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inmyreadingphase's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
relaxing
sad
fast-paced
5.0
whamydid's review
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
5.0
marlo42's review
I really liked this. The stories are almost uniformly small and depressing in nature, but their uniformity makes the collection read in a really interesting way. Definitely worth your time.
njgriffin's review
2.0
I'm not really a short story person and this sort of reinforced it for me. I've not read any of Lucy's books and this is what i had to hand. I find them well written but somehow didn't engage as well for me. Horses for courses.
greenmugsani's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
my favorites were Inextinguishable and Cyprus Avenue
greybeard49's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars really. I grew up in East Belfast and was living in the city during the periods covered by the book. It was good to recognise place names, areas and streets where the stories were set.
I enjoyed most of the them with some others, not so much. 'The Ally Ally O', 'Poison' and 'Here We Are' had good messages to convey but suffered by meandering and being poorly structured. 'Thirteen', 'Cypress Avenue' and 'Inextinguishable' were well written and punchy and conveyed the emotions of those particular periods in life.
I enjoyed most of the them with some others, not so much. 'The Ally Ally O', 'Poison' and 'Here We Are' had good messages to convey but suffered by meandering and being poorly structured. 'Thirteen', 'Cypress Avenue' and 'Inextinguishable' were well written and punchy and conveyed the emotions of those particular periods in life.
ridgewaygirl's review against another edition
5.0
There's little less satisfying than a short story that doesn't get it quite right. And it's a hard medium to master; every element that a novel allows chapters to communicate, must be evident in a handful of paragraphs. Fully rounded characters must spring from a half dozen lines and the theme and plot must be pared down until each sentence serves a specific purpose. But when a short story works, it's like a shot of whiskey or a kick in the head, everything is there, all at once.
Lucy Caldwell's book of short stories is a rare case of a collection in which each of the eleven stories works. Centered on the city of Belfast, the collection tells of ordinary people, usually children or teenagers, figuring out life. Often the protagonists feel like outsiders, or are dissatisfied in ways that can't always be communicated to their friends or family. Belfast, its weather, houses, roads and schools, is evocatively described. This is a lovely collection of stories, each of which stands ably on its own. I'll be looking for more by this author.
Lucy Caldwell's book of short stories is a rare case of a collection in which each of the eleven stories works. Centered on the city of Belfast, the collection tells of ordinary people, usually children or teenagers, figuring out life. Often the protagonists feel like outsiders, or are dissatisfied in ways that can't always be communicated to their friends or family. Belfast, its weather, houses, roads and schools, is evocatively described. This is a lovely collection of stories, each of which stands ably on its own. I'll be looking for more by this author.