to Be - Siobhán Mannion 3.5/5
Through the Wall - Eimear McBride 2.5/5
Long Distance - Belinda McKeon 3/5
Multitudes - Lucy Caldwell 5/5
Berghain - Lisa McInerney 2/5
Infinite Landscapes - Roisín O'Donnell 3.5/5
Gustavo - EM Reapy 3.5/5
Lane in Stay - Eimear Ryan 2.5/5
therightprofile's review against another edition
2.0
In scope the anthology covers an impressive amount of work the work of Irish women writers from the 19th century (some stories) to the present (2016 at the time). However, I found myself only appreciating and enjoying only a handful stories. While there isn't a common theme running through, many stories touch upon grief, pregnancy, childbirth, trauma, difficult relationships, misogyny to name a few. It's was an interesting read but not a page-turned.
bgg616's review against another edition
4.0
This anthology came about because of the general neglect of women writers in Ireland and the failure to represent women's voices in such anthologies. Gleeson undertook the task to represent Irish women writers going back two centuries. The classic stories selected come from writers known for their work in the short story genre, as well as novels. The contemporary stories were both selected from collections and stories already published by living writers as well as written for this volume.
Some reviews of such collections name their favorites and may even critique all the stories. However this collection has 30 stories so that is not an approach that would work. There were stories that I found stunning, that moved me, and others that didn't leave much of an impression. Overall I enjoyed this collection and once I got moving finished it quickly. The joy of short stories.
Readers who have an interest in writing my Irish women writers will find this a must read. It is the 2018 One City One Book choice for Dublin, so it will be everywhere. And that's a good thing since these writers have been ignored too long.
Some reviews of such collections name their favorites and may even critique all the stories. However this collection has 30 stories so that is not an approach that would work. There were stories that I found stunning, that moved me, and others that didn't leave much of an impression. Overall I enjoyed this collection and once I got moving finished it quickly. The joy of short stories.
Readers who have an interest in writing my Irish women writers will find this a must read. It is the 2018 One City One Book choice for Dublin, so it will be everywhere. And that's a good thing since these writers have been ignored too long.
alba_marie's review against another edition
2.0
This is an anthology meant to celebrate Irish women's voices in a time when most Irish women haven't had much of a voice. This is a great idea in theory. But I have to say that the execution wasn't amazing. Gleeson, the editor, has a very different idea abut what makes a good story. I've been reading a lot of short stories this year, even if this isn't usually my genre of choice. But this has also taught what a good short story can be - in most cases, similar to a novel,just shorter. I still expect plot, world building, character development, secondar characters.
Most of the stories here were barely stories - almost none had plot and character development was lacking. They weren't the most interesting. And the themes where so banal. I usually avoid contemporary works and dislike domestic themes,which comprised most of the stories. Motherhood, grief, regret and break ups seemed the predominant themes. Not my area of interest! The best stories were when they took you away from domestic homes and to other lands like Egypt and Italy - at last the world Yalding was good!
All in all I will keep reading Irish writers and female writers and even short stories but will choose them on my own because I really found these stories pretty blah. When I read, I'd like to go somewhere exciting, not someone's boring domestic existence.
Most of the stories here were barely stories - almost none had plot and character development was lacking. They weren't the most interesting. And the themes where so banal. I usually avoid contemporary works and dislike domestic themes,which comprised most of the stories. Motherhood, grief, regret and break ups seemed the predominant themes. Not my area of interest! The best stories were when they took you away from domestic homes and to other lands like Egypt and Italy - at last the world Yalding was good!
All in all I will keep reading Irish writers and female writers and even short stories but will choose them on my own because I really found these stories pretty blah. When I read, I'd like to go somewhere exciting, not someone's boring domestic existence.
debsd's review against another edition
4.0
Anthologies are, I think, almost always difficult to rate/review. I loved some of the writing in this and was meh about other parts of it. I liked that there was such a range of writing - some light-hearted, some very much not, some quite modern, some from a century ago.