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helenasiuzmu's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
4.0
adrianasturalvarez's review against another edition
5.0
If this is not a 5 star collection of stories there are no 5 star collections. This is the kind of writing that will make anyone aspiring to the craft feel worse than Salieri.
Separated into 3 parts, my experience reading was that the stories began as a demonstration of dazzling skill in part one, with memorable works such as "Axolotl" and "House Taken Over," they moved into isolated masterclasses of craft in part two ("Blow-up," with its assiduous interest in the narrative mechanics of truth blew *me* up), but by part three Cortázar shed his pedogogy and, well, there's no other word, the final stories in this collection are ascendant. He pushed beyond himself and attained a level of work very few writers can obtain.
The earlier stories demonstrate mastery over technique and craftsmanship that are clear to recognize because he didn't invent them, he just employs them expertly. The final stories explore new territory. He invents mechanisms to convey new ideas. "The Pursuer" operates in ways I can only just grasp and "Secret Weapons" is one the most important stories in this collection. It does things at a level of craft I will need to study much longer in order to understand.
I'm not adding anything new when I say Cortázar was a master writer but in case you've forgotten, or haven't gotten to him yet, let this review encourage you to read his work!
Separated into 3 parts, my experience reading was that the stories began as a demonstration of dazzling skill in part one, with memorable works such as "Axolotl" and "House Taken Over," they moved into isolated masterclasses of craft in part two ("Blow-up," with its assiduous interest in the narrative mechanics of truth blew *me* up), but by part three Cortázar shed his pedogogy and, well, there's no other word, the final stories in this collection are ascendant. He pushed beyond himself and attained a level of work very few writers can obtain.
The earlier stories demonstrate mastery over technique and craftsmanship that are clear to recognize because he didn't invent them, he just employs them expertly. The final stories explore new territory. He invents mechanisms to convey new ideas. "The Pursuer" operates in ways I can only just grasp and "Secret Weapons" is one the most important stories in this collection. It does things at a level of craft I will need to study much longer in order to understand.
I'm not adding anything new when I say Cortázar was a master writer but in case you've forgotten, or haven't gotten to him yet, let this review encourage you to read his work!
samsam123's review against another edition
4.0
I am so happy to have read this collection. I am a huge fan of Cortazar now.
His work is often playful and lays with the reader’s expectations. He is adept at upending and bending narratives in familiarly unfamiliar ways. He is an author who will not give you all the answers, and I love him for that.
My Fourier short stories were his shorter works. The longest piece The Pursuer was really not to my taste. I’m just not a fan of a drug addled musician/artist’s tale. Although the last story, Secret Weapons,which is longer than many of the stories is really great as an exploration of trauma as well as the underpinning of violence contained in intimacy.
My favourite stories were the following:
House Taken Over; The Distances; The Idol of the Cyclades, Letter to a Young Lady in Paris; The Night Face Up; Bestiary; and the Secret Weapons.
To be honest, I thought this was gonna be a solid five star read for me. However, the English translation could have been smoother. The sentence structures called to itself that this was indeed a translation, and it sorta takes you out of the text. Also Blow-Up and The Pursuer were two stories that really could have been cut from the collection, imho.
His work is often playful and lays with the reader’s expectations. He is adept at upending and bending narratives in familiarly unfamiliar ways. He is an author who will not give you all the answers, and I love him for that.
My Fourier short stories were his shorter works. The longest piece The Pursuer was really not to my taste. I’m just not a fan of a drug addled musician/artist’s tale. Although the last story, Secret Weapons,which is longer than many of the stories is really great as an exploration of trauma as well as the underpinning of violence contained in intimacy.
My favourite stories were the following:
House Taken Over; The Distances; The Idol of the Cyclades, Letter to a Young Lady in Paris; The Night Face Up; Bestiary; and the Secret Weapons.
To be honest, I thought this was gonna be a solid five star read for me. However, the English translation could have been smoother. The sentence structures called to itself that this was indeed a translation, and it sorta takes you out of the text. Also Blow-Up and The Pursuer were two stories that really could have been cut from the collection, imho.
beepbeepbooks's review against another edition
3.0
Cortazar has strange stories that never seem to appeal to me as much as the philosophical Borges, the melancholic Zambra, and the dark suspenseful Bolano. But it's no question he's a master of the craft, and stories like "Axolotl" stand out in their pure potency. Some stories suck tho
sky_jumper's review against another edition
stories read like someone repeatedly hit the middle suggested word on an iphone keyboard
pacvarez's review against another edition
4.0
since i've been of reading age my parents have spoken endless words of praise about cortazar, particularly this collection and rayuela. now, maybe 10-11 years after they bought me blow-up, i've finally decided to read it. what struck me first was how familiar the writing felt, probably because i've read many other short story collections inspired by cortazar, though it quickly became apparent how many of those others lacked some of the profundity of his stories. i sometimes felt underwhelmed reading the stories, only to have them worm back into throughout the day. that being said, like every short story collection, there are hits and misses. some felt too into their gimmicks or form to have a lasting impact.
my favorites were probably "blow-up", "the end of the game", "axolotl", and "the pursuer"
my favorites were probably "blow-up", "the end of the game", "axolotl", and "the pursuer"
taitmckenzie's review against another edition
5.0
The first half of this collection features stories in which something inevitably magical happens to otherwise normal people, often substitutions such as a man becoming a fish, or another who vomits up little rabbits. Included in this is one of my favorite Cortazar stories, "The Night Face Up," in which an injured motorcyclist 'dreams' that he is the victim of a Mayan sacrifice ritual. The later stories in the book are longer and more realistic, focusing on the psychology of childhood and cultural creation, including a story about a Parisian jazz critic that is told in the style/ setting later used for his novel "Hopscotch."
hannahgadbois's review against another edition
4.0
"I watched him get up and stagger across the floor like a drunk, looking for the woman who looked like Celina. I stayed quiet and took my time over a cigarette, watching him going and coming, this way and that, knowing he was wasting his time, that he would come back, tired and thirsty, not having found the gates of heaven among all that smoke and all those people."
nateisdreaming's review against another edition
4.0
Excellent collection of stories.
A few are masterful.
A few are masterful.