farfromginger's review against another edition
dark
emotional
2.5
Honestly I’m not sure why this was on my TBR for so long. This was fine. Good writing but no story. I didn’t really care about anyone involved. Plenty of relatable themes but I can get that on tumblr in 2016 too.
rubyseemorebooks's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
4.5
Majority left a feeling of uneasy, though didn’t feel stories were too horror…
fifinlayson's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
funny
mysterious
reflective
tense
4.5
mundinova's review against another edition
5.0
"That is how evil first creeps in," she went on. "Through the falsification of beauty." She told us that evil rarely looked like evil when it first arrived. It could look like innovation and progress and prosperity, courage even, but more than anything it looked, to some, like a solution -- a solution to the secret problem they believed had gone too long unaddressed.
Every story is disturbing and beautiful.
I'd describe this as a cross between the writing style of [a:Marilynne Robinson|7491|Marilynne Robinson|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1596051677p2/7491.jpg] and the disturbing undertones of [a:Shirley Jackson|13388|Shirley Jackson|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1550251468p2/13388.jpg]. The sentences are beautifully crafted. Simple, mundane scenes come to life, then become something else you don't, or shouldn't, trust. Something dark and threatening.
There's a definite theme to the stories but each one stands on its own without blurring into the next. All the stories involve women or sisters in situations that force the main character to face the reality she may not know herself as well as she thinks. Several stories involve reflecting on what the character believed to be true, sometimes that truth had built itself into the character's identity, only to find out it was all lies.
My favorite stories were Slumberland, Cult of Mary, Karolina, and Volcano House. There's something about the stories set in Florida that makes you feel like you're there in the nighttime humidity, desperate to escape.
I received a copy from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Stories: 5 stars
Writing: 5 stars
https://readingbetweenthestitches.wordpress.com/2020/11/24/i-hold-a-wolf-by-the-ears-stories-by-laura-van-den-berg-5-stars/
Every story is disturbing and beautiful.
I'd describe this as a cross between the writing style of [a:Marilynne Robinson|7491|Marilynne Robinson|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1596051677p2/7491.jpg] and the disturbing undertones of [a:Shirley Jackson|13388|Shirley Jackson|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1550251468p2/13388.jpg]. The sentences are beautifully crafted. Simple, mundane scenes come to life, then become something else you don't, or shouldn't, trust. Something dark and threatening.
There's a definite theme to the stories but each one stands on its own without blurring into the next. All the stories involve women or sisters in situations that force the main character to face the reality she may not know herself as well as she thinks. Several stories involve reflecting on what the character believed to be true, sometimes that truth had built itself into the character's identity, only to find out it was all lies.
My favorite stories were Slumberland, Cult of Mary, Karolina, and Volcano House. There's something about the stories set in Florida that makes you feel like you're there in the nighttime humidity, desperate to escape.
I received a copy from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Stories: 5 stars
Writing: 5 stars
https://readingbetweenthestitches.wordpress.com/2020/11/24/i-hold-a-wolf-by-the-ears-stories-by-laura-van-den-berg-5-stars/
comeintothegraveyardmary's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
anna_c's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
ahundredosnxs's review against another edition
challenging
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
3.0
changelingreader_adrian's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
bush42's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
numb, raw, comical, bizarre. digs its fingers into your skin. it's sort of like a trainwreck, or a tragedy that you catch on the hospital TV. my fav was either the Pitch or the title story.