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Post by RAVENEYE on Jan 26, 2024 12:22:37 GMT -6
Title: If We Were Villains Author: M.L Rio Genre: um....mystery/literary/suspense? What do you think of it?One of the absolute best books I've ever read and I'll never be the same again. I want to preference this with: This book isn't for everyone and that's okay!! Also, it's not a thriller so don't expect the pacing to be that of a thriller. It's a Shakespearean tragedy in five acts. It has a lot of Shakespeare interspersed. As the author says, the characters speak this sort of pidgeon english with Shakespeare quotes mixed into their speech patterns. It's pretentious and if you don't like or understand Shakespeare, the book will not be for you. The characters attend a prestigious arts university and our main characters are in their fourth and final year, so they've been fully immersed in Shakespeare for FOUR YEARS and it's been woven into their brains irreparably. I don't want to say anything beyond what's in the blurb: On the day Oliver Marks is released from jail, the man who put him there is waiting at the door. Detective Colborne wants to know the truth, and after ten years, Oliver is finally ready to tell it.
A decade ago: Oliver is one of seven young Shakespearean actors at Dellecher Classical Conservatory, a place of keen ambition and fierce competition. In this secluded world of firelight and leather-bound books, Oliver and his friends play the same roles onstage and off: hero, villain, tyrant, temptress, ingénue, extras.
But in their fourth and final year, good-natured rivalries turn ugly, and on opening night real violence invades the students’ world of make-believe. In the morning, the fourth-years find themselves facing their very own tragedy, and their greatest acting challenge yet: convincing the police, each other, and themselves that they are innocent.Recommend it?YES YES YES YES However, I have a BA in theater from Berkeley. The Shakespeare pretentious didn't bother me, in fact I adored it because it was so relatable! Everything these characters went through is so close to my own experiences (minus the murder) being fully immersed in the theater world for yeeeeears. I've been in those exact classes. I've performed in or seen those exact plays. In fact, I was a witch in Macbeth TWICE. I've studied, performed, and obsessed over Shakespeare for many, many years. This book was written FOR ME. So I recommend it but also fully acknowledge it's not FOR everyone. Oh wow! How rare and wonderful to find THAT ONE BOOK that is FOR YOU. I'm interested in testing it out because I adore Shakespeare's plays, but also because it would help me know you better. Which would be cool. |
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Post by Alatariel on Jan 26, 2024 19:47:06 GMT -6
Title: If We Were Villains Author: M.L Rio Genre: um....mystery/literary/suspense? What do you think of it?One of the absolute best books I've ever read and I'll never be the same again. I want to preference this with: This book isn't for everyone and that's okay!! Also, it's not a thriller so don't expect the pacing to be that of a thriller. It's a Shakespearean tragedy in five acts. It has a lot of Shakespeare interspersed. As the author says, the characters speak this sort of pidgeon english with Shakespeare quotes mixed into their speech patterns. It's pretentious and if you don't like or understand Shakespeare, the book will not be for you. The characters attend a prestigious arts university and our main characters are in their fourth and final year, so they've been fully immersed in Shakespeare for FOUR YEARS and it's been woven into their brains irreparably. I don't want to say anything beyond what's in the blurb: On the day Oliver Marks is released from jail, the man who put him there is waiting at the door. Detective Colborne wants to know the truth, and after ten years, Oliver is finally ready to tell it.
A decade ago: Oliver is one of seven young Shakespearean actors at Dellecher Classical Conservatory, a place of keen ambition and fierce competition. In this secluded world of firelight and leather-bound books, Oliver and his friends play the same roles onstage and off: hero, villain, tyrant, temptress, ingénue, extras.
