Reviews

In the Forest of Forgetting by Theodora Goss

tonyriver's review against another edition

4.0

A truly strange collection. Some sheer Dali, others more coherent, all with a hint of folk tales and mystery.

Some end oddly and some with clarity. Very enjoyable with enough winners to be interested in reading more by this imaginative author.

mary_juleyre's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

joshgauthier's review against another edition

4.0

"But I do not know which moral is the correct one," ends one of Theodora Goss's stories. "And that is also the way of a fairy tale." This is true of the stories in this collection. They are open. They are magical and surreal and fantastic. Terri Windling (who wrote the book's introduction) ended by saying "Her stories enchant me, surprise me, and move me, and I can't wait to see where she travels next."

These stories, and magical realism in general, are of a genre that still feels strange to me, that I am still trying to get used to. But there is something delightful in them. Each story enters a world that is both tangibly familiar and completely different from our own. And through the stories, the reader is able to touch these other worlds in all their wonder, their mystery, their fantastic qualities that are difficult to put into words. Each story is a journey to a strange delightful new place, well worth the time, first and foremost, for the sake of discovery.

foggy_rosamund's review against another edition

3.0

I actually picked up this book thinking it was something else, but I'm glad I decided to read it. This is a collection of Goss's fantasy short stories -- it's an uneven collection, but Goss's prose is unfailingly assured and beautiful. These stories get five out of five stars for atmosphere and imagery, but the plot and characterisations do let them down at times. Mostly stories are independent of one another, but there are a couple of recurring characters, particularly Miss Emily Gray, the mysterious governess and witch, and the stories about her are among the strongest. I also particularly enjoyed the two stories about a young woman called Rose, set in the late 19th century, The Wings of Meister Willhelm and Lessons with Miss Gray. In these, Goss gives herself more space to develop the character of Rose and the society in which she lives, and this makes them more successful. Sometimes, Goss's writing about place and ideas is very good, particularly when she writes about revolution or the impacts of communism in the 20th century. In Her Mother's Ghosts, the narrator sees the ghosts of parts of Budapest that are gone forever, and in The Rapid Advance of Sorrow, we watch a strange revolution swallow a country. Goss's writing can be very moving, and it's definitely worth picking up this collection.

books_and_keys's review against another edition

adventurous sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.75

shanth's review against another edition

4.0

Beautifully written, even if I personally found the collection a bit uneven in terms of stories that appealed to me although that also shows Theodora Goss's range. I really loved "The Wings of Meister Wilhelm", a story of escape into imagination and antisemitism in the pre-depression American south, and the denouement of "Professor Berkowitz Stands on the Threshold" will stay with me forever. Otherwise it somewhat reminded me of [b:The Bloody Chamber and Other Stories|49011|The Bloody Chamber and Other Stories|Angela Carter|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1388633104l/49011._SY75_.jpg|47950] as several stories took classic fairytales as their jumping off point, though "Sleeping With Bears" was the most impressive display of creative license with Goldilocks.

pnw_michelle's review against another edition

5.0

Gorgeous, bizarre, often unsettling stories that all feel, somehow, related to one another (and some characters definitely appear in more than one story in the collection). Just stunning!

gondorgirl's review

emotional inspiring mysterious sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

lamusadelils's review against another edition

3.0

Estos cuentos son originales, novedosos y tienen mucho que decir sobre la vida real a pesar de hablar de magia, sucesos extraños y personas misteriosas.

Personalmente, me pareció que todos tienen grandes ideas pero no se desarrollan tan bien. Tienen partes de sobra, son poco sutiles o demasiado nebulosos. Con todo, valen la pena por lo mucho que se puede identificar uno con los diversos dilemas y circunstancias, pero especialmente con las emociones y sentimientos que nos presentan.

wynwicket's review against another edition

3.0

Beautifully written short stories, some interconnected, with themes of magic and loneliness and death (mostly death). The slightly dry style and bleak subject matter made me not enjoy these as much as I thought I would.