Scan barcode
kmthomas06's review against another edition
4.0
I used one of Carter's stories in my thesis back in undergrad and I always meant to come back around and read the rest of her works. Taken as a whole, they can be a bit overwhelming but there is no denying, the woman could write a creepy, gothic fairy tale re-visited like no other. I think the stories from The Bloody Chamber were my favorite though; there she was in full-on fairy tale mode and I don't think anyone could retell a fairy tale like Carter.
michyisreading's review against another edition
5.0
Excellent! Highly recommend this to anyone who likes short stories, fantasy, fairy tales or just really great quality writing. I especially loved the stories in the Bloody Chamber series.
catsforlenny's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.25
lindzlovesreading's review against another edition
4.0
If Cory Bernardi (an unfortunate Australian politician who made an even more unfortunate comment about Gay Marriage and bestiality) ever read this book his head would explode. I am sure (well more hopeful, but doubtful) that he is intelligent enough to see the metaphors, but it would it would make Q&A more interesting. The amount of tigers and wolves sinking their teeth into the virgins delicate flesh would make you very drunk in a drinking game.
But that doesn't stop me from wanting look up every so often while read and go 'f&*k me'. It is that good.
But that doesn't stop me from wanting look up every so often while read and go 'f&*k me'. It is that good.
obsessioncollector's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
reflective
5.0
"I speak as if he had no secrets from me. Well, then, you must realise that I was suffering from love and I knew him as intimately as I knew my own image in a mirror. In other words, I knew him only in relation to myself."
coco_lolo's review against another edition
3.0
It's recently occurred to me that I find Angela Carter herself more fascinating than her writing, but Burning Your Boats was a great way to get exposed to her fiction across various decades. I'd already read The Bloody Chamber and only enjoyed it more this time around, but the other books in this collection also had gems that will stick with me, and even stories I may not have enjoyed but appreciated the craft of. Now I'm in the mood to either read one of her novels or jump back into her biography.
savaging's review against another edition
5.0
Angela Carter takes care to explain that she writes 'tales,' not 'short stories.' They don't try to portray a scene from every-day life. Rather they grab hold of some Gothic symbol dredged up from the deep unconscious and move through its own improbable but inevitable story arc.
I loved these stories. I love the patchwork forays they make into the interior realms and collective unconscious. Carter once explained her work by saying "We live in Gothic times." Amid all the fluorescent office lighting and bone-dry corporate bureaucracies, I feel this too, that this is an unacknowledged Gothic time, with uncanny horror always close to the surface.
I loved these stories. I love the patchwork forays they make into the interior realms and collective unconscious. Carter once explained her work by saying "We live in Gothic times." Amid all the fluorescent office lighting and bone-dry corporate bureaucracies, I feel this too, that this is an unacknowledged Gothic time, with uncanny horror always close to the surface.
alouymartinez's review against another edition
5.0
The most astonishing short stories I've ever read in my life, they are filled with sexuality, exploration, desire, and dark aspects of life that makes us human. Carter merges the natural with the supernatural in a way that words sway through each page as silk. A beautiful collection, a must read for writers, and for any person who wants to explore beyond rational thought and ideas.
kalika22's review against another edition
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
2.0