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ellasiblik's review
5.0
You know all those thoughts that never seem to leave the back of your mind? The ones that cause you to never quite feel satisfied with your current life situation? This collection of stories gives you a glimpse into the psyche of characters that feel all too familiar. Do not read if you are looking for an escape from reality. Do read if you are looking for a reflection of yourself throughout a diverse group of humans. This beautiful book is a reminder that we are all in this experience together.
cole_razz's review
emotional
funny
reflective
fast-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
4.5
3ofclubs's review
reflective
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Genuinely interesting and genuine collection of short stories, about relationships mostly, the role of sex in relationships, also sexuality and gender. Most of the stories weren't super memorable to me, but I think a few of them are going to stick with me (the one with the couple driving across the country, the one that starts at an AA meeting). The characters had such strong senses of identity, even when they identified with apathy, and that came across pretty clearly even in the short stories.
mmmmirrose's review
Well written. Intriguing. Horrible people and just lots of people being assholes to each other. It’s like reading all your worst fears about your relationships with others as if they’re fact. I can’t stomach it it’s anxiety inducing but I’d recommend to others if they like that kind of thing. I appreciate the diverse cast and representation.
lattelibrarian's review
5.0
If I owned this book instead of checking it out from the library, it would have immediately found a spot on my Favorites Shelf. It was so powerful, melancholy--intimate. The stories included were tinged with sadness and anxiety in a way that reflects my own sadness and anxiety. The people detailed were people I could see at the grocery store, be friends with, or be driving next to, and that is the honest beauty of these stories.
Leopoldine Core has a way with words that resonate to the core of your being. In "Memory," she describes the aftereffects of a traumatic experience years down the line. In "Hog for Sorrow," she exposes the vileness and the guilt of the human experience. And in the titular "When Watched," Core delicately writes about the fine line of apathy and realism about living and dying.
When Watched is perfect for a rainy day, where all you want to do is drink coffee, curl up with a blanket, and read.
Get the full review here!
Leopoldine Core has a way with words that resonate to the core of your being. In "Memory," she describes the aftereffects of a traumatic experience years down the line. In "Hog for Sorrow," she exposes the vileness and the guilt of the human experience. And in the titular "When Watched," Core delicately writes about the fine line of apathy and realism about living and dying.
When Watched is perfect for a rainy day, where all you want to do is drink coffee, curl up with a blanket, and read.
Get the full review here!
befriendtheshadow's review
4.0
I loved this book so much more than I thought I would. Initially the idea of reading another collection of short stories about a bunch of white people living (mostly) in New York bored me. But the writing is just so subtle and well done, there was something in it that reminded me of Raymond Carver. Little moments of brilliant psychology and heart wrenching observation that pierces through the mundane and the everyday. Knocked a point because, well, it’s mostly about a bunch of white people living in New York. I’d love to see what the writer can do if she steps out of her bubble a bit more.
snaaaaaaaaaake's review
3.0
This book promises vignettes from other lives, but left me feeling empty. There are a few touching stories. There's one where a seemingly dysfunctional aged couple abides through petty arguments, which reminded me of my own parents. I'm sure you'll find a connection to one of them, but the sum total felt like a litany of sad lives recounted the morning after on loveless mattresses... depressing. Maybe I'm just not at the point in life to empathize with enough of these.
shelbyisnotcar's review
4.0
I'm new to the world of short stories but for all of my prudeness I really enjoyed these.
pixe1's review
4.0
Full of empathy and astute insight in what it means to be human, I felt a bit ambivalent because I kept waiting for something to happen. And then in the last story where something does happen, it doesn't feel connected to any of the stories that precede it.
ladybird4prez's review
reflective
medium-paced
3.0
Not usually a huge fan of short stories but picked this up on a whim. I read it in one sitting and I’m not sure that gave the book a great chance just going straight from one story into the next, and only getting small glimpses into each character’s lives. I didn’t connect with every story, I think because I tend to enjoy getting to know characters more. A favorite was Historic Tree Nurseries-still thinking about the last page.