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4.11 AVERAGE
4.11 AVERAGE
Watkins proves to be an articulate, powerful writer in these short stories that serve as modern westerns. In the desolation of contemporary society, Watkins shows the isolation of the individual against a harsh Nevada backdrop. Rather than getting involved in gunfights, the characters engage in emotional turmoil, pitting themselves against each other and their pasts. Sharp prose skewers scene after scene and will take your breath away. Not for the faint of heart or those who can't stomach a lot of anguish, but recommended to fans of Karen Russell and George Saunders.
at turns dreamy, then hard-eyed. intensely felt narratives of twenty-something sadness and fear mixed with beautiful western ugliness. There were moments where I felt the stories were too much alike or overly concerned with the spaces that must exist between souls but then I realized that was probably intentional. But really really impressive for a first book. Favorite stories were "ghosts, cowboys" and "man-o-war." Definitely keen to see where her writing goes next.
challenging
dark
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Is there a "brutal fiction " genre?
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I see a lot of reviews on here theorizing on this book’s THEMES. People love themes. They say it’s about connecting or the myth of the west or about Capitalism or whatever, and all those things may be true, but to me it is a collection of stories about processing heartbreak, which must be why it was a mostly enjoyable read for me.
The latter stories get a little inconsistent, sometimes it feels Watkins is trying too hard, but for the most part this is a successful collection of stories.
The latter stories get a little inconsistent, sometimes it feels Watkins is trying too hard, but for the most part this is a successful collection of stories.
These were consistently great stories. AND they actually made me curious about Nevada, which is a first.
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I noticed something about myself reading this book. I learned that I'm old enough to be bored by stories about young people in dysfunctional relationships. Especially those girls who love the cads who do them wrong. Snore.
But also I learned that in these my elder years I love stories of old people finding lost letters or failing at prospecting in the Nevada desert. Also the final story about extinction and depression and Dumbo's mom. Nothing reached the magic of Gold, Fame, Citrus, but Claire Vaye Watkins is a great writer with a view of the world that keeps me interested and whatever she writes from here I am sure to read.
She herself wrote this beautiful criticism of this book (which I think is too harsh but also illustrative): https://tinhouse.com/on-pandering/
"I wrote Battleborn for white men, toward them. If you hold the book to a certain light, you’ll see it as an exercise in self-hazing, a product of working-class madness, the female strain. So, natural then that Battleborn was well-received by the white male lit establishment: it was written for them. The whole book’s a pander. Look, I said with my stories: I can write old men, I can write sex, I can write abortion. I can write hard, unflinching, unsentimental. I can write an old man getting a boner!"
But also I learned that in these my elder years I love stories of old people finding lost letters or failing at prospecting in the Nevada desert. Also the final story about extinction and depression and Dumbo's mom. Nothing reached the magic of Gold, Fame, Citrus, but Claire Vaye Watkins is a great writer with a view of the world that keeps me interested and whatever she writes from here I am sure to read.
She herself wrote this beautiful criticism of this book (which I think is too harsh but also illustrative): https://tinhouse.com/on-pandering/
"I wrote Battleborn for white men, toward them. If you hold the book to a certain light, you’ll see it as an exercise in self-hazing, a product of working-class madness, the female strain. So, natural then that Battleborn was well-received by the white male lit establishment: it was written for them. The whole book’s a pander. Look, I said with my stories: I can write old men, I can write sex, I can write abortion. I can write hard, unflinching, unsentimental. I can write an old man getting a boner!"
*Nevada reúne una serie de brillantes relatos ambientados en el medio oeste norteamericano, una suerte de muestrario entre lo descriptivo y lo poético que vibra constantemente con el territorio, presencia determinante en cada una de las historias. Fabuloso.
* Desde los fantasmas de la presencia real del padre de la autora entre los acólitos de Manson, hasta el relato de unos hermanos buscadores de oro que más que riqueza encuentran el horror del vacío y la repetición, pasando por un relato construido a través de cartas dirigidas a alguien que nunca podrá leerlas. En todas las historias se teje una trama de melancolía, misterio, deseo, solastalgia o, simplemente, el pasmo de vivir.
* Muy recomendado para fans de McCarthy, DeLillo o Flannery O’Connor. También para quien guste de las publicaciones de Dirty Works u Horror Vacuii.
* Desde los fantasmas de la presencia real del padre de la autora entre los acólitos de Manson, hasta el relato de unos hermanos buscadores de oro que más que riqueza encuentran el horror del vacío y la repetición, pasando por un relato construido a través de cartas dirigidas a alguien que nunca podrá leerlas. En todas las historias se teje una trama de melancolía, misterio, deseo, solastalgia o, simplemente, el pasmo de vivir.
* Muy recomendado para fans de McCarthy, DeLillo o Flannery O’Connor. También para quien guste de las publicaciones de Dirty Works u Horror Vacuii.
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
fast-paced