mo_likesto_read's review against another edition
dark
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
pridiansky's review against another edition
challenging
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
To say this book is a disappointment would be an understatement. In fact, I was barely able to drag myself to the finish line. This is the problem with readathons, because although they are fun, I end up feeling obligated to finish the books I use for each prompt, when I'd normally DNF them. Otherwise it feels like cheating. But this book really tested my personal integrity, because I was *this* close to not giving a shit.
The first work I read from A. S. Byatt was 'The Matisse Stories.' I gave it 5 stars and loved it. Read it twice. I figured that if I enjoyed that book as much as I did, I would enjoy her other works equally. Holy hell was I wrong. I found this collection of short stories to be utterly insufferable and incredibly self-indulgent. I disliked this book enough that I second-guess whether I even enjoyed The Matisse Stories at all. Either she used a different writing style for those stories, or my impression of her writing in general has soured, overall.
The self-indulgence I mentioned lies in the fact that Byatt prattles on and on and on, using a million descriptions and commas, an unending parade where only a couple were necessary. There's one scene where a pool is described to such excessiveness that I had a surreal moment of detachment where I just stared at my hands holding the book wondering why the fuck I was reading something so pointless and meandering. It would get to the point where my eyes would glaze over and I'd have to reread certain areas multiple times. I'd get frustrated and put the book down, then pick it back up, put it back down. It put me into quite a reading slump and I felt so unenthusiastic about reading whenever I'd look at it. A fantastically rendered cover with an inside that put me to sleep and frustrated me to no end. There are only a few stories I got on with, two of them being plucked from the book I initially thought I liked.
I'm halfway through another book of hers, 'The Shadow of the Sun,' and it has likewise not impressed me. I may just have to accept the fact that The Matisse Stories were a one-hit wonder for me. I don't feel the need to sample any more of her writing. I wish I'd never picked this book up at all. Blah. Blah to the extreme.
The first work I read from A. S. Byatt was 'The Matisse Stories.' I gave it 5 stars and loved it. Read it twice. I figured that if I enjoyed that book as much as I did, I would enjoy her other works equally. Holy hell was I wrong. I found this collection of short stories to be utterly insufferable and incredibly self-indulgent. I disliked this book enough that I second-guess whether I even enjoyed The Matisse Stories at all. Either she used a different writing style for those stories, or my impression of her writing in general has soured, overall.
The self-indulgence I mentioned lies in the fact that Byatt prattles on and on and on, using a million descriptions and commas, an unending parade where only a couple were necessary. There's one scene where a pool is described to such excessiveness that I had a surreal moment of detachment where I just stared at my hands holding the book wondering why the fuck I was reading something so pointless and meandering. It would get to the point where my eyes would glaze over and I'd have to reread certain areas multiple times. I'd get frustrated and put the book down, then pick it back up, put it back down. It put me into quite a reading slump and I felt so unenthusiastic about reading whenever I'd look at it. A fantastically rendered cover with an inside that put me to sleep and frustrated me to no end. There are only a few stories I got on with, two of them being plucked from the book I initially thought I liked.
I'm halfway through another book of hers, 'The Shadow of the Sun,' and it has likewise not impressed me. I may just have to accept the fact that The Matisse Stories were a one-hit wonder for me. I don't feel the need to sample any more of her writing. I wish I'd never picked this book up at all. Blah. Blah to the extreme.
emblepemble's review against another edition
Ran out of time, will definitely come back to it
muuske's review against another edition
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 against another edition
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 against another edition
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.