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mg_in_md_'s review against another edition
4.0
This collection of short stories includes offerings from some of my favorite local authors, as well as as some writers who were new to me. Each story is set in a different section of Baltimore; some include a bit of humor, some are straight up serious grit. The book is divided into three sections: the way things were, the way things are, and the way things never were. I enjoyed the twists that many of the stories took and the fact that there were so many authors included in this collection. The locations helped bring the stories to life for me and were key to the plots. I enjoyed the mini blurbs about each contributor at the end of the book too.
bgprincipessa's review against another edition
3.0
Mixed bag, as with most collections of this kind. It did make me want to pick up some other works by a few of these authors. And I was an absolute sucker for every specific location reference, it really felt very grounded in the city. (Though I did notice a few of the author bios mentioned not living there currently, which got a little side eye from me.)
Favorites: Easy as A-B-C; Liminal; Don't Walk in Front of Me; Goodwood Gardens
Favorites: Easy as A-B-C; Liminal; Don't Walk in Front of Me; Goodwood Gardens
margonicolson's review against another edition
dark
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
dr_manuela_reads's review against another edition
3.0
10/15
Very dark. I read most of the stories and so that means I skipped some. Some were incredibly difficult to follow and once I noticed I was reading and reading just to make sense, then I gave up in the story. There were a couple of stories that were powerful though I can't recall now which ones fell in that category.
If you are in the mood for short stories that are somewhat dark then read on, otherwise skip!
Very dark. I read most of the stories and so that means I skipped some. Some were incredibly difficult to follow and once I noticed I was reading and reading just to make sense, then I gave up in the story. There were a couple of stories that were powerful though I can't recall now which ones fell in that category.
If you are in the mood for short stories that are somewhat dark then read on, otherwise skip!
usbsticky's review against another edition
4.0
I only read one story from this book because I was following the mystery author Sujata Massey. She's the author of the Rei Shimura (modern Japan) and Perveen Mistry (British India) series.
As with all other shorts in this anthology, they are all about the city of Baltimore. In this short, the new owners of a mansion discover some weirdness...
I've always considered Massey a very good writer, whose stories flow well and the character development is great. Same with this short story, I enjoyed the setting, the writing and the characters. If you are a fan of Sujata Massey, this short story is worth a look.
As with all other shorts in this anthology, they are all about the city of Baltimore. In this short, the new owners of a mansion discover some weirdness...
I've always considered Massey a very good writer, whose stories flow well and the character development is great. Same with this short story, I enjoyed the setting, the writing and the characters. If you are a fan of Sujata Massey, this short story is worth a look.
colls's review against another edition
3.0
I wanted to like this more than I actually did. The stories were very uneven and oddly arranged.
While enjoyed her story the most, I find it a little pretentious that the editor put her story first in the anthology. Is that just me? I suppose it's her prerogative. Anyway, he rehab in Locust Point had a very Poe-like feel and the contractor was very well written - especially in such a small number of pages. It had the right dose of creepy.
Dan Fesperman's As Seen on TV is exactly that - a scene from 'The Wire' and had I not watched that show I don't know if I'd give a shit about either the street kids or the cops (renamed in this story, but I want to call them Bubbles & McNulty anyway) or understand how things like the cop's drinking and ex-wife could possible be important to the story about the street kids (it's not - totally unrelated character development in this story but completely ripped from the show)
The one set in Little Italy, Home Movies suffered from too many place name droppings. It's 20 pages long, and stuffed full of landmarks like the Rusty Scupper, the World Trade Center, the Aquarium, etc. Like a dozen at least. The tie-in with the outdoor movies in Little Italy was amusing, but otherwise this felt like something written for an assignment.
The worst was the Frog Cycle. If you read this anthology and you skip this, you're not missing anything.
There are two things that kept this from being a 2-star for me: I read one at a time so I didn't feel like I was reading an anthology and I liked the setting (being from here, I love things set in Baltimore).
While enjoyed her story the most, I find it a little pretentious that the editor put her story first in the anthology. Is that just me? I suppose it's her prerogative. Anyway, he rehab in Locust Point had a very Poe-like feel and the contractor was very well written - especially in such a small number of pages. It had the right dose of creepy.
Dan Fesperman's As Seen on TV is exactly that - a scene from 'The Wire' and had I not watched that show I don't know if I'd give a shit about either the street kids or the cops (renamed in this story, but I want to call them Bubbles & McNulty anyway) or understand how things like the cop's drinking and ex-wife could possible be important to the story about the street kids (it's not - totally unrelated character development in this story but completely ripped from the show)
The one set in Little Italy, Home Movies suffered from too many place name droppings. It's 20 pages long, and stuffed full of landmarks like the Rusty Scupper, the World Trade Center, the Aquarium, etc. Like a dozen at least. The tie-in with the outdoor movies in Little Italy was amusing, but otherwise this felt like something written for an assignment.
The worst was the Frog Cycle. If you read this anthology and you skip this, you're not missing anything.
There are two things that kept this from being a 2-star for me: I read one at a time so I didn't feel like I was reading an anthology and I liked the setting (being from here, I love things set in Baltimore).
dgrachel's review against another edition
3.0
Some great stories and some real duds, but overall this gets a thumbs up from me. Some were very sad, others made me laugh, and a couple made me want the time I’d spent reading back. My only real gripe is that if you didn’t know anything at all about Baltimore, you’d think the city focused solely on either Baltimore Orioles baseball or reminiscing about “Homicide: Life on the Street”. Now, I loved both the book and the TV show, but there’s more to Baltimore than just that one show and baseball.
sew's review
4.0
The Baltimore appeal makes up for the clunkiness of some of the stories, assuming you are inclined to find Baltimore appealing. I wouldn't suggest using this book as an authoritative guide to crime in the city. (Also, the David Simon story is straight out season 4 of The Wire.)
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