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tinabaich's review
1.0
There is certainly nothing innocent about the characters in Morrow's stories. I'm not opposed to dark stories. I'm a huge mystery and crime fiction fan after all. However, the majority of Morrow's stories were too dark and depressing even for me. Many of his characters are beyond uninnocent and enter the realm of amoral and disturbed.
Although this was my overall impression of The Uninnocent, there were stories that I found less objectionable and even enjoyed. "Amazing Grace" was an interesting story about the truth that is revealed when a blind man regains his sight. "The Enigma of Grover's Mill" cleverly integrates Orson Welles' War of the Worlds into the story and the psyche of his main character. Finally, "Ellie's Idea" is a humorous look at one selfish woman's efforts to make amends and tell the truth.
If you decide to read The Uninnocent, be prepared for dark stories with sometimes disturbing themes. Morrow is actually a good writer...if you can stand to have his characters inhabiting your head.
http://iubookgirl.blogspot.com/2012/01/review-uninnocent.html
Although this was my overall impression of The Uninnocent, there were stories that I found less objectionable and even enjoyed. "Amazing Grace" was an interesting story about the truth that is revealed when a blind man regains his sight. "The Enigma of Grover's Mill" cleverly integrates Orson Welles' War of the Worlds into the story and the psyche of his main character. Finally, "Ellie's Idea" is a humorous look at one selfish woman's efforts to make amends and tell the truth.
If you decide to read The Uninnocent, be prepared for dark stories with sometimes disturbing themes. Morrow is actually a good writer...if you can stand to have his characters inhabiting your head.
http://iubookgirl.blogspot.com/2012/01/review-uninnocent.html
danadanger's review
2.0
This book is insanely frustrating - so many of Morrow's stories have excellent potential, only to be buried in navel-gazing. Most of the stories are modern gothic tales, which can be really exciting, if anything actually happens in them! Instead, the majority of the stories in this book are uninteresting, and their frequent "twists" are easy to predict from the first page, often. Not to mention that so many of the stories are the same basic plot, rehashed in slightly different ways. The best story is the last one, "Lush," which is the bittersweet and surprisingly touching story of the way a drunk driving accident changes two peoples' lives. Maybe Morrow should have written more about actual people and less about vague creepy incidents from peoples' pasts.
mwgerard's review
4.0
Frightening and unnerving.
Please read my entire review here:
http://cineastesbookshelf.blogspot.com/2011/12/review-uninnocent-by-bradford-morrow.html
Please read my entire review here:
http://cineastesbookshelf.blogspot.com/2011/12/review-uninnocent-by-bradford-morrow.html
skjam's review
3.0
Conjunctions is a literary journal published twice a year by Bard College. Each issue contains essays, short fiction, poetry and less classifiable writing on a given subject, with this issue being about death. Literary journals tend to have a connotation of pretentiousness, and death is one of the primal subjects, so I approached this 2008 issue with a bit of trepidation.
The issue starts strong with an essay entitled “The Sutra of Maggots and Blowflies” by Sallie Tisdale. It’s a stomach-churning but very informative look at flies, Buddhism, and the Buddha nature of flies. The ending piece is “Andalucia” by H.G. Carrillo, the story of a writer mourning his artist lover, who has died of AIDS.
In between, the most memorable pieces are Joyce Carol Oates’ “Dear Husband”, a chilling suicide note; and “St. Francis Preaches to the Birds” by David Ives, a not-quite-working comedic play about the saint’s encounter with vultures. Several of the pieces caused me to shed a tear. Sadly, as I cannot make head or tail of the appeal of modern poetry, I feel unable to comment on whether any of the poetry was good. Two pieces are illustrated with photographs, the only visual art in the issue.
With forty pieces altogether, this is a thick volume that takes some grit to get through. I understand that the Oates story is in one of her own anthologies, so if noir fiction is your thing, you might want to check that out. The rest is a mixed bag; see if your library system has a copy of this or other issues so you can see if Conjunctions is something you want to subscribe to.
“I am merely departing”–Lucius Seneca.
The issue starts strong with an essay entitled “The Sutra of Maggots and Blowflies” by Sallie Tisdale. It’s a stomach-churning but very informative look at flies, Buddhism, and the Buddha nature of flies. The ending piece is “Andalucia” by H.G. Carrillo, the story of a writer mourning his artist lover, who has died of AIDS.
In between, the most memorable pieces are Joyce Carol Oates’ “Dear Husband”, a chilling suicide note; and “St. Francis Preaches to the Birds” by David Ives, a not-quite-working comedic play about the saint’s encounter with vultures. Several of the pieces caused me to shed a tear. Sadly, as I cannot make head or tail of the appeal of modern poetry, I feel unable to comment on whether any of the poetry was good. Two pieces are illustrated with photographs, the only visual art in the issue.
With forty pieces altogether, this is a thick volume that takes some grit to get through. I understand that the Oates story is in one of her own anthologies, so if noir fiction is your thing, you might want to check that out. The rest is a mixed bag; see if your library system has a copy of this or other issues so you can see if Conjunctions is something you want to subscribe to.
“I am merely departing”–Lucius Seneca.
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