But in their fourth and final year, good-natured rivalries turn ugly, and on opening night real violence invades the students’ world of make-believe. In the morning, the fourth-years find themselves facing their very own tragedy, and their greatest acting challenge yet: convincing the police, each other, and themselves that they are innocent.Recommend it?YES YES YES YES However, I have a BA in theater from Berkeley. The Shakespeare pretentious didn't bother me, in fact I adored it because it was so relatable! Everything these characters went through is so close to my own experiences (minus the murder) being fully immersed in the theater world for yeeeeears. I've been in those exact classes. I've performed in or seen those exact plays. In fact, I was a witch in Macbeth TWICE. I've studied, performed, and obsessed over Shakespeare for many, many years. This book was written FOR ME. So I recommend it but also fully acknowledge it's not FOR everyone. Oh wow! How rare and wonderful to find THAT ONE BOOK that is FOR YOU. I'm interested in testing it out because I adore Shakespeare's plays, but also because it would help me know you better. Which would be cool. You should totally try it. I think you'll like it. It's a mostly well-received book but some of the bad reviews annoyed me. They seemed to not understand the point of the book or they thought it was a thriller and so they became disappointed by the plot being "predictable" or the pacing being slower than your normal thriller. But as I said above, it's not a thriller. It's a tragedy and just like Shakespearean tragedies you can see the inevitable outcome and hope beyond hope it doesn't end that way even though you know it will. Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet, Macbeth....you know things will end badly but you still watch with a spark of hope that maybe this time Romeo will get the letter in time. |
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Post by Alatariel on Feb 6, 2024 16:54:21 GMT -6
Title: Six of Crows (finally!)
Author: Leigh Bardugo
Genre: YA Fantasy
What do you think of it?
It's good! I didn't like the Shadow and Bone trilogy (a classic YA trope-fest with nothing new to offer the genre and cardboard characters) but the writing was good enough for me to give the author another shot. Especially since I've heard A LOT of good things about this heist duology.
One thing that bugs me...
She uses the words "felt" and "had" SO MUCH. "Inej felt like she and Kaz had..." or "Jesper felt as if he had..." or "Kaz felt he had..." and I'm like this could've been crafted better. It's a nit-picky thing but I see it way too much in published novels and I'm like HOW?! Who is editing this manuscript??
But I will say, the characters, imagery, banter, plot, and world-building is GREAT. So I can overlook the grammar stuff, I guess. Since there are a lot of flashbacks, I think it should've been written in present tense and the flashbacks could be in past tense. There's a lot of past-perfect and past-simple mixing up happening in the flashback scenes. And since it's a heist novel, the present tense would've made everything seem more immediate. Just a personal preference.
Recommend it?
Very very much! Besides the little things that bug me, it's a good book so far. I'm past the halfway mark and eager to see how this all turns out. I don't know what book 2 covers because they could complete the heist in this book...so I'm guessing things go horribly wrong and I'm HERE FOR IT.
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Post by RAVENEYE on Feb 13, 2024 10:21:46 GMT -6
Title: Six of Crows (finally!) Author: Leigh Bardugo Genre: YA Fantasy What do you think of it?
It's good! I didn't like the Shadow and Bone trilogy (a classic YA trope-fest with nothing new to offer the genre and cardboard characters) but the writing was good enough for me to give the author another shot. Especially since I've heard A LOT of good things about this heist duology. One thing that bugs me... She uses the words "felt" and "had" SO MUCH. "Inej felt like she and Kaz had..." or "Jesper felt as if he had..." or "Kaz felt he had..." and I'm like this could've been crafted better. It's a nit-picky thing but I see it way too much in published novels and I'm like HOW?! Who is editing this manuscript?? But I will say, the characters, imagery, banter, plot, and world-building is GREAT. So I can overlook the grammar stuff, I guess. Since there are a lot of flashbacks, I think it should've been written in present tense and the flashbacks could be in past tense. There's a lot of past-perfect and past-simple mixing up happening in the flashback scenes. And since it's a heist novel, the present tense would've made everything seem more immediate. Just a personal preference. Recommend it?Very very much! Besides the little things that bug me, it's a good book so far. I'm past the halfway mark and eager to see how this all turns out. I don't know what book 2 covers because they could complete the heist in this book...so I'm guessing things go horribly wrong and I'm HERE FOR IT. Generous of you to give the author another shot. My niece loaned me her copy of Shadow & Bone, which she loved. But she's 15, so she hasn't gotten tired of overused tropes yet. Anyway, the "felt" thing. Whyyyyyy? Honestly, I wonder if contracts push authors to turn out books so fast that they "feel" too rushed and fall back on tired telling prose just to get the book out, and editors don't care as long as they can push the book to the press... Or maybe the rest of us are just overthinking things and taking showing to the opposite extreme...? But seriously! If telling can be avoided, avoid it! For the love of all great verbs, avoid it. |
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Post by Alatariel on Feb 13, 2024 13:18:06 GMT -6
Title: Six of Crows (finally!) Author: Leigh Bardugo Genre: YA Fantasy What do you think of it?
