Reviews
0%
0%
After reading "Passage," I was anxious to devour more of Willis. "Impossible Things", a collection of short stories, sounded like a perfect way to get a quick fix - a buffet table to expose myself on as many different aspects of Willis as possible.
Next time I'm sticking with the full-length novels. Not that there's anything *bad* about the stories in "Impossible Things", it's just that there's nothing outstanding about them either. For one thing, they're long, in most cases much longer than they need to be. For another, they're somewhat dated, which is understandable given that most were written in the '80s. Yet you never get that sense in the stories of, say, John Varley.
Perhaps I just had expectations that were too high. As I said, no one story was ever bad, and some were actually quite good. "A Winter's Tale" is probably my favorite, a story about Anne Hathaway, Shakespeare's wife, and what she may have known about the famous bard that continues to puzzle literary scholars today. "Even the Queen" is clever and provocative, short and snappy, as well as being timely. "Spice Pogrom" is also clever and funny, but it's much, much too long.
The stories in "Impossible Things" are a somewhat confusing mix of wit and despair. Willis alternates between mocking PC sensitivity in "Ado" and a horrifying description of a young housewife's descent into madness in "Chance", with little unifying theme to tie the book together. I enjoyed the stories individually, but the collection as a whole fell somewhat short.
Next time I'm sticking with the full-length novels. Not that there's anything *bad* about the stories in "Impossible Things", it's just that there's nothing outstanding about them either. For one thing, they're long, in most cases much longer than they need to be. For another, they're somewhat dated, which is understandable given that most were written in the '80s. Yet you never get that sense in the stories of, say, John Varley.
Perhaps I just had expectations that were too high. As I said, no one story was ever bad, and some were actually quite good. "A Winter's Tale" is probably my favorite, a story about Anne Hathaway, Shakespeare's wife, and what she may have known about the famous bard that continues to puzzle literary scholars today. "Even the Queen" is clever and provocative, short and snappy, as well as being timely. "Spice Pogrom" is also clever and funny, but it's much, much too long.
The stories in "Impossible Things" are a somewhat confusing mix of wit and despair. Willis alternates between mocking PC sensitivity in "Ado" and a horrifying description of a young housewife's descent into madness in "Chance", with little unifying theme to tie the book together. I enjoyed the stories individually, but the collection as a whole fell somewhat short.
reviewed by pits on November 22, 2006 3:01 PM
0%
0%
Connie Willis has written several wonderful books, from the delightful "Bellwether" to the deeply moving "Doomsday Book." She brings a characteristic wit and perspective to anything she touches. Strangely some of the same things that I treasure in her novels didn't translate well to this book.
First of all, it is a book of short stories (something I didn't realize when I bought the book). While not an issue in and of itself, I do wish I hadn't picked up the book expecting a novel, as the disappointment probably colored my enjoyment.
A second aspect of the book that isn't necessarily an issue, but reduced my pleasure in her work, was that these stories tended toward melancholy. The bitter-sweet memory of times gone by seemed to be a predominant theme. This kind of work has its place, but I think I would have enjoyed it more if I had waited until I was in the proper mood.
The only real issue I have is with her writing style. She tends to start her works by thrusting you right into the middle of something without any setup. This is disorienting, but was entirely appropriate and well used in "To Say Nothing of the Dog" (another of her novels). In contrast, in her short stories, a reader is just getting his feet under him when the story ends. In the course of a single story, this is exasperating, but the feeling quickly builds to annoyance when reading a succession of stories in a single sitting.
Any one interested in completing their collection of Willis's works will obviously need this book, but, if you are new to the author, I would recommend starting with one of the five-star books I mentioned in the first paragraph.
First of all, it is a book of short stories (something I didn't realize when I bought the book). While not an issue in and of itself, I do wish I hadn't picked up the book expecting a novel, as the disappointment probably colored my enjoyment.
A second aspect of the book that isn't necessarily an issue, but reduced my pleasure in her work, was that these stories tended toward melancholy. The bitter-sweet memory of times gone by seemed to be a predominant theme. This kind of work has its place, but I think I would have enjoyed it more if I had waited until I was in the proper mood.
The only real issue I have is with her writing style. She tends to start her works by thrusting you right into the middle of something without any setup. This is disorienting, but was entirely appropriate and well used in "To Say Nothing of the Dog" (another of her novels). In contrast, in her short stories, a reader is just getting his feet under him when the story ends. In the course of a single story, this is exasperating, but the feeling quickly builds to annoyance when reading a succession of stories in a single sitting.
Any one interested in completing their collection of Willis's works will obviously need this book, but, if you are new to the author, I would recommend starting with one of the five-star books I mentioned in the first paragraph.
reviewed by faithfulone on November 25, 2006 6:39 PM