Scan barcode
katekoda's review against another edition
5.0
A large and very diverse collection of short stories ranging from satire to long meditative South African novellas and from travel sketches to macabre little ghost stories. Highly enjoyable, although perhaps not all in one go.
bibliobethreads's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
rach_henderson1's review against another edition
3.0
CW: there are racial slurs in this collection. Some might argue that it is 'of it's time'. I think that most of the time it is just unnecessary.
Some stories are a lot better than others.
Some stories are a lot better than others.
ivulikkivulik's review against another edition
2.0
2.5/5
Some of the short stories were great but repetitive and some were just meh.
Some of the short stories were great but repetitive and some were just meh.
dkscully's review against another edition
5.0
These stories are brilliant. (And the narrators did a superb job with them.)
sammystarbuck's review against another edition
3.0
A bit of a mixed bag really. Some really fun stories, some very insightful, and some are a little dull. definitely worth reading all-in-all.
julisteff's review
4.0
I've read Muriel Spark before - a matter of factly also for uni during my first year. I even did a very detailed essay on it and it looks like I will choose Spark again for this course's paper.
I only read selected stories from this anthology.
I think I enjoy Spark's work so much because she doesn't fuss around, the language is easy to understand, it's a mean to get her point across. Don't get me wrong, she still plays around with it and usually reading something for the second time with the plot and the ending already known, you can catch how smart it sometimes is.
Most of the stories I read had paranormal aspects and I really enjoyed the strangeness of it and how baffled I got sometimes. There were definitely a few that I didn't like for example, The Go-Away Bird. It was too long and boring.
On the other hand - Bang-Bang You're Dead or Portobello Road, two longer ones managed to keep me interested till the last sentence.
My favourite has to be Leaf-Sweeper or The Girl I Left Behind Me. The concept of the first one was brilliant. The second one made so much sense after rereading it and made me fall in love with the previously mentioned use of language.
I'm certain I'll reach for Muriel Spark again. I even read a little bit of the anthology on my own, but I don't really have time for it right now, so I'm postponing it!
writersinsomnia.blogspot.com
I only read selected stories from this anthology.
I think I enjoy Spark's work so much because she doesn't fuss around, the language is easy to understand, it's a mean to get her point across. Don't get me wrong, she still plays around with it and usually reading something for the second time with the plot and the ending already known, you can catch how smart it sometimes is.
Most of the stories I read had paranormal aspects and I really enjoyed the strangeness of it and how baffled I got sometimes. There were definitely a few that I didn't like for example, The Go-Away Bird. It was too long and boring.
On the other hand - Bang-Bang You're Dead or Portobello Road, two longer ones managed to keep me interested till the last sentence.
My favourite has to be Leaf-Sweeper or The Girl I Left Behind Me. The concept of the first one was brilliant. The second one made so much sense after rereading it and made me fall in love with the previously mentioned use of language.
I'm certain I'll reach for Muriel Spark again. I even read a little bit of the anthology on my own, but I don't really have time for it right now, so I'm postponing it!
writersinsomnia.blogspot.com
helengoose's review
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
inspiring
mysterious
slow-paced
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
More...