fkshg8465's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Loosely held together from one story to the next by the Purple Onion Cafe and doppelgängers, it was fun to contemplate the cognitive dissonance of self confrontation in reach story. I’m starting to enjoy short story books more and more.
hollyp20's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
smemmott's review against another edition
2.0
For me, this was too many stories on the same theme. Some were memorable but others not. Oates is certainly expert at drawing the reader into a character's perspective, but I think this wasn't the right book at the right time for me.
nikki_in_niagara's review against another edition
2.0
I've loved every novel I've read so far by Joyce Carol Oates so I was looking forward to my first sampling of her short stories. Unfortunately, I was terribly disappointed. These stories though well-written just didn't speak to me. They were dull and boring. A few were good but most didn't do anything for me. I did like that the stories were about older women. There was also a lot of recently widowed women and an outdoor cafe which kept recurring in several stories. Oates has written a lot of short stories so hopefully my next try will have better results.
eileen_critchley's review against another edition
3.0
I found the premise of this collection very interesting. It explores alternate lives and realities, but not always in an obvious way. As is often the case with short stories and me, some of them I enjoyed more than others, and a couple of them I found my mind wandering a bit too much. Some of this may have to do with my mood at the time and a couple were a bit on the long side (novella) length. JCO is a good (and, wow, prolific!) writer, that much is certain. I know I have read some of her other books (?) but it must have been a long time ago because they aren't on my GR profile. In any case, I will definitely read more. Perhaps a novel next time. My favorites in this book: The (Other) You, The Women Friends, Blue Guide, Hospice/Honeymoon, The Crack.
{library, physical copy (hardback)}
{library, physical copy (hardback)}
saraleeannbread's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
This is such a trippy book. It's all short stories that are interconnected and each character makes a decision that changes the path they were on that ends up becoming a different version of themselves with a different destiny. Beware, there are a few dark stories.
heathereads's review against another edition
4.75
Good prose but got a bit bored at the end. But very good writing and many stories were interesting.
hultqur's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
_ninahannah's review against another edition
2.0
It was just incredibly boring. Every story was more or less the same, and I didn’t care about any of the characters. It was a very slow read for a very short collection.