muuske's review
emotional
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.0
lysippos's review
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
frizzbee's review
adventurous
emotional
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
bkish's review against another edition
5.0
from Chinese Lobster
"he carries inside himself some chamber of ice inside which sits his figure of pain his version of kind Kay thick spoken and malevolent in a hospitable hospital chair"
I read and read and I know literature writing and A S Byatt has a gift of gold...
I read all but the last story and i didnt know until i read at end of this book that each ofbthese stories was written many years ago none r recent, so what happened to this gifted writer that she stopped writing years ago?
There r common threads to all these i think 15 tales that her gift w words is just exquisite. Its the sea in which she swims the air she breathes. I read her books decades ago.
A thread is her strong belief in the power of women yet her willingness to portray a woman who is assaulted by Life. She is gifted w a bizarre imagination and yet it all seems plausible
My question Where is A S Byatt and hiw is she and why did she stop writing?
Judy g
"he carries inside himself some chamber of ice inside which sits his figure of pain his version of kind Kay thick spoken and malevolent in a hospitable hospital chair"
I read and read and I know literature writing and A S Byatt has a gift of gold...
I read all but the last story and i didnt know until i read at end of this book that each ofbthese stories was written many years ago none r recent, so what happened to this gifted writer that she stopped writing years ago?
There r common threads to all these i think 15 tales that her gift w words is just exquisite. Its the sea in which she swims the air she breathes. I read her books decades ago.
A thread is her strong belief in the power of women yet her willingness to portray a woman who is assaulted by Life. She is gifted w a bizarre imagination and yet it all seems plausible
My question Where is A S Byatt and hiw is she and why did she stop writing?
Judy g
chamblyman's review against another edition
5.0
Byatt is one the absolute grand masters of the short story. Her tales swing between magical, intellectual, sensual, and melancholy with a dancer's grace and an architect's rigor. This volume stands with the best of Marquez, Gogol and Akutagawa.
marylandgeorgia's review against another edition
4.0
Usually I enjoy reading short stories because they're easier to digest, but these were dense and I had a hard time getting through a 30 page story in one sitting.
Great stories and writing.
Great stories and writing.
j3mm4's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
4.5
The wonderful thing about short story collections which come entirely from one author is that you get to immerse yourself in the world of their brain in a way that a standalone novel can't quite permit. You get to see, in their multiple mentions of a particular painting title from Matisse's oeuvre or the recurrent theme of artists regarding their craft or academics navigating their field, what occupies them and interests them creatively. You get to know their sensibilities, their vocabulary, their tastes. <i>Medusa's Ankles</i> is rife with so many fascinating concepts, both outlandishly fantastical and incredibly ordinary, and in their execution, so many glittering, exciting, special <i>words</i>, words chosen because they are beautiful and strange and perfectly fitted to the space in the text which they occupy, which was created for their occupation. It's the kind of book where you love it so much you want to savor it forever, the way you hear of people freezing slices of their wedding cake.