knittingtrainfan's review
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.0
A confusing collection of stories. Not what I thought it would be. I did enjoy a few of the stories though.
fruitysaz's review
dark
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
reaaaaal mixed bag here. there are some moments of genuine triumph - 'just good friends' is definitely a high, along with the title story. when he wants to, cox really gets going: his characterisation is good, suspense is well crafted and the writing can be genuinely funny. the issue is that sometimes his writing almost gets in the way of itself, valuing that humour over everything else, meaning that sometimes the end product is incredibly underwhelming (see 'an oral history of margaret and the village by matthew and five others'). i think i wanted to like this more than i did, and whilst i was definitely won over by some of the settings (buxton mentioned!!! everybody screamed!!!!) some of this certainly leaves a lot to be desired.
farilian's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
cowboylikeme77's review
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
leesapollo's review against another edition
2.0
Two or three promising short stories which ended before anything much about anything happened. Quite frustrating.
sbookreader's review against another edition
3.0
A bit torn about how to rate this one. Some of the stories were great and spookily unsettling, others I quite enjoyed but were less memorable, and a couple I ended up fast-forwarding through to get them over with, so I’ve gone with a sort of middle-of-the-road 3 out of 5. Closer to the style of the content on Tom Cox’s Twitter account, and less like his previous (strictly non-fiction) books. Not sure I’d read it again but glad I gave it a go, to see his first foray into fiction.
feelingpeachygreen's review against another edition
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
If I'd read this, rather than listened to it as an audiobook, then the rating could have been higher.
But this isn't a great audiobook. It's alright. But it's not clear when a new story begins and so much of the time I was confused if it was a new story or just a new perspective/paragraph/element to the old story.
The author is also the narrator and I don't think he's the best narrator for the job. Some of the voices just really drew me out of the world and did not fit at all. With a different voice actor I think this may have been as spooky as intended. As it was, it was more confusing than spooky most of the time.
But this isn't a great audiobook. It's alright. But it's not clear when a new story begins and so much of the time I was confused if it was a new story or just a new perspective/paragraph/element to the old story.
The author is also the narrator and I don't think he's the best narrator for the job. Some of the voices just really drew me out of the world and did not fit at all. With a different voice actor I think this may have been as spooky as intended. As it was, it was more confusing than spooky most of the time.
nicktomjoe's review against another edition
5.0
Dithering about four stars; maybe I’m just mean with the five. Give it five: this is a very clever book indeed, combining disorienting tales of the afterlife such as Séance, reminiscent of The Third Policeman (or is it just the bicycles that make me think that?) with a slow menace in The Pool. Ah yes, The Pool: the story that would put anyone off wild swimming… and Listings: the slowest of slow burn stories grippingly told - and entirely from Estate Agents’ blurbs.
It’s hard to review and avoid spoilers because it’s the twists that make these stories engaging: Just Good Friends needs a second read just to see if you’ve caught every hint, every nuance; the gentle rural horror of the title story (is it really that gentle?) needs savouring; the comedy of “Nine Tiny Stories About Houses” belies a real unease. Each of these nine stories is different in tone and form; the final story of Margaret is, for example, creepy enough to bring a shudder as the story comes to a conclusion, and a wry smile at the narrator’s own coarse world-view.
It’s hard to review and avoid spoilers because it’s the twists that make these stories engaging: Just Good Friends needs a second read just to see if you’ve caught every hint, every nuance; the gentle rural horror of the title story (is it really that gentle?) needs savouring; the comedy of “Nine Tiny Stories About Houses” belies a real unease. Each of these nine stories is different in tone and form; the final story of Margaret is, for example, creepy enough to bring a shudder as the story comes to a conclusion, and a wry smile at the narrator’s own coarse world-view.
atlantic_reader_wannabe's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0