libraphile's review against another edition
5.0
This is an entertaining collection of stories, enjoyable enough to read on the beach and then toss aside, but they are also something more than that. We empathize with these characters; we recognize parts of them in friends, acquaintances and in, yes, in ourselves. And that is unsettling. Many of these characters are lovable, human and understandable. Yet, as we discover their faults, their neuroses, their petty viciousness, and their crimes, can we still admit to identifying with them? Perhaps it is the honesty of these stories that, ironically, cause us to turn our shoulder and pretend we don’t know them.
norababora's review against another edition
5.0
I am blown away at how wonderfully written these short stories are.
They each had a feeling of melancholy mixed with nostalgia that drew me in and kept me well entertained.
My only critique is that I wish they were all longer!
Looking forward to reading more stories by this author.
They each had a feeling of melancholy mixed with nostalgia that drew me in and kept me well entertained.
My only critique is that I wish they were all longer!
Looking forward to reading more stories by this author.
emsterino19's review against another edition
4.0
Jacob Appel writes short stories that make me feel like I've read a full book. The characters are well developed, the story full and complete. Don't hesitate to pick up this book or any other by him!
I received a copy of this book for free through Goodreads Giveaways.
I received a copy of this book for free through Goodreads Giveaways.
erinnh's review against another edition
4.0
*I received a free copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.*
I jumped at the chance to read this book for a review, as I loved Einstein's Beach House and Miracles and Conundrums of the Secondary Planets . It definitely did not disappoint.
I love Appel's unique and quirky plots and settings that are so unlike other stories I have read. The stories always take a turn to somewhere unexpected. But I love his characters even more. They seem to be a little off-beat but always relatable and their inner monologues never fail to intrigue me. Even though each story is fairly brief I still feel like no character is shallow or underdeveloped. Each of the stories are complex yet easy to read, heavy but humorous, emotional but thought-provoking. I also appreciate that the author doesn't try to hard to spell out a specific point/moral to each story and I suspect this means that each reader gets something different out of the experience that pertains to their particular background and relationships.
1. The Butcher's Music
An woman's estranged "perfect" sister comes back into town unexpectedly with a dark secret, adding to the mound of stress she is already experiencing. This one really truly surprised me with it's direction and it was a heavy piece to start off the series. If I was arranging the collection I may have put this further back, but I still enjoyed it overall. It makes you think about the "grass is always greener" mentality and also what expectations and being the center of attention can do both to the one in the spot light and to the ones in the shadows. 4/5
2. The Punishment
A former folk music star picks her grandson up at the police station for vandalizing his teacher's classroom and reflects on her experiences as a child, young woman, mother, and grandmother and her identity. Patzi might be one of my favorite characters in the collection but I don't even really know why. It seems like on the surface she and her grandson are not so much alike with their generational gap and outwardly different demeanor, but she has a spirit that is similar in many ways. The story follows her as she attempts to right his wrong, but she has to try multiple punishments in an attempt to make the lesson stick. Having seemingly failed in her own perspective with her own children, she draws on her own experience as a child. It's interesting watching her try to enforce respect authority when she clearly struggled with it herself when she was younger and maybe still does. 3.5/5
3. Pollen
This one is probably tied for my favorite. Rebecca, a beautiful and manipulative teenager lives with her studious and introverted cousin Charlotte. On a whim Rebecca sends an anonymous rose as a phony secret admirer to Charlotte which snowballs into months of deception that impacts not only their relationship but also Charlotte's relationships with others. While Rebecca doesn't seem to understand her own motivations for the ongoing prank, the reader gets an inside look at her perception of events. I really liked both cousins in this story, even though the narrator is kind of a brat. This one is a little bit of a lighter story in comparison to some others in the collection, but it still has a lot of depth. 4.5/5
4. Boundaries
