ipb1's review against another edition
4.0
I though this a wonderful collection, but no surprise really given how much I loved [b:All the Light We Cannot See|18143977|All the Light We Cannot See|Anthony Doerr|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1451445646l/18143977._SY75_.jpg|25491300] and the even more brilliant [b:Cloud Cuckoo Land|56783258|Cloud Cuckoo Land|Anthony Doerr|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1618589128l/56783258._SY75_.jpg|88757679].
dcumberland's review against another edition
4.0
This collection really shows Doerr sharpening his storytelling. The stories are paced extremely well and also give an appreciated insight into the reverence he holds for humans interested in the natural world: shell collectors, hunters, photographers, and others are all represented in the stories.
Unfortunately, the more interesting stories come first instead of being distributed throughout, but each story is still worth a read. This is still one of the best collections as a whole I've read!
Unfortunately, the more interesting stories come first instead of being distributed throughout, but each story is still worth a read. This is still one of the best collections as a whole I've read!
books_plants_hikes's review against another edition
2.0
The Shell Collector Review:
It’s rare I give books less than 4 stars, because generally if i don’t like them i simply won’t finish them. This book is full of short stories which makes it difficult to read (at least for me) because you have to keep reconnecting to new characters and searching for connecting and meanings. Almost all, if not all are left with an opening ending, I believe this leaves things up the reader and in doing so helps the reader to explore themselves deeper.
I tried to look for a theme which connected all these stories and I’m sure different theme could be argued by different readers who have had different experiences and are at different junturas in life. Which again, leaves another element up to reader exploration.
The theme I found throughout was various versions of acceptance and failure of acceptance.
Here’s my favorite quote from the book which comes from the story Mkondo, “She was learning that in her life everything - health, happiness, even live - was subject to the landscape; the weathers of the world were inseparable from the weathers of her soul.”
It’s rare I give books less than 4 stars, because generally if i don’t like them i simply won’t finish them. This book is full of short stories which makes it difficult to read (at least for me) because you have to keep reconnecting to new characters and searching for connecting and meanings. Almost all, if not all are left with an opening ending, I believe this leaves things up the reader and in doing so helps the reader to explore themselves deeper.
I tried to look for a theme which connected all these stories and I’m sure different theme could be argued by different readers who have had different experiences and are at different junturas in life. Which again, leaves another element up to reader exploration.
The theme I found throughout was various versions of acceptance and failure of acceptance.
Here’s my favorite quote from the book which comes from the story Mkondo, “She was learning that in her life everything - health, happiness, even live - was subject to the landscape; the weathers of the world were inseparable from the weathers of her soul.”
brynpemery's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
doriantagonist's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
What a special collection of stories. Each one pulls you entirely in for its duration. Loved it. Did not love the lack of any quotation marks whatsoever. I understand that it's a stylistic choice but I also hate it.
steelcitygator's review against another edition
3.0
A collection of short stories, the first two (the collections book namesake and an award winning one) are the clear highlights. Both are 5* short stories and the peak. The two following immediately after are not good in my opinion and probably the lowlights. The rest are somewhere in between, not bad but often not great, usually some form of "good." That feels about all you need to know about this work, it's a collection of stories and short enough that it's probably worth your time if you are in the mood.
My biggest gripe, and this goes to all short story writers, vary the endings for the love of god. I know it's a bit of a thing for short stories to usually end on vague endings that leave the reader to ponder, and most likely is often necessitated by their length, and it makes me hesitant to read collections like this. You can give a solid landing to these stories and they'll still be satisfying. It works fine in one offs reading these online or in a magazine but the problem really rises to the surface in a collection like this.
My biggest gripe, and this goes to all short story writers, vary the endings for the love of god. I know it's a bit of a thing for short stories to usually end on vague endings that leave the reader to ponder, and most likely is often necessitated by their length, and it makes me hesitant to read collections like this. You can give a solid landing to these stories and they'll still be satisfying. It works fine in one offs reading these online or in a magazine but the problem really rises to the surface in a collection like this.
juliana_aldous's review against another edition
5.0
Generally when I read a collection of short stories I find more misses than hits, but Doerr is all hits. These are gorgeous stories. I look forward to all his future works.
sadiereadsagain's review against another edition
5.0
I read probably a couple of collections a year, and often feel they can be a mixed bag. But sometimes you get ones where all the stories are equally strong. The Shell Collector is definitely one of those. Doerr's prose is so beautiful, but not so much that it gets in the way of the meaning. He really is incredible at setting a tone and bringing a setting to life. And given that these are short stories, I felt many of the characters were well fleshed out. Not all of them, but even so each character was still realised enough to drive a story forward. I think it's because he gets right down to the emotions and feelings of the characters, rather than focusing too much on describing their appearances or using a lot of dialogue. Nature plays such a strong part in all of these stories, fishing in particular, and I love stories where nature plays such a strong role, with characters deeply connected in their environment. There is a lot of sadness in these stories too - thwarted relationships or ones who don't get to reach their potential due to outside actions (or the actions of those in the relationships). In terms of my favourite stories, it's a hard choice between The Caretaker and Mkondo for me. I think they were the saddest stories, so I don't know what that says about me, but the emotion in them was so tangible. This is a beautiful collection.
lindasdarby's review against another edition
4.0
I think that Doerr writes the most beautiful sentences and stories. There are some sentences I read over and over because the were just so wonderfully written. I enjoyed many of the stories in this collection but there were a few that didn't do much for me or were just to strange. I think that Doerr is amazing.