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A review by julesceasara
Cardiff, by the Sea: Four Novellas by Joyce Carol Oates
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
4.0
The first book was a little confusing and vague but atmospheric and suffocating. The way the great aunts’s conversations were written had an almost claustrophobic feeling, very overwhelming and rapid without any chance to get a word in let alone think to much about their words, which made Clare’s confusion make perfect sense.
I thought I would like the second book more than I did. The writing was good as the first, however not much happened for one of the longer stories in the book. It was a good amount of vague and had a satisfying ending though. Miao dao is such a cute name for a cat also.
I enjoyed the third book more than I thought I would. It was very short but not lacking in substance. Alyce made for a sympathetic character and the ending while tragic wasn’t out of the blue and didn’t feel like it was used simply for shock value. The change of format for the ending was also interesting and fit well.
The final book whilst probably the shortest was by far my favourite and I honestly don’t know why. Sometimes short stories feel rushed or lacking but this one felt whole. It was very atmospheric and tense and through the authors choice of words you felt the same confusion and hysteria the main character Elisabeth felt. The author is very good at this. It was well paced or maybe not but it fit within context of the story. In such a short time I grew attached to Elisabeth and Stefan and want an epilogue of the two of them running far away together. The cult following of N.K was also incredibly realistic towards people’s real feeling towards “celebs” and their relevancy only when they die young.
I thought I would like the second book more than I did. The writing was good as the first, however not much happened for one of the longer stories in the book. It was a good amount of vague and had a satisfying ending though. Miao dao is such a cute name for a cat also.
I enjoyed the third book more than I thought I would. It was very short but not lacking in substance. Alyce made for a sympathetic character and the ending while tragic wasn’t out of the blue and didn’t feel like it was used simply for shock value. The change of format for the ending was also interesting and fit well.
The final book whilst probably the shortest was by far my favourite and I honestly don’t know why. Sometimes short stories feel rushed or lacking but this one felt whole. It was very atmospheric and tense and through the authors choice of words you felt the same confusion and hysteria the main character Elisabeth felt. The author is very good at this. It was well paced or maybe not but it fit within context of the story. In such a short time I grew attached to Elisabeth and Stefan and want an epilogue of the two of them running far away together. The cult following of N.K was also incredibly realistic towards people’s real feeling towards “celebs” and their relevancy only when they die young.