Two border patrol officers with a complicated relationship plan to spend an uneventful holiday on patrol during a blizzard when a woman with an unexplained illness attempts to cross the border and then passes out in her car with a fever. Suddenly their lives may be in danger and both begin to reflect and evaluate their previous relationships, choices, and priorities. It was sad to see how people often overlook the humanity of the other people they encounter on a daily basis and how one person's experiences can often be forgotten in a moment. I love the multilayered nature of this story. 4/5
5. Coulrophobia
One of the title pieces. A man rents a unit to a mime who's unconventional outlook has effects on everyone in the man's family. This one, although still relatable and serious in some regard, I also found pretty humorous, especially the parts where the man's wife is out in the yard performing a variety of poses which irritates her husband to no end. From a distance the situations in these stories seem absurd and far-fetched but the way they are written makes all of them believable and serious, and almost normal. 4/5
6. Saluting the Magpie
An overprotective mother discovers her baby has swallowed a coin. Her husband assumes all is well because the baby isn't choking and doesn't appear to be in immediate danger, but his wife demands a full medical work up. I love stories that look at relationships and how they are altered by children. This one was another one that was humorous but also had serious tones. Entertaining, for sure. 4/5
7. Fata Morgana
A woman falls in love with her smoking cessation teacher and, although they are from very different worlds, they marry. They honeymoon in Iceland, neutral ground for them because one is from Amsterdam and the other, New York. Over the course of their trip it becomes apparent that each has a different expectation for the future together. This was the only story in the collection that didn't really hook me. I think it is well written, but something about the characters or the plot just didn't resonate with me and I just wanted to move on to the next story. I think others would probably like it though. 3/5
8. Hearth and Home
A wife of a consul is teaching her chimney sweep Norwegian and her attraction for him is growing. She agrees to go with him to the theatre, but denies to herself that it is a date. I didn't think I was going to like this one as much as I did but it was really the last page that got me. Beautiful story. 4.5/5
9. Counting
A couple of census takers knock on the door of a woman, and her husband, who prefer not to officially exist. This one was really unusual and sort of twisted, but entertaining as always. Not my favorite out of the collection but definitely unique. 3.5/5
10. Silent Theology
This one is my other favorite. The last piece of the collection and a nice one to end on. A man's late wife has taken up an affair with Greta Garbo and insists on flaunting her around their living room. But it seems she isn't the only one/thing haunting him. I think this one perfectly topped off the collection. Again, humorous yet serious. The imagery really has you sitting in the room with Greta and Helen, hearing the music alongside them and seeing the desperation of the old man as he tries to explain to his "nitwit" daughters that their dead mother is having an affair. 5/5
While Einstein's Beach House still remains my favorite of Appel's collections, I thoroughly enjoyed Coulrophobia & Fata Morgana . Like his other collections, the stories are each strong on their own but fit nicely as a collection. There is a variety in the types of characters, locations, plots, and narration style. I think the author always ends his stories in the perfect spot without over-explaining or drawing things out too far and it leaves the reader with something to chew on before he or she moves on to the next piece. Definitely recommend. 4/5.
Thanks again to the author for offering the book for review!
I jumped at the chance to read this book for a review, as I loved Einstein's Beach House and Miracles and Conundrums of the Secondary Planets . It definitely did not disappoint.
I love Appel's unique and quirky plots and settings that are so unlike other stories I have read. The stories always take a turn to somewhere unexpected. But I love his characters even more. They seem to be a little off-beat but always relatable and their inner monologues never fail to intrigue me. Even though each story is fairly brief I still feel like no character is shallow or underdeveloped. Each of the stories are complex yet easy to read, heavy but humorous, emotional but thought-provoking. I also appreciate that the author doesn't try to hard to spell out a specific point/moral to each story and I suspect this means that each reader gets something different out of the experience that pertains to their particular background and relationships.
