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A review by bitterblu
Normal Rules Don't Apply by Kate Atkinson
2.0
The first story in this collection, 'The Void', was what I what I wanted from this reading experience. It was snappy, intriguing, a little creepy. But everything that came after that just didn't hit the same. I don't want to rate it any lower because I do honestly think this isn't an ideal genre for me, but I did find this a little painful to get through.
I really enjoyed the speculative twists, when they happened, and contrary to some other reviewers here I appreciated the authors choice to have all the vignettes in this book interconnect in some way. But the writing was too meandering and the characters weren't interesting enough to justify the amount of time the stories lingered on their upbringings and personal histories. Ultimately I was bored.
I think if what you want from this collection is a leisurely stroll through the mundane moments of modern day life, you will enjoy it much more than I did. But if your expectations lean more towards the bizarre and mysterious you may be disappointed.
Of the eleven stories featured, three are of note. 'The Void' gets a 4 star rating from me, 'Blithe Spirit' a 3.5, and the final short ('What If?') a 3.5 as well. Due to it's placement it can't really be recommended on its own, but I did think it was fun and tied up the overarching narrative nicely. It was probably the most playful.
I really enjoyed the speculative twists, when they happened, and contrary to some other reviewers here I appreciated the authors choice to have all the vignettes in this book interconnect in some way. But the writing was too meandering and the characters weren't interesting enough to justify the amount of time the stories lingered on their upbringings and personal histories. Ultimately I was bored.
I think if what you want from this collection is a leisurely stroll through the mundane moments of modern day life, you will enjoy it much more than I did. But if your expectations lean more towards the bizarre and mysterious you may be disappointed.
Of the eleven stories featured, three are of note. 'The Void' gets a 4 star rating from me, 'Blithe Spirit' a 3.5, and the final short ('What If?') a 3.5 as well. Due to it's placement it can't really be recommended on its own, but I did think it was fun and tied up the overarching narrative nicely. It was probably the most playful.