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jodiesbookishposts's review against another edition
4.0
I received this on audio from Net Galley for an honest review.
The cover of this fascinated me, and the blurb just piqued my interest.
What I didn't realise going into it was that it was a collection of short stories. I always find short story collections hard to give a rating, because some will always resonate more than others. It was the same with this, some of the stories were a definite five stars, but some more a three so an overall rating of four seemed fair.
The collection covers many themes, family and loss and love. The theme of foxes runs through each connecting them.
I really liked Jo Lennan's writing style and would love to see a novel from them. It is often lyrical and descriptive but has a very human touch. The characters are what I really connected with. There were so many incredible rounded characters, which for short stories is an achievement. I kind of wish that some of these had their own longer pieces of work.
I would recommend this for anyone who wants to start out in short stories. Anyone who is interested in character drive pieces that are thought pieces more than action.
The cover of this fascinated me, and the blurb just piqued my interest.
What I didn't realise going into it was that it was a collection of short stories. I always find short story collections hard to give a rating, because some will always resonate more than others. It was the same with this, some of the stories were a definite five stars, but some more a three so an overall rating of four seemed fair.
The collection covers many themes, family and loss and love. The theme of foxes runs through each connecting them.
I really liked Jo Lennan's writing style and would love to see a novel from them. It is often lyrical and descriptive but has a very human touch. The characters are what I really connected with. There were so many incredible rounded characters, which for short stories is an achievement. I kind of wish that some of these had their own longer pieces of work.
I would recommend this for anyone who wants to start out in short stories. Anyone who is interested in character drive pieces that are thought pieces more than action.
sadiereadsagain's review against another edition
4.0
It was the title of this book that grabbed my attention. And there is a theme of foxes running through most (probably all, though maybe I missed it in a couple) of the short stories in this collection. I'm reviewing it weeks after reading it, which isn't ideal, but I can still recall many of the stories so I think that is testament to the strength of them. And this is a strong collection - as is often the case, there was variation in how much I liked one story to the next, but overall it was really enjoyable and Lennan is a very talented writer. She can see and show human nature really well on the page, and often in situations which are compellingly readable. A lot of these stories could have been more than shorts, and I think that is both a good and not-so-good thing. Good, because I obviously wanted to stick around for more. But not-so-good, because I often felt that the story ended before...well, before the end of the story. I know it's quite common for short stories to be left unresolved, but it happened so often in this collection that I wondered if it's because the writer didn't know how to end them. But I would love to read a novel by this author, and I would recommend this collection.
I was gifted a NetGalley version of this book by Simon and Schuster UK in return for a review. All thoughts are my own.
I was gifted a NetGalley version of this book by Simon and Schuster UK in return for a review. All thoughts are my own.
venetiana's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Gun violence, Infidelity, Sexual harassment, Suicide attempt, Terminal illness, Bullying, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Self harm, Addiction, Alcoholism, Death of parent, Drug use, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Ableism, Blood, Dementia, Toxic relationship, Death, Medical content, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexual content, Violence, Vomit, Abandonment, Alcohol, Cancer, Classism, Confinement, Grief, Mental illness, Animal death, Excrement, Gaslighting, Gore, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Trafficking, War, and Xenophobia
heather_lt's review
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
In the Time of Foxes, as you'd probably guessed, has a running theme of foxes and the animals are often used as metaphors. This, along with the variety of settings (which span the globe and beyond); and each story managing to come to a conclusion just before a key resolution is realised by the character made each story quite fulfilling. I don't think there was a single story that I disliked.
halleyc's review
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? No
4.0
bookswithclaire_'s review
DNF at 18%
Unfortunately I don't think this was for me at all.
I didn't enjoy the story or any of the characters, I spent the whole time confused as the switching of the characters was done abruptly and I honestly struggled to care about the story.
I think short story collections just aren't for me, and this has solidified that for me.
*thank you to netgalley and Simon and Schuster UK for the eArc*
Unfortunately I don't think this was for me at all.
I didn't enjoy the story or any of the characters, I spent the whole time confused as the switching of the characters was done abruptly and I honestly struggled to care about the story.
I think short story collections just aren't for me, and this has solidified that for me.
*thank you to netgalley and Simon and Schuster UK for the eArc*
thenovelbookshelf's review
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
An interesting collection of 12 short stories about relationships, family, friendship, and life, all interlinked by a variation of the fox.
Some stories stuck more than others, but most interesting was how the fox was injected into the storyline.
Some stories stuck more than others, but most interesting was how the fox was injected into the storyline.
Content Warnings
Minor: Animal death and Medical content
bestknownfor's review
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
sapphiria's review
adventurous
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
kimmar1's review
4.0
The link to foxes was sometimes tenuous, but I enjoyed every story and the straight-forward writing style.