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stephondrusek's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
3.75
cozy_reading_times's review
3.0
A bit too much punk-rock and at times leaning too much into horror for my taste.
Some of the stories were simply boring and other too convoluted.
But there were definitely also a few that I quite enjoyed and after all, I read them all.
My favourites were Phosphorus, Ballroom Blitz, Rats and Lily Glass.
Some of the stories were simply boring and other too convoluted.
But there were definitely also a few that I quite enjoyed and after all, I read them all.
My favourites were Phosphorus, Ballroom Blitz, Rats and Lily Glass.
half_book_and_co's review
4.0
„Truth can be told in any number of ways. It’s all a matter of emphasis. Of voice. I have not lied about anything yet.”
In her speculative short stories, Veronica Schanoes touches upon truth and lies and everything in between. She deftly shows the power of giving historical events or other societal observations a magical twist or callbacks to fairytales and so honing in on an emotional truth.
In “Among the Thorns”, Schanoes takes one of the incredible antisemitic fairytales of the Brothers Grimm (one of those you don’t find in the collection for children) and tells it from the perspective of the family of the Jewish man who is killed in the original. It’s an incredible counternarrative and a story which asks how revenge could look like. In “Emma Goldman Takes Tea with the Baba Yaga”, the narrator recounts Emma Goldman’s life mostly based on historical facts – interrogating the ways in which narration works – and then Goldman meets the Baba Yaga and questions arise on how to keep on fighting for a more just society.
Just a few weeks ago I had read more about the Matchgirls’ strike in 1888 – a strike which is of utter importance to understand the history of labour right fights and unions in England. In “Phosporus” Schanoes looks at this strike and puts its in the limelight with an unforgettable, magical, and sad story.
The collection unites these more historically bent stories with those with a more timeless or “modern” setting. But no matter their setting or what of story is alluded to, these stories speak to our current times and while utterly entertaining also offer a lot of food for thought. I didn’t love all stories equally but there are also some stories I would like to reread as they are so layered.
In her speculative short stories, Veronica Schanoes touches upon truth and lies and everything in between. She deftly shows the power of giving historical events or other societal observations a magical twist or callbacks to fairytales and so honing in on an emotional truth.
In “Among the Thorns”, Schanoes takes one of the incredible antisemitic fairytales of the Brothers Grimm (one of those you don’t find in the collection for children) and tells it from the perspective of the family of the Jewish man who is killed in the original. It’s an incredible counternarrative and a story which asks how revenge could look like. In “Emma Goldman Takes Tea with the Baba Yaga”, the narrator recounts Emma Goldman’s life mostly based on historical facts – interrogating the ways in which narration works – and then Goldman meets the Baba Yaga and questions arise on how to keep on fighting for a more just society.
Just a few weeks ago I had read more about the Matchgirls’ strike in 1888 – a strike which is of utter importance to understand the history of labour right fights and unions in England. In “Phosporus” Schanoes looks at this strike and puts its in the limelight with an unforgettable, magical, and sad story.
The collection unites these more historically bent stories with those with a more timeless or “modern” setting. But no matter their setting or what of story is alluded to, these stories speak to our current times and while utterly entertaining also offer a lot of food for thought. I didn’t love all stories equally but there are also some stories I would like to reread as they are so layered.
sausome's review
3.0
This is a collection of intense, powerful, historical, and very strange stories. I'm rating it 3 stars because there are more very VERY strange stories - so strange they are more experimental meditations on something that I couldn't quite grasp - than there are stories I could connect with and feel pulled by. The ones I couldn't get into were more stylistically strange, attempting to be more stream of consciousness conversations with the reader than stories being told, and I just don't care for that kind of story. But of the ones that were really powerful and strange-yet-actual stories, my favorites were:
"Among the Thorns," "Phosphorus," "Ballroom Blitz," and "Burning Girls"
I really enjoyed how the author so seamlessly wove in historical moments, such as the matchgirls' strike of 1888 in London in "Phosphorus." I will forever be haunted by the visual of jawbones rotting from the faces of these poor women and girls.
"Among the Thorns," "Phosphorus," "Ballroom Blitz," and "Burning Girls"
I really enjoyed how the author so seamlessly wove in historical moments, such as the matchgirls' strike of 1888 in London in "Phosphorus." I will forever be haunted by the visual of jawbones rotting from the faces of these poor women and girls.
beccaand's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Antisemitism, Body horror, Sexual assault, and Death
Moderate: Mental illness, Child death, and Addiction
annieb123's review
4.0
Scheduled to publish on my blog at release: Nonstop Reader.
Burning Girls and Other Stories is a collection of short fiction, vignettes, and thought experiments by Veronica Schanoes. Due out 2nd March 2021 from Macmillan on their Tor / Forge imprint, it's 336 pages and will be available in hardcover and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately.
