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A review by maiathemagical
The Bloody Chamber and Other Stories by Angela Carter
2.5
Carter has some interesting things to say, which she pursues through fairytale metaphor with all the finesse and subtlety of a blunderbuss. I suppose it's pretty much impossible to miss the themes she presents when they're being shoved down your throat this hard, but it does limit the enjoyment of reading.
I also find her obsession with puberty and the number of stories about young women having sex with animals and old men pretty unpleasant, and not necessarily in a way that made me think particularly hard about anything beyond 'oh, that's really weird, Angela'. I quite enjoyed The Lady of the House of Love, and to an extent The Werewolf, but that was about it.
Would this book have been more poignant and prompted more thought if I'd read it 40 years ago? Maybe. But as it stands I actually found Carter's stories quite shallow beyond their shock value.
I also find her obsession with puberty and the number of stories about young women having sex with animals and old men pretty unpleasant, and not necessarily in a way that made me think particularly hard about anything beyond 'oh, that's really weird, Angela'. I quite enjoyed The Lady of the House of Love, and to an extent The Werewolf, but that was about it.
Would this book have been more poignant and prompted more thought if I'd read it 40 years ago? Maybe. But as it stands I actually found Carter's stories quite shallow beyond their shock value.