akroth's review against another edition
4.0
Orange World is a stunning introduction (for me) into the world of Motherhood as Horror. Gripping, aching, lovely. A favorite. The rest of the stories were excellent, but not as magical for me as Orange World.
jcpdiesel21's review against another edition
4.0
Every bit as odd and enjoyable as I have come to expect a short story collection by Russell to be. This book starts with a superb trio, culminating in the excellently weird "Bog Girl: A Romance." After the peak of those three, there is a bit of a valley: I didn't find much to recommend in "Madame Bovary's Greyhound," "The Tornado Auction" has some interesting ideas but doesn't do much with them, and "Black Corfu" feels far too long but has a perfect ending that made me chuckle aloud. Thankfully, the collection rebounds by finishing strong with the final two tales, and while "Orange World" ends abruptly, it left me with much vivid imagery and a unique take on motherhood.
yeahhails's review against another edition
4.0
Karen Russell really put the creative in creative writing. The way she crafted these stories just blew me away. The plot line for each story was always compelling, and I savored the sentences, which I thought used verbs in a really fun way. In this collection I particularly enjoyed The Prospectors, The Bad Graft, The Gondoliers, and Orange World. A few of the other stories were a little too creepy for me to really connect with them, but the writing was still fantastic, nonetheless. I would recommend this sci-fi compilation to anyone, but especially to people who don't read very often, but enjoy good stories with great twists. The bite-size nature of the stories would even make it a good read for people who have a short attention span when it comes to reading.
dromedaryreader's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
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? Yes
3.75
The Prospectors: Interesting story, but the backstories of the characters were too vague. The plot didn't seem very original and the ending felt rushed. 2/5
The Bad Graft: One of my favorites. Very original concept, characters with flaws, great imagery. I loved this story. 5/5
Bog Girl: A Romance: This was okay, but it felt too fantastical for me. Not the ending, but the reactions of everyone around them. 3/5
Madame Bovary's Greyhound: Heartbreaking/warming story about a dog's love and loyalty, and a lack of it. 4/5
The Tornado Auction: Although it wasn't my favorite story it was by far the most original and had a great concept. I just didn't feel much for the characters. 4.5/5
Black Corfu: This one was interesting and well done, with a twist ending, but not my type of story. 3.5/5
The Gondoliers: My least favorite. Felt both slow paced and poorly organized. Wasn't satisfied by the ending. 1/5
Orange World: I really liked this story and it had a nice resolution. A feel-good ending. Still, not my favorite or very original. 3.5/5
The Bad Graft: One of my favorites. Very original concept, characters with flaws, great imagery. I loved this story. 5/5
Bog Girl: A Romance: This was okay, but it felt too fantastical for me. Not the ending, but the reactions of everyone around them. 3/5
Madame Bovary's Greyhound: Heartbreaking/warming story about a dog's love and loyalty, and a lack of it. 4/5
The Tornado Auction: Although it wasn't my favorite story it was by far the most original and had a great concept. I just didn't feel much for the characters. 4.5/5
Black Corfu: This one was interesting and well done, with a twist ending, but not my type of story. 3.5/5
The Gondoliers: My least favorite. Felt both slow paced and poorly organized. Wasn't satisfied by the ending. 1/5
Orange World: I really liked this story and it had a nice resolution. A feel-good ending. Still, not my favorite or very original. 3.5/5
palomapepper's review against another edition
4.0
My favorites:
"The Prospectors", in which a pair of young female grifters fleeing the Great Depression discover a (pleasant-ish?) supernatural horror at the top of a snowy Oregon ski lift.
"Black Corfu", in which a Moorish doctor in fifteenth-century Croatia battles an accusation against his livelihood. Such a fascinating setting, not a place I've visited often in fiction, and so different from Russell's other stories.
"The Gondoliers", which involves a set of echolocating sisters steering their boats in the swamps of post-apocalyptic Florida.
"Orange World", in which a woman agrees to breastfeed a small devil in exchange for the safety of her newborn son. It's full of post-partum body horror, and ends up singing the praises of a wider community of other, more experienced mothers.
"The Prospectors", in which a pair of young female grifters fleeing the Great Depression discover a (pleasant-ish?) supernatural horror at the top of a snowy Oregon ski lift.
"Black Corfu", in which a Moorish doctor in fifteenth-century Croatia battles an accusation against his livelihood. Such a fascinating setting, not a place I've visited often in fiction, and so different from Russell's other stories.
"The Gondoliers", which involves a set of echolocating sisters steering their boats in the swamps of post-apocalyptic Florida.
"Orange World", in which a woman agrees to breastfeed a small devil in exchange for the safety of her newborn son. It's full of post-partum body horror, and ends up singing the praises of a wider community of other, more experienced mothers.
samiser's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
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? No
3.5
siobst's review against another edition
4.0
These short stories all had fantastical elements that were a bit over the top at times. Also, some endings were quite abrupt. Despite those criticisms, I enjoyed the stories overall. Russell's writing is clever and is infused with a good dose of wit and humor. I especially enjoyed the Tornado Auction, Madame Bovary's Greyhound, Bog Girl, and Orange World.
eviehart's review against another edition
4.0
I wish I had an ounce of the imagination that Russell has. These stories were so creative and weird. They were dark and macabre without being scary. I’d give it a higher rating, but not every story is a 5 star story.
My rating of stories from favorite to least favorite:
1. The Gondolier
2. Bog Girl
3. The Prospectors
4. The Tornado Auction
5. Orange World
6. Madame Bovary’s Greyhound
7. The Bad Graft
8. Black Corfu
My rating of stories from favorite to least favorite:
1. The Gondolier
2. Bog Girl
3. The Prospectors
4. The Tornado Auction
5. Orange World
6. Madame Bovary’s Greyhound
7. The Bad Graft
8. Black Corfu