1. The Butcher's Music
An woman's estranged "perfect" sister comes back into town unexpectedly with a dark secret, adding to the mound of stress she is already experiencing. This one really truly surprised me with it's direction and it was a heavy piece to start off the series. If I was arranging the collection I may have put this further back, but I still enjoyed it overall. It makes you think about the "grass is always greener" mentality and also what expectations and being the center of attention can do both to the one in the spot light and to the ones in the shadows. 4/5
2. The Punishment
A former folk music star picks her grandson up at the police station for vandalizing his teacher's classroom and reflects on her experiences as a child, young woman, mother, and grandmother and her identity. Patzi might be one of my favorite characters in the collection but I don't even really know why. It seems like on the surface she and her grandson are not so much alike with their generational gap and outwardly different demeanor, but she has a spirit that is similar in many ways. The story follows her as she attempts to right his wrong, but she has to try multiple punishments in an attempt to make the lesson stick. Having seemingly failed in her own perspective with her own children, she draws on her own experience as a child. It's interesting watching her try to enforce respect authority when she clearly struggled with it herself when she was younger and maybe still does. 3.5/5
3. Pollen
This one is probably tied for my favorite. Rebecca, a beautiful and manipulative teenager lives with her studious and introverted cousin Charlotte. On a whim Rebecca sends an anonymous rose as a phony secret admirer to Charlotte which snowballs into months of deception that impacts not only their relationship but also Charlotte's relationships with others. While Rebecca doesn't seem to understand her own motivations for the ongoing prank, the reader gets an inside look at her perception of events. I really liked both cousins in this story, even though the narrator is kind of a brat. This one is a little bit of a lighter story in comparison to some others in the collection, but it still has a lot of depth. 4.5/5
4. Boundaries
Two border patrol officers with a complicated relationship plan to spend an uneventful holiday on patrol during a blizzard when a woman with an unexplained illness attempts to cross the border and then passes out in her car with a fever. Suddenly their lives may be in danger and both begin to reflect and evaluate their previous relationships, choices, and priorities. It was sad to see how people often overlook the humanity of the other people they encounter on a daily basis and how one person's experiences can often be forgotten in a moment. I love the multilayered nature of this story. 4/5
5. Coulrophobia
One of the title pieces. A man rents a unit to a mime who's unconventional outlook has effects on everyone in the man's family. This one, although still relatable and serious in some regard, I also found pretty humorous, especially the parts where the man's wife is out in the yard performing a variety of poses which irritates her husband to no end. From a distance the situations in these stories seem absurd and far-fetched but the way they are written makes all of them believable and serious, and almost normal. 4/5
6. Saluting the Magpie
An overprotective mother discovers her baby has swallowed a coin. Her husband assumes all is well because the baby isn't choking and doesn't appear to be in immediate danger, but his wife demands a full medical work up. I love stories that look at relationships and how they are altered by children. This one was another one that was humorous but also had serious tones. Entertaining, for sure. 4/5
7. Fata Morgana
A woman falls in love with her smoking cessation teacher and, although they are from very different worlds, they marry. They honeymoon in Iceland, neutral ground for them because one is from Amsterdam and the other, New York. Over the course of their trip it becomes apparent that each has a different expectation for the future together. This was the only story in the collection that didn't really hook me. I think it is well written, but something about the characters or the plot just didn't resonate with me and I just wanted to move on to the next story. I think others would probably like it though. 3/5
8. Hearth and Home
A wife of a consul is teaching her chimney sweep Norwegian and her attraction for him is growing. She agrees to go with him to the theatre, but denies to herself that it is a date. I didn't think I was going to like this one as much as I did but it was really the last page that got me. Beautiful story. 4.5/5
9. Counting
A couple of census takers knock on the door of a woman, and her husband, who prefer not to officially exist. This one was really unusual and sort of twisted, but entertaining as always. Not my favorite out of the collection but definitely unique. 3.5/5
10. Silent Theology
This one is my other favorite. The last piece of the collection and a nice one to end on. A man's late wife has taken up an affair with Greta Garbo and insists on flaunting her around their living room. But it seems she isn't the only one/thing haunting him. I think this one perfectly topped off the collection. Again, humorous yet serious. The imagery really has you sitting in the room with Greta and Helen, hearing the music alongside them and seeing the desperation of the old man as he tries to explain to his "nitwit" daughters that their dead mother is having an affair. 5/5
While Einstein's Beach House still remains my favorite of Appel's collections, I thoroughly enjoyed Coulrophobia & Fata Morgana . Like his other collections, the stories are each strong on their own but fit nicely as a collection. There is a variety in the types of characters, locations, plots, and narration style. I think the author always ends his stories in the perfect spot without over-explaining or drawing things out too far and it leaves the reader with something to chew on before he or she moves on to the next piece. Definitely recommend. 4/5.
