Siren G

Not for everyone: Gothic, surreal, prose w/70’s feminism

Revisado: 06-30-23

I have a very difficult time sympathizing (never mind agreeing with) the low score reviews for this. I get that it’s not for everyone, but expecting a book of sanitized fairytales or zombie fighting heros from that title and this particular author?? That’s ignorance of some kind.

I will preface this opinion with the fact that I specifically sought out this book of short stories, or more accurately this group of intertextual collages of folktales.
I wanted and expected to be enthralled, uncomfortable, and left thinking with unresolved feelings.
Some short stories I enjoyed more than others. That said, I thoroughly loved this book! I will likely listen to this again. Both voice actors/narrators were so good at drawing me right into the worlds of each tale! Excellent-no notes.

Now, If you do not like Jane Eyre, Frankenstein, Woman in Black, the movie Crimson Peak, lengthy prose, etc you will most likely not enjoy this book.

Also, if you don’t know anything about a book and don’t wish to be potentially blindsided do a quick Google search.

This is Gothic not Horror in the modern sense. An important distinction to know before you read it. Gothic as a genre disorients the reader with the past coming to the present, describing the environment as a foreboding character itself, unfolding romances that blur fear with love, positing characters who are largely metaphors, and haunting readers/characters with some grotesque scenes. Yes this book is quite macabre, disturbing, and gore-filled. It definitely is not the fast-action, jump scare, terrorized plot train a modern reader might be expecting to board.

Besides being one of the top ten examples of Gothic storytelling, Carter’s re-imaginings of the pieces of familiar stories are intentionally disrupting the form of the Folk Tale featuring a woman as it’s main character. To be clear, these tales, like most original folktales, are bizarre, horrifying, and full of death - not neat happy endings. She heavily uses the metaphor of the female body/ sexuality during a pivotal moment of change like puberty or marriage to highlight the violence and messiness of humanity and criticize societal structures that oppress women. It’s no fourth wave, but effective given context.

If you made it through my opinion on Angela Carter’s incredible work here and why I love it- gold star! Now choose to read The Bloody Chamber and other short stories at your own discretion (But really though, Wikipedia is free)

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Everyone should read this!

Revisado: 10-05-20

Even if you digest it one chapter at a time, you should read this book. If you want to keep practicing being a good person you should read this book today.

I’m really glad there’s an audiobook format! I’d been trying to read this but with my disability it had been very tough. I appreciate being able to “read” her work.

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