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2.9 AVERAGE
2.9 AVERAGE
I don't tend to read a lot of short story collections, but usually when I do I remind myself that I really like them - this was not the case. I couldn't connect or care about any of the stories. The way I rate short story collections is if I have the feeling that I wish at least one or more of the stories were to be expanded into a full novel, then that is a good collection in my book. I couldn't find one story in this collection that I wanted more from.
I am going to keep this short and quick since I don't want to dwell on the negative. I would love to hear if you have read something else by Christine Schutt and if I should try something else?
I am going to keep this short and quick since I don't want to dwell on the negative. I would love to hear if you have read something else by Christine Schutt and if I should try something else?
I had a lot of trouble connecting to these stories, and the narrative felt just too wandering for me to follow it all feel like I was understanding the point. I enjoyed the first one, until it just kept going and going and going, then I think it went back or forward in time? I'm not sure, but it lost me. So I tried the next one, and while it was shorter, it still didn't bring me in. I will say that these stories had an overarching feeling of melancholy about them, though I'm not exactly sure why. Fleeting time? Dimming light? Beach days sped up until the nostalgia of beach vacations with too much sun and chilling sand after a long day seep in. So there was some feeling transmitted on the whole, but not enough for me to want to recommend the collection, unfortunately. There's something there, but just not enough for me.
Very glad I stuck with this and finished it, after a confusing start. Suddenly, I got it, I t made sense to me. This short story collection is brilliant as it is disturbing. Every story draws you in to the dark side of life, everyday people searching for not just meaning, but the ability to live and feel you have worth.
Eye opening and highly recommended!
Eye opening and highly recommended!
challenging
dark
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Many of these fairly short (a few could be called "flash" or short-short) pieces are character sketches or a snapshot of a moment in time. Mostly prosperous people, with nature, gardening, neglected children, heartache minor or major common themes. Ideal for reading one or two at a time at lunchtime at work.
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
funny
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
In the first story of this collection, a young widow hides from a gardener waiting to be paid. The narrative moves away from this conflict when the woman decides to search for her mother's old house with a cactus garden in the yard, but for me the presence of the forgotten caretaker remains throughout the rest of the short story and throughout the rest of this collection. The prose is snipped. The language fragrant. People are neglected plants. This is certainly a book I'd recommend to gardeners. Although I liked it and was impressed with how much each story seemed to haunt the next, I couldn't quite picture it all. It muddled together in the end.