It's good! I didn't like the Shadow and Bone trilogy (a classic YA trope-fest with nothing new to offer the genre and cardboard characters) but the writing was good enough for me to give the author another shot. Especially since I've heard A LOT of good things about this heist duology. One thing that bugs me... She uses the words "felt" and "had" SO MUCH. "Inej felt like she and Kaz had..." or "Jesper felt as if he had..." or "Kaz felt he had..." and I'm like this could've been crafted better. It's a nit-picky thing but I see it way too much in published novels and I'm like HOW?! Who is editing this manuscript?? But I will say, the characters, imagery, banter, plot, and world-building is GREAT. So I can overlook the grammar stuff, I guess. Since there are a lot of flashbacks, I think it should've been written in present tense and the flashbacks could be in past tense. There's a lot of past-perfect and past-simple mixing up happening in the flashback scenes. And since it's a heist novel, the present tense would've made everything seem more immediate. Just a personal preference. Recommend it?Very very much! Besides the little things that bug me, it's a good book so far. I'm past the halfway mark and eager to see how this all turns out. I don't know what book 2 covers because they could complete the heist in this book...so I'm guessing things go horribly wrong and I'm HERE FOR IT. Generous of you to give the author another shot. My niece loaned me her copy of Shadow & Bone, which she loved. But she's 15, so she hasn't gotten tired of overused tropes yet. Anyway, the "felt" thing. Whyyyyyy? Honestly, I wonder if contracts push authors to turn out books so fast that they "feel" too rushed and fall back on tired telling prose just to get the book out, and editors don't care as long as they can push the book to the press... Or maybe the rest of us are just overthinking things and taking showing to the opposite extreme...? But seriously! If telling can be avoided, avoid it! For the love of all great verbs, avoid it. It's all over the place lately- YA, adult fiction, seasoned writers, new writers...but I will say, it seems to be more prevalent in those authors who are "very popular" and pump out tons of stuff quickly. *cough* Colleen Hoover and Rebecca Yarros and Carissa Broadbent *cough* Since you edited my novel and pointed it out, I can see it everywhere now. I find it to be lazy writing and I wonder about editors, why do they let these things slide? It's an easy fix and makes the writing tighter. Taking out the "she felt...he felt..." brings more immediacy to the text. With so much being TOLD me to, it creates distance between me, the reader, and the characters/situation. I'm not as bothered by it when it's first person, though. A few of "I felt..." can be excused. But this author leans on that phrase heavily. BUT YEA, I heard so many good things about the Six of Crows duology and how it's a completely different tone from Shadow and Bone that I decided to give it a chance. And that's a fair assessment. It's not tropey. She specifically wrote it so there were no heroes and no villains, just people doing what's in their own best interest. I think it's worth the time. I'm onto book 2 now and like where it's going, the stakes are high and the cons/heists are fun. Plus, the characters are what really bring the story to life. They're all fantastic. (I will say Shadow and Bone is PERFECT for a 15 year old) |
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Post by saintofm on Feb 15, 2024 19:05:07 GMT -6
Right now one of my cousin's books, Lost Temple of Wizards by Everett Morse. He wrote it and is doing some betta reading between day ob and being a daddy so I thought i give it a shot.
