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Witches Sail in Eggshells
by
‘Witches sail in eggshells,’ I heard Meg say from behind me, and I looked back. She was pounding the shells, hard, with the palm of her hand on the flat of a knife.
Bewitched by ‘the sort of girl who’d batter your heart like a thrush with a snail on a stone’, a woman overlooks the one who really loves her.
A seaside community is overwhelmed when the sea begins to expel its l ...more
Bewitched by ‘the sort of girl who’d batter your heart like a thrush with a snail on a stone’, a woman overlooks the one who really loves her.
A seaside community is overwhelmed when the sea begins to expel its l ...more
Paperback, 160 pages
Published
June 11th 2019
by Reflex Press
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Seventeen short stories of life, love and longing.
When I picked up this volume I had intended to read one of the stories from Witches Sail in Eggshells each evening, but as soon as I’d read Hagstone, the first in Chloe Turner’s collection, I was so enchanted I had to devour them all. It was if the hagstone of that first tale had cast a spell and I was unable to put down this remarkable book. I have only one complaint about Witches Sail in Eggshells and that is that any aspirations I might have a ...more
When I picked up this volume I had intended to read one of the stories from Witches Sail in Eggshells each evening, but as soon as I’d read Hagstone, the first in Chloe Turner’s collection, I was so enchanted I had to devour them all. It was if the hagstone of that first tale had cast a spell and I was unable to put down this remarkable book. I have only one complaint about Witches Sail in Eggshells and that is that any aspirations I might have a ...more

I love me a short story collection. You are all no doubt very aware of this by now!
When I saw Witches Sail In Eggshells by Chloe Turner mentioned on Twitter by Chloe herself I was intrigued by the title and did a little bit of googling.....
Did you know that if you don't smash up your empty eggshells after you have used the egg, witches will steal the shells, use them as boats to sail across the seas casting spells and causing untold damage?.....
Seems legit!
The point is I LOVE superstition and fo ...more
When I saw Witches Sail In Eggshells by Chloe Turner mentioned on Twitter by Chloe herself I was intrigued by the title and did a little bit of googling.....
Did you know that if you don't smash up your empty eggshells after you have used the egg, witches will steal the shells, use them as boats to sail across the seas casting spells and causing untold damage?.....
Seems legit!
The point is I LOVE superstition and fo ...more

Witches Sail In Eggshells, by Chloe Turner, is a collection of seventeen short stories, several of which have won awards. This does not surprise me. The prose is taut and often exquisite. Each story carries unassuming weight and depth. I have been taking my time over each tale as I wished to savour the experience. Writing this consistently good is rare.
The topics explored are pleasingly varied. The protagonists vary in age, situation and orientation. Background to characters and their actions ar ...more
The topics explored are pleasingly varied. The protagonists vary in age, situation and orientation. Background to characters and their actions ar ...more

I loved every story in this collection, each one becoming my favourite as I read. The characters are memorable and intriguing, the themes varied along with the changing settings. No story is like another. Chloe Turner's prose is sublime and it felt as if every word was a carefully chosen thread stitching the narratives together to create a final tapestry of delicate beauty.
I particularly enjoyed Hagstone, Waiting for the runners, The Human Bird and Witches sail in eggshells, but found each stor ...more
I particularly enjoyed Hagstone, Waiting for the runners, The Human Bird and Witches sail in eggshells, but found each stor ...more

Sometimes you read a book and everything just strikes you. The writing, the plot, characters. All perfect. This happened to me while I was reading Chloe Turner’s short story collection, Witches in Eggshells.
As you can guess that this will be a glowing review but I can’t help it. This is sheer perfection in every way. The writing style is delicate yes can be rough, tumbly and funny. The plots veer between depictions of relationships to the weird and fantastical. Here are a couple of examples of C ...more
As you can guess that this will be a glowing review but I can’t help it. This is sheer perfection in every way. The writing style is delicate yes can be rough, tumbly and funny. The plots veer between depictions of relationships to the weird and fantastical. Here are a couple of examples of C ...more

This is a wonderful collection of flash fiction. Turner writes about love and loss, of smashed dreams, the ways we hurt each other and make up. Some stories are heart-breaking but Turner often pokes gentle fun at her characters. There are slightly surreal moments too. In 'Waiting for the Runners' a rotting pumpkin head seems to laugh at the main character and in 'Pinata' a girl draws a penis on the armrest of a sofa, 'Penis and scrotal sack, in black marker pen, disquieting against the crinkled
...more

"Expertly observed, Chloe Turner's debut collection reads between the lines of life and explores how we love and lose, then find ourselves and others again. From a hilarious yet uncomfortable child’s birthday party, to the meeting of two women who have loved the same man, to the horror of environmental catastrophe, all stories are told with a melancholic humour that packs a powerful punch..."
Read Jacci Gooding's full review at: https://theshortstory.co.uk/short-sto... ...more
Read Jacci Gooding's full review at: https://theshortstory.co.uk/short-sto... ...more

This was a great collection of stories. The general quality of them increased as it went on. Some have a touch of magic realism, others just have a weird atmosphere, and some are more naturalistic. There’s a thread of human strength running through the collection, and of deep needs and standing up to the selfish cruel people. That said, the settings, characters and story arcs were very different, which kept the collection as a whole interesting.

'Witches Sail in Eggshells' (Reflex Press, 2019) by Chloe Turner is a highly enjoyable collection of short stories.
...more

A wonderful collection with a beguiling title. Be careful what you do with your eggshells after you finish your egg. An atmospheric cover by the artist Laura Pashby entices the reader into a labyrinth of tales by a master story teller. They are reminiscent of Chekhov in their economy and off-beat wisdom. A thoroughly enjoyable read.
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