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marylodge's review
4.0
Probably give it 3.5, first book of short stories I’ve read and I think it was done well, but not sure the format is for me atm
megsz_1's review
I just couldn’t get into it. I know it’s a collection of short stories, the first two shorts I wanted more of but then after than they failed to catch me after a few pages and i just wasn’t enjoying it at all
ncghammo's review
dark
funny
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
emiliehaugen's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
emmaaadub's review against another edition
medium-paced
2.5
Not very impressed by this one. The stories felt random and mostly forgettable, I didn't feel properly introduced to most of the characters.
niraghae's review
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
william63's review
5.0
A wonderful collection of contemporary short stories containing vignettes of the lives of unremarkable but totally recognisable people.
ell_n's review against another edition
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
gorecki's review
4.0
These past couple of weeks, I have been dancing around Ireland and Hungary with Wendy Erskine and her latest collection Dance Move. First I took it around Kerry and Dingle, then on a weekend in Hungary. And wow were there some surprise moves hidden in it!
Wendy Erskine has an unquestionable talent in concentrating a whole town or a country into a single story, along with all its hidden nuances and cultural meanings. Not just that, she is able to pack a historical event into the lives of people in a town and then throw all of that into a story. And you’ll feel every bit of it. It’s exactly this ability she has of conveying emotions and histories in just a few sentences that keeps drawing me to her stories and makes me expect each next collection of hers impatiently.
Erskine’s writing is clear and precise, without any tricks or gimmicks. Her language doesn’t obscure or unveil. Her words just add up and build a story as if building a wall, layer by layer, as you stand and watch it all grow. Her stories draw you in and you can’t stop reading until you get so close to what she’s built that you scrape your nose against it. In a good way!
For me, Wendy Erskine is the new voice of Northern Ireland and I can’t wait for her next collection!
Personal favourites: Mathematics, His Mother, Nostalgie, Memento Mori
Wendy Erskine has an unquestionable talent in concentrating a whole town or a country into a single story, along with all its hidden nuances and cultural meanings. Not just that, she is able to pack a historical event into the lives of people in a town and then throw all of that into a story. And you’ll feel every bit of it. It’s exactly this ability she has of conveying emotions and histories in just a few sentences that keeps drawing me to her stories and makes me expect each next collection of hers impatiently.
Erskine’s writing is clear and precise, without any tricks or gimmicks. Her language doesn’t obscure or unveil. Her words just add up and build a story as if building a wall, layer by layer, as you stand and watch it all grow. Her stories draw you in and you can’t stop reading until you get so close to what she’s built that you scrape your nose against it. In a good way!
For me, Wendy Erskine is the new voice of Northern Ireland and I can’t wait for her next collection!
Personal favourites: Mathematics, His Mother, Nostalgie, Memento Mori