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angus_mckeogh's review
3.0
Not sure what to make of this. Not really horrific but certainly not a mainstream story either. Reminded me of the movie, The Hand that Rocks the Cradle, if it involved a pet, and a pet bird no less. Not amazing by any description, not remotely uninteresting or terrible, and ultra weird.
aaronreadabook's review against another edition
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
larry_yonce's review against another edition
3.0
no ordinary bird
An unnamed narrator, his wife Ann, and their son Harry inherit a quaint little cottage in Wales. But there is a catch. They must also take on and care for "Archie", an abhorrent cormorant of their Uncle Ian...a bird which poked, gouged, and partially ate the face of Ian himself upon his death. This award-winning novella takes place around Christmas time, with heavy snows on the horizon, and a bird which gets more vile, mysterious, and threatening with each passing day. A weird tale...effective...but would have been better as a short story I feel, à la Poe.
An unnamed narrator, his wife Ann, and their son Harry inherit a quaint little cottage in Wales. But there is a catch. They must also take on and care for "Archie", an abhorrent cormorant of their Uncle Ian...a bird which poked, gouged, and partially ate the face of Ian himself upon his death. This award-winning novella takes place around Christmas time, with heavy snows on the horizon, and a bird which gets more vile, mysterious, and threatening with each passing day. A weird tale...effective...but would have been better as a short story I feel, à la Poe.
katrienvancalster's review against another edition
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Very awkward. Still don't really get what was going on.
sarahja's review
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Dark. Unlovable characters. The descriptions of nature and place excellent as of the cormorant itself.
rileigh_is_reading's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death and Animal death
lavender___'s review against another edition
4.0
It took me several days to review this because of how truly strange it all was. I finished reading late at night and felt compelled to check the next morning and make sure the last part wasn’t a fever dream.
Teetering on 5 stars for me, but I don’t think there’s enough of a punch to warrant that.
Stephen Gregory is truly incredibly strange for writing this. I was a huge fan of the way he developed the bird, introducing it like it was a human character. It’s origin and past behaviors indicate what will happen now. Something that sometimes get lost with non-human characters.
I also really appreciated the setting. Cozy cottage in the mountains, by the sea? Yes please!!
I don’t really know what to say. This was surprisingly gory and just very weird, in the best possible way. It all felt like a fever dream.
Teetering on 5 stars for me, but I don’t think there’s enough of a punch to warrant that.
Stephen Gregory is truly incredibly strange for writing this. I was a huge fan of the way he developed the bird, introducing it like it was a human character. It’s origin and past behaviors indicate what will happen now. Something that sometimes get lost with non-human characters.
I also really appreciated the setting. Cozy cottage in the mountains, by the sea? Yes please!!
I don’t really know what to say. This was surprisingly gory and just very weird, in the best possible way. It all felt like a fever dream.