Thanks again to the author for offering the book for review!
see_sadie_read's review against another edition
4.0
This is a collection of short stories and I’m on record several times as stating that I’m not a big fan of short stories, because I rarely find them satisfying. But if I’m going to read them I prefer to get my hands on a collection like this one. It gives me more of a feeling for the author than a mere 20 page snippet alone. And I liked Appel’s writing. I found the stories thoughtful and meaningful, which in a lot of circumstances is my biggest complaint about shorts. I don’t feel the accomplish anything by their end. Not here, I ended this book happy to have read it and each story in it.
A man recently told me I don’t review short stories properly, inferring that I’m reading them incorrectly. And I suppose if you expect me to be able and/or willing to go on at length about this being an example of the X type of story or the Y narrative format, I’d have to reluctantly swallow my allegation of mansplaining and concede the point. But I rather read and review shorts based on the simple maxim that I must enjoy them, regardless or how or why. I enjoyed Appel’s stories. It doesn’t matter to me why. That is enough. I easily recommend this book to those looking for a collection of easily digestible short stories.
A man recently told me I don’t review short stories properly, inferring that I’m reading them incorrectly. And I suppose if you expect me to be able and/or willing to go on at length about this being an example of the X type of story or the Y narrative format, I’d have to reluctantly swallow my allegation of mansplaining and concede the point. But I rather read and review shorts based on the simple maxim that I must enjoy them, regardless or how or why. I enjoyed Appel’s stories. It doesn’t matter to me why. That is enough. I easily recommend this book to those looking for a collection of easily digestible short stories.
jasonpacheco's review against another edition
5.0
Very impressive collection of short stories. Had me hooked right away. Definitely reading more of Appel's work. Highly recommend.
haunted_by_humans's review against another edition
3.0
Definitely nowhere near anything I’d normally pick up, and while some parts were a tad boring, I did enjoy quite a bit more than I thought I would!
oddandbookish's review against another edition
5.0
I received this book for free through LibraryThing's Member Giveaways.
I really enjoyed this and typically I have a hard time with short stories. Usually, I find them to be polarizing; I either love the story or hate it. With this collection I liked pretty much all of them They were all really creative and different and overall just refreshing to read. My favorites were, "Pollen," "Saluting the Magpie," and "Hearth and Home."
I really enjoyed this and typically I have a hard time with short stories. Usually, I find them to be polarizing; I either love the story or hate it. With this collection I liked pretty much all of them They were all really creative and different and overall just refreshing to read. My favorites were, "Pollen," "Saluting the Magpie," and "Hearth and Home."
in_libris_speramus's review against another edition
5.0
*I was sent this book by the author through Goodreads Giveaeays*
I tried to extend my enjoyment of Appel's short stories by reading only one or two at a time, but I was completely sucked in by each story. Before I realized what happened, I had finished this collection in two sittings. The stories follow two or three characters at a time. They are funny, bitter, sorrowful. We leave most of the characters unchanged and still stuck, but even when their conflicts are unresolved, the story doesn't feel that such way.
For once, I don't have any least favorite stories in a collection.
I tried to extend my enjoyment of Appel's short stories by reading only one or two at a time, but I was completely sucked in by each story. Before I realized what happened, I had finished this collection in two sittings. The stories follow two or three characters at a time. They are funny, bitter, sorrowful. We leave most of the characters unchanged and still stuck, but even when their conflicts are unresolved, the story doesn't feel that such way.
For once, I don't have any least favorite stories in a collection.
carter's review
4.0
I won this book through Goodreads giveaways.
A collection of stories that make you laugh and think when the final picture comes together.
A collection of stories that make you laugh and think when the final picture comes together.
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