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Post by RAVENEYE on Feb 20, 2024 9:36:03 GMT -6
Title: The Last House on Needless Street
Author: Catriona Ward
Genre: Literary Horror (Yep, this book showed me there is such a thing)
What do I think of it?
I think this book is going into my list of Top 20 Faves Of All Time. I loved this book so much. So much that as soon as I finished it, I put all the rest of Ward's books on my wish list. I will be collecting them aaaallll.
About Needless, I refuse to give any spoilers, b/c if you like horror, you need to read this gorgeous, powerful, creepy, wonderful book, and I don't want to ruin a single page.
The one thing that annoyed me was the use of "feel" again. However, there's a better, justifiable reason for it than in a book with lazy writing. This book is NOT lazy writing. The author's writing style is so poetic, so strong and beautiful, so purposeful and masterful.
On top of that, the reader gets to explore the point of view of a house cat, which had me laughing out loud and damn near crying -- in a horror story! (Not really a spoiler since you learn about this POV in, like, chapter 2, I think.) Honestly, the cat is the sanest person in the whole book, which, if you understand cats at all, is saying a lot. Does the cat make this a "cute" story? Heeeeeeeell no. Nothing cute about it. The cat, ironically, is the reality check. A lot of wild weird stuff and people who are cray-cray. A psychological rollercoaster.
It begins with "murdered birds." And that's all I'll say.
Recommend it?
Horror fans who also love depth and not gore fests, read it read it read it!
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Post by Alatariel on Feb 21, 2024 0:08:52 GMT -6
Title: The Last House on Needless Street Author: Catriona Ward Genre: Literary Horror (Yep, this book showed me there is such a thing) What do I think of it?I think this book is going into my list of Top 20 Faves Of All Time. I loved this book so much. So much that as soon as I finished it, I put all the rest of Ward's books on my wish list. I will be collecting them aaaallll. About Needless, I refuse to give any spoilers, b/c if you like horror, you need to read this gorgeous, powerful, creepy, wonderful book, and I don't want to ruin a single page. The one thing that annoyed me was the use of "feel" again. However, there's a better, justifiable reason for it than in a book with lazy writing. This book is NOT lazy writing. The author's writing style is so poetic, so strong and beautiful, so purposeful and masterful. On top of that, the reader gets to explore the point of view of a house cat, which had me laughing out loud and damn near crying -- in a horror story! (Not really a spoiler since you learn about this POV in, like, chapter 2, I think.) Honestly, the cat is the sanest person in the whole book, which, if you understand cats at all, is saying a lot. Does the cat make this a "cute" story? Heeeeeeeell no. Nothing cute about it. The cat, ironically, is the reality check. A lot of wild weird stuff and people who are cray-cray. A psychological rollercoaster. It begins with "murdered birds." And that's all I'll say. Recommend it?Horror fans who also love depth and not gore fests, read it read it read it! IMMEDIATELY ADDED IT TO MY KINDLE. I was surprised that I've never heard of this book or the author, but after looking at her other work I saw she's the author of Sundial and I remember hearing about that one in other literary circles (horror booktok). Very cool! I look forward to reading this one. It's funny because Needless Street has WAY more reviews on Amazon than Sundial, but I've never heard of it. Weird gaps in our knowledge, sometimes. |
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Post by Mazulla on Feb 22, 2024 0:23:30 GMT -6
Title: RelicAuthor: Douglas Preston & Lincoln ChildGenre: Mystery/Thriller/... Horror?What do you think of it? I finished this last week after a recommendation from a friend. I hadn't heard of it or the series following Pendergast the detective, but apparently it was quite popular in the 90s and had a movie in 1998 (that wasn't good, hah). Some scenes definitely felt like a 90s action flick. I enjoyed the writing, the dialogue, and characterization. The first chapter pulls you right in. I went into it thinking it was an actual detective story, but there is a supernatural element I didn't expect. For a mystery, I wish there were more mystery threads and, for a series primarily about Pendergast, he didn't seem very central nor did he seem to do a lot of... detecting.Recommend it? It's a pretty good, fun read and well written. If you're looking for something in this genre and like mystery murders in a jungle expedition and then in a New York museum, then I'd recommend this.
