Reviews

The Rock Eaters: Stories by Brenda Peynado

abrswf's review against another edition

4.0

I read this for my book group. In some ways I'm completely wowed -- the breadth of imagination in these short stories is extraordinary. The premise of one after another took me by surprise and forced me to re-think the world. The writing is fabulously good, too. Almost every story is from a Latinx perspective, which enriches each of them. And finally, Peynado has worked some of the sharpest social commentaries I've read yet into her tales. But . . . an editor was needed for many of these stories, because they are overwritten, tending to repeat themselves. The narrators of the stories needed in many instances to be better fleshed out: a corporate "we," often the teller of these tales, is unsympathetic and was an obstacle to understanding. And lastly, quite a few of these stories needed a clearer plot. They tended to stop and pause on particular but small moments, then suddenly dash to an abrupt stop. One star off for these issues, but I highly recommend this thought-provoking, very original, and insightful collection of stories.

jcschildbach's review against another edition

5.0

I really loved this story collection, which I bought immediately after reading its write-up from Book Riot. It's hard to characterize, beyond saying it combines elements of science fiction and magical realism, with plenty of social commentary baked in. But that description makes it sound much less engaging than it is. Each story sets up its own kind of reality. Peynado's writing is so skillful and self-assured that she just pulls you in and pulls you along, even as many of the stories contain fantastical premises grounded in real-world troubles.

patrickmichael's review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective fast-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

3.75

lela's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective medium-paced

• 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? Yes

4.5

"We were made from American mistakes and our own desires"

I thought this was a really strong short story collection, the writing was absolutely beautiful and the use of speculative/fantastical elements very impactful

I think I enjoyed the first half a little bit more than the second and there were a few narrators on the audiobook I really didn't love but for the most part I'd rate each story between a 3.5 and a 5

Thoughts and Prayers, Yaiza, and What we lost we're my favorites (The Dreamers and Catarina were both up there as well)

ale_ja's review against another edition

2.5

i considered stopping after the first story but had too much hope for improvement, the themes every blurb & synopsis frames as being the core of peynado’s work r the ones she handles the worst: race above all, class & xenophobia close behind.. the best stories in this collection r those that aren’t built on heavy handed extended metaphors & guilt but they r few & far between

suzannemseidel's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• 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

5.0

servemethesky's review against another edition

5.0

This was the best short story collections I've read in a long time! So many short story collections can be hit or miss, but this one was just excellent with so many hits. It's very melancholy and strange and beautiful overall, the genre landing somewhere in the realm of surrealism/magical realism/fabulism.

"The Touches" was perhaps my favorite story, though "The Kite Maker" and "Yaiza" were also powerful and memorable. Definitely pick up this collection ASAP if you're a fan of surreal, stunning, thought-provoking stories!

msrichardsreads89's review against another edition

emotional reflective medium-paced

readingindreams's review against another edition

emotional mysterious reflective medium-paced

4.0

el_hinchcliffe's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5