One reason I prefer collections and anthologies is that short fiction is really challenging. It's spare and the author doesn't have a wealth of wordage to develop characters or the plotting. Well written short fiction is a delight. I also love collections because if one story doesn't really grab me, there's another story just a few pages away.
The author has an interesting and unflinching voice in many of these stories. There's a strongly folkloric quality (in the old-world bloody and sometimes brutal way that folklore had before it was sanitized by the Brothers Grimm and Mother Goose). Some were very strange, or uncomfortable to read, and several were very very good. The standouts for me personally were the titular Burning Girls, Phosphorous, and Rats (an homage to two departed cultural icons - no spoilers).
This is a very well written but uncomfortable read. There's very little smiley cuddly happiness here.
Four strong stars.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
Burning Girls and Other Stories is a collection of short fiction, vignettes, and thought experiments by Veronica Schanoes. Due out 2nd March 2021 from Macmillan on their Tor / Forge imprint, it's 336 pages and will be available in hardcover and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately.
One reason I prefer collections and anthologies is that short fiction is really challenging. It's spare and the author doesn't have a wealth of wordage to develop characters or the plotting. Well written short fiction is a delight. I also love collections because if one story doesn't really grab me, there's another story just a few pages away.
The author has an interesting and unflinching voice in many of these stories. There's a strongly folkloric quality (in the old-world bloody and sometimes brutal way that folklore had before it was sanitized by the Brothers Grimm and Mother Goose). Some were very strange, or uncomfortable to read, and several were very very good. The standouts for me personally were the titular Burning Girls, Phosphorous, and Rats (an homage to two departed cultural icons - no spoilers).
This is a very well written but uncomfortable read. There's very little smiley cuddly happiness here.
Four strong stars.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
noelle7pages's review
dark
inspiring
sad
fast-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? Yes
4.0
ladylady's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
allusory's review
3.0
It's rare to find a writer who can transmute history and myth into entirely new creations, but Schanoes has a gift for alchemy. The bones of many stories collected in Burning Girls are pulled from fables and tales that many readers will find familiar, yet Schanoes constructs from them fantastic visions that will burn themselves into your memory. These are not pretty stories. These are not easy stories. But they are often important stories.
Two of these tales in particular are incandescently good. The opening Among the Thorns and the titular Burning Girls demand to be remembered and dwelled upon. While the remainder of the collection is uneven, every story contains at it's heart an interesting spark. Often drawing on real women or historical events, over the course of the collection Schanoes spans centuries of time to visit phantasmagoric visions upon us. From Emma Goldman sitting down to tea with Baba Yaga to a woman calling up a revenant for revenge in a gentrified SoHo, every story is surprising. It's rare that women get to bare their anger, their passions, their divine and ugly facets in the way the characters in these pages do.
This collection is worth a read through. And personally, I can't wait to see what Schanoes writes next.
A digital copy of this book was provided by Tor.com for review
Two of these tales in particular are incandescently good. The opening Among the Thorns and the titular Burning Girls demand to be remembered and dwelled upon. While the remainder of the collection is uneven, every story contains at it's heart an interesting spark. Often drawing on real women or historical events, over the course of the collection Schanoes spans centuries of time to visit phantasmagoric visions upon us. From Emma Goldman sitting down to tea with Baba Yaga to a woman calling up a revenant for revenge in a gentrified SoHo, every story is surprising. It's rare that women get to bare their anger, their passions, their divine and ugly facets in the way the characters in these pages do.
This collection is worth a read through. And personally, I can't wait to see what Schanoes writes next.
A digital copy of this book was provided by Tor.com for review
becandbooks's review against another edition
4.0
Trigger warnings:
I didn't know much about the author or the content going into this short story collection, but I am so glad I dived in anyway.
Schanoes presents a collection of stories that are powerful, eye-opening, and ferocious. More than anything, I believe this collection succeeded to embody Jewish stories with a level of trauma and resilience that should be explored so much more in contemporary literature. There is no question of the importance woven into the undousable fire poignant throughout this anthology.
Spoiler
antisemetic content, murder, hate crimes, death of a grandmother and guardian, hanging, suicide, dead bodies, physical assault, alcohol consumption and abuse, depression, institutionalization, sexual assault, statutory rapes, implied groomingI didn't know much about the author or the content going into this short story collection, but I am so glad I dived in anyway.
Schanoes presents a collection of stories that are powerful, eye-opening, and ferocious. More than anything, I believe this collection succeeded to embody Jewish stories with a level of trauma and resilience that should be explored so much more in contemporary literature. There is no question of the importance woven into the undousable fire poignant throughout this anthology.
Note: Review copy (audio) received via Libro.FM. This does not impact opinions within this review.
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Happy reading! ❤