After finishing Relic, I decided to try A Court of Thorns and Roses since I've been seeing rave reviews and merch for a good two years or better. I really hope this doesn't step on any toes because I know it's popular, but boy... Those were some of the roughest 10 chapters of my life. I genuinely did not enjoy it and I had to put it down. The writing was repetitive and like the author was telling vs. showing. The situations, dialogue, character reactions all felt... Silly? Juvenile? Not my cup of tea at all.
RAVENEYE Definitely getting a sample of that one on Kindle tonight!
On a different note, does anyone have favorite detective/mystery stories to recommend? Supernatural or not. I want to read more in this genre as I have a sci-fi/detective story I want to write, but don't even know where to begin writing an engaging murder mystery.
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Post by RAVENEYE on Feb 22, 2024 9:19:36 GMT -6
Title: RelicAuthor: Douglas Preston & Lincoln ChildGenre: Mystery/Thriller/... Horror?What do you think of it? I finished this last week after a recommendation from a friend. I hadn't heard of it or the series following Pendergast the detective, but apparently it was quite popular in the 90s and had a movie in 1998 (that wasn't good, hah). Some scenes definitely felt like a 90s action flick. I enjoyed the writing, the dialogue, and characterization. The first chapter pulls you right in. I went into it thinking it was an actual detective story, but there is a supernatural element I didn't expect. For a mystery, I wish there were more mystery threads and, for a series primarily about Pendergast, he didn't seem very central nor did he seem to do a lot of... detecting.Recommend it? It's a pretty good, fun read and well written. If you're looking for something in this genre and like mystery murders in a jungle expedition and then in a New York museum, then I'd recommend this.
After finishing Relic, I decided to try A Court of Thorns and Roses since I've been seeing rave reviews and merch for a good two years or better. I really hope this doesn't step on any toes because I know it's popular, but boy... Those were some of the roughest 10 chapters of my life. I genuinely did not enjoy it and I had to put it down. The writing was repetitive and like the author was telling vs. showing. The situations, dialogue, character reactions all felt... Silly? Juvenile? Not my cup of tea at all.
RAVENEYE Definitely getting a sample of that one on Kindle tonight!
On a different note, does anyone have favorite detective/mystery stories to recommend? Supernatural or not. I want to read more in this genre as I have a sci-fi/detective story I want to write, but don't even know where to begin writing an engaging murder mystery. I bought A Court of Thorns and Roses for the same reason, mainly because I was sick of seeing it everywhere. Thought this book must be the best thing since the invention of lightbulbs or something. I have not started reading it yet (but the purchase seems to have worked, as the constant barrage of it on social media has stopped - hehe), but hearing your views on it kinda confirms my suspicions that it was a lot of hype over a mediocre book that some influencer somewhere went ape-shit over, so all the other wanna-be influencers decided to jump on the same train. And it worked, cuz this book has sold gazillions of copies and has gazillions of reviews. Kinda like the Twilight frenzy a few decades ago. That just proves how useful hype is. No doubt there will be a Netflix series in the works soon. Shitty writing and the right influencers combining to make mediocre books eternal, and eternally in our faces *coughShadow&Bonecough*. (I'm not jaded or anything.) |
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Post by havekrillwhaletravel on Feb 23, 2024 6:10:17 GMT -6
