Title: Fragile Things; Short Stories and Wonders
Author: Neil Gaiman
Genre: Fantasy
Publisher: Headline, 2006
359p
Let me tell you a story
No, wait, one's not enough
I'll begin again.....
Let me tell you stories of the months of the year, of ghosts and heartbreak, of dread and desire. Let me tell you of after-hours drinking and unanswered phones, of good deeds and bad days, of breakibg down and making up, of dead men walking and missing fathers, of little French ladies in Miami, of trusting wolves and how to talk to girls.
There are stories within stories, whispered in ears in the quiet of the night, shouted above the roar of the day, and played out between lovers and enemies, strangers and friends. but all, all are fragile things made up using just 26 letters arranged and rearranged again and again to form tales and imaginings which ,if you let them, will dazzle your senses, haunt your imagination and move you to the very depths of your soul.
A delightful collection of short stories interspersed with a few poems. Some of them have been published before in various anthologies but as I've only ever read one other of Neil Gaiman's books they were all new to me. I'm not really a lover of short stories but found that reading one or two at a time worked better than trying to read the whole book at once and I enjoyed them immensely. There is an introductory chapter with a short piece on each story, the how and why it came into being , which adds a little extra to each tale.
My favourite was October in the Chair - the months of the year gather together and one tells a story. October - 'his beard was all colors, a grove of trees in autumn, deep brown and fire-orange and wine-red, an untrimmed tangle across the lower half of his face"- tells of a young boy who runs away from home and meets another boy.........a 'dry run' for The Graveyard Book, the author describes it as and I'm intrigued enough to see myself reading that one soon.
Once Upon a Time Challenge IV
A delightful collection of short stories interspersed with a few poems. Some of them have been published before in various anthologies but as I've only ever read one other of Neil Gaiman's books they were all new to me. I'm not really a lover of short stories but found that reading one or two at a time worked better than trying to read the whole book at once and I enjoyed them immensely. There is an introductory chapter with a short piece on each story, the how and why it came into being , which adds a little extra to each tale.
My favourite was October in the Chair - the months of the year gather together and one tells a story. October - 'his beard was all colors, a grove of trees in autumn, deep brown and fire-orange and wine-red, an untrimmed tangle across the lower half of his face"- tells of a young boy who runs away from home and meets another boy.........a 'dry run' for The Graveyard Book, the author describes it as and I'm intrigued enough to see myself reading that one soon.
Once Upon a Time Challenge IV
I do like Gaiman, he i so much fun and I haven't read anything like this by him
ReplyDeleteThanks for the rec, I'm always on the look out for short stories
ReplyDeleteYay for loving Neil Gaiman short stories! He's my favorite author of all time!
ReplyDeleteI struggle with short stories, for the same reason as you. Next time I read one, I'll try your approach - read them one at a time.
ReplyDeleteHaven't read any Neil Gaiman. I really have to!
I do like what I've read of his so far.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you liked it! I loved The Graveyard Book and recommend it. His poem, "Instructions" from this collection was just released as a children's picture book. I love the artist he worked with for that one. I can't wait to get my hands on it!
ReplyDeleteI loved that poem Jen.....i'll have to look out for the picture book.
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