kiriamarin's review against another edition
4.0
I fell echoes of Bunin's writing style in those short stories with a bit of fantasy/fairy tale who to me wrote the the most delicious and perfect book of short tales that Ive read : Dark Avenues,so measuring this book with another is unfair, but I have to say this book dont meet my expectations Some Good stories,others I dont care ,but this writer has personality and hability to write stories remarkable characteres and complex structure narrative. The russian winter revealing lonesome souls and tearing down hearts that longing for something ...3.5
stevequinn's review against another edition
5.0
So weird, and so awesome. Reading some of these was like being on drugs. Wow.
rowena_wiseman's review against another edition
4.0
Every once in a while I come across a book and think this is the way I want to write ... and this is how I feel with Tatyana Tolstoya. I don't even know the name of what it is that she does - it's impressionistic perhaps - but sometimes, when I'm sitting here at my desk, I'll try and push myself to write what I'm now calling a 'Tolstoya' sentence ...
'White Walls' brings together two of her previous short story collections 'On the Golden Porch' and 'Sleepwalker in a Fog'. I'd been introduced to 'On the Golden Porch' back at university when I studied Russian Lit, and recently re-read it, and I must say I enjoyed these stories more than the 'Sleepwalker in a Fog' stories. Highlights are 'Hunting the Wooly Mammoth' with the unforgettable line 'She lay in the tent totally miserable, hating the two-bearded Vladimir, and wanted to get married to him as soon as possible.', 'Okkervil River' (inspired the band of the same name), 'A Clean Sheet' and 'Peters'. From the 'Sleepwalker in a Fog' collection 'The Poet and the Muse' is the most memorable - classic Tolstoya, love gone sour. Would have liked to have five starred all this, but I was let down slightly by the second half.
'White Walls' brings together two of her previous short story collections 'On the Golden Porch' and 'Sleepwalker in a Fog'. I'd been introduced to 'On the Golden Porch' back at university when I studied Russian Lit, and recently re-read it, and I must say I enjoyed these stories more than the 'Sleepwalker in a Fog' stories. Highlights are 'Hunting the Wooly Mammoth' with the unforgettable line 'She lay in the tent totally miserable, hating the two-bearded Vladimir, and wanted to get married to him as soon as possible.', 'Okkervil River' (inspired the band of the same name), 'A Clean Sheet' and 'Peters'. From the 'Sleepwalker in a Fog' collection 'The Poet and the Muse' is the most memorable - classic Tolstoya, love gone sour. Would have liked to have five starred all this, but I was let down slightly by the second half.
lamusadelils's review against another edition
3.0
Historias llevadas principalmente por la vida interior de sus personajes, personajes que tienen la vivacidad y la mirada crítica y -podría decirse- honesta de un niño.
No me gustó tanto como [b:The Slynx|310722|The Slynx|Tatyana Tolstaya|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1320532928s/310722.jpg|3535] pero creo que el estilo tan detallado y espontáneo de Tatyana es encantador.
No me gustó tanto como [b:The Slynx|310722|The Slynx|Tatyana Tolstaya|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1320532928s/310722.jpg|3535] pero creo que el estilo tan detallado y espontáneo de Tatyana es encantador.
alexlewis's review
dark
emotional
reflective
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? Yes
4.0
bigboytoadking's review
4.0
FINALLY done w/ this. dense as all hell and i really struggled (for 8 months!!), but also did quite enjoy it (especially when i got a hard copy from the library instead of reading an ebook). last two stories, WHITE WALLS and SEE THE OTHER SIDE, were my favorites.
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