Title: The Last House on Needless Street Author: Catriona Ward Genre: Literary Horror (Yep, this book showed me there is such a thing) What do I think of it?I think this book is going into my list of Top 20 Faves Of All Time. I loved this book so much. So much that as soon as I finished it, I put all the rest of Ward's books on my wish list. I will be collecting them aaaallll. About Needless, I refuse to give any spoilers, b/c if you like horror, you need to read this gorgeous, powerful, creepy, wonderful book, and I don't want to ruin a single page. The one thing that annoyed me was the use of "feel" again. However, there's a better, justifiable reason for it than in a book with lazy writing. This book is NOT lazy writing. The author's writing style is so poetic, so strong and beautiful, so purposeful and masterful. On top of that, the reader gets to explore the point of view of a house cat, which had me laughing out loud and damn near crying -- in a horror story! (Not really a spoiler since you learn about this POV in, like, chapter 2, I think.) Honestly, the cat is the sanest person in the whole book, which, if you understand cats at all, is saying a lot. Does the cat make this a "cute" story? Heeeeeeeell no. Nothing cute about it. The cat, ironically, is the reality check. A lot of wild weird stuff and people who are cray-cray. A psychological rollercoaster. It begins with "murdered birds." And that's all I'll say. Recommend it?Horror fans who also love depth and not gore fests, read it read it read it! This sounds AWESOME.
Title: The Traitor Baru Cormorant Author: Seth Dickinson Genre: Fantasy
What do I think of it?
After Baru's home country is colonized by an evil empire called the Masquerade, she vows to destroy the empire from within. She graduates from their school and is promptly sent to manage a rebellious colony. There, she has to untangle and manipulate a complex web of duchies, politics and conspiracy.
I was initially skeptical, but by the middle of the book, I was IN. The book is not without its flaws: the POV feels strangely distant (for reasons that become obvious) and there are a couple moments of ridiculous deduction (think Criminal Minds "based on this footprint, the suspect has a history of violent crime and also does pilates on Tuesday nights" level of ridiculous). But I could overlook these flaws because the plotting was so tight and engrossing and I grew to love the characters and Aurdwynn (the rebellious colony) so much.
Recommend it?
If you enjoy the grim politics of Game of Thrones, or wish The Goblin Emperor was much darker and more cynical, then YES. (Be warned that this is a very dark book)
Title: The Monster Baru Cormorant
Author: Seth Dickinson
Genre: Fantasy
What do I think of it?
My feelings towards the sequel are much more mixed. In many ways, it's a completely different book from the original. There's less intrigue, more introspection and adventure. It's also longer. Like twice as long. And I don't think that length is wholly justified. The worldbuilding feels worse. For instance, I got such a clear picture of Aurdwynn from The Traitor, and I just don't get that with any of the places we visit in The Monster. There's a lot of ground being covered, but everything seems hollow and flat.
With the added length also comes an EGREGIOUS amount of POV cuts, many of which are just unnecessary and quickly becomes annoying. A lot of time is spent on Baru's introspection and personal anguish, which is necessary, but I just don't think the growth she actually experiences justifies the length.
But by far my biggest issue with this book is that it feels ... ridiculous. The plot for much of the book is thread-bare, and the characters think/behave implausibly. The tone also swings back and forth, especially in the first half of the book, with characters acting in a weirdly exaggerated, cartoonish way. I can see what the author is trying to do here: to show that behind the cold veneer of logic and realpolitik-ing, the characters are all just petty and impulsive. But it just failed for me. Characters who've done truly horrifying stuff in a horrifying world end up feeling farcical. It clashes unpleasantly with their cruelty, and just makes the world's darkness crass.
There are things that I did like.There are some interesting concepts introduced. I especially liked the addition of the Oriati, which shows an alternative to the Masquerade's selfishness, deception and cruelty. And the book does pick up towards the end. But it grossly pales in comparison to The Traitor. I'm currently going through the third book, The Tyrant, which so far is a return to form, so we'll see how that goes.
Recommend it?
I don't know. The Traitor can be read as standalone. The Tyrant is a much better book, but I'm not sure I can recommend slogging through an inconsistent, meandering mess to get there.
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Post by Alatariel on Feb 23, 2024 14:14:46 GMT -6
After finishing Relic, I decided to try A Court of Thorns and Roses since I've been seeing rave reviews and merch for a good two years or better. I really hope this doesn't step on any toes because I know it's popular, but boy... Those were some of the roughest 10 chapters of my life. I genuinely did not enjoy it and I had to put it down. The writing was repetitive and like the author was telling vs. showing. The situations, dialogue, character reactions all felt... Silly? Juvenile? Not my cup of tea at all.
RAVENEYE Definitely getting a sample of that one on Kindle tonight!
On a different note, does anyone have favorite detective/mystery stories to recommend? Supernatural or not. I want to read more in this genre as I have a sci-fi/detective story I want to write, but don't even know where to begin writing an engaging murder mystery.Sarah J. Maas' writing style is one of heavy repetition and fragments and the same descritive language recycled over and over. I enjoyed Throne of Glass but...do I recommend them? Meh. I haven't read A Court of Thorns and Roses because I know I won't like it. The samples of chapters I've seen haven't impressed me and the story is so popular I feel like I know most of the arcs and spoilers by now. Crescent City is supposed to be her magnum opus with complex world-building and intricate plots. But it's just so much info dumping, I don't know how she got away with it. Who is her editor?! Anyways, I've been WIDELY disappointed with many huge bestsellers. It puts me in the worst reading slumps. I actually bought a few mystery/detective novels yesterday! Going to try the Hamish Macbeth series. I saw a bit of the BBC show and liked it, then I saw the books at the store and snagged the first two. They're small and look like a lot of fun. Completely different from my normal genres of fantasy, science fiction, and romance. |
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Post by havekrillwhaletravel on Mar 3, 2024 2:35:01 GMT -6
Title: Multitudes Author: Lucy Caldwell Genre: Literary What do you think of it?
This is amazing. It's a short story collection, showing us a glimpse of characters during a transitory period of their lives, a time when they feel unmoored and suspended. The situations depicted in this collection aren't new, but they're depicted with such care and skill. Caldwell has so much empathy for her characters. And she is a confident writer. The stories are just crafted really well. Reading her writing is like watching a stream in nature. You can't help but be transfixed by how effortless it all is, how the sentences flow and flow and flow. The prose is exquisite. Some of my favourite lines:
Recommend it?
YES. I've been thinking about these stories again and again for the past few days. That's when you know it's brilliant.
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Post by RAVENEYE on Mar 4, 2024 9:31:13 GMT -6
Title: Multitudes Author: Lucy Caldwell Genre: Literary What do you think of it?
This is amazing. It's a short story collection, showing us a glimpse of characters during a transitory period of their lives, a time when they feel unmoored and suspended. The situations depicted in this collection aren't new, but they're depicted with such care and skill. Caldwell has so much empathy for her characters. And she is a confident writer. The stories are just crafted really well. Reading her writing is like watching a stream in nature. You can't help but be transfixed by how effortless it all is, how the sentences flow and flow and flow. The prose is exquisite. Some of my favourite lines:
Recommend it?
YES. I've been thinking about these stories again and again for the past few days. That's when you know it's brilliant.
Oh wow. PUtting this one on my wish list. Short story collections are so under-appreciated these days that it's kinda hard to find them. And this is a theme I've been pondering for a while now, so it'll be interesting to see how someone competently expresses it. |
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Post by havekrillwhaletravel on Mar 7, 2024 6:29:45 GMT -6
Oh wow. PUtting this one on my wish list. Short story collections are so under-appreciated these days that it's kinda hard to find them. And this is a theme I've been pondering for a while now, so it'll be interesting to see how someone competently expresses it. Yes, it's a shame short story collections aren't more popular. A good short story's hard to find, and hard to beat. |
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