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Witches Sail in Eggshells

Chloe Turner

4.17 · Rating details · 29 ratings · 11 reviews

‘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

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Paperback, 160 pages

Published June 11th 2019 by Reflex Press

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· 29 ratings · 11 reviews

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Jul 28, 2019 Linda Hill rated it it was amazing

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 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 about writing have been completely undermined by the exquisite beauty of Chloe Turner’s language. It is unparalleled and very few writers I have read create such grace and magic in their work.

Whilst I imagine many hours have gone in to crafting and polishing these literary gems, they never feel contrived but instead are silky smooth and extraordinary examples of writing at its most perfect. Each one, without exception, left me reeling, intrigued and mesmerised so that I felt them internally as much as read them. I know this will sound probably bonkers (and I may have been affected by the magical realism of some of the stories) but I felt as if I wanted to peel the words from the pages and shower in them to get them closer to me in the most essential way I could. I read passages aloud because I felt they were more like poetry than prose – they are luminous with meaning and emotion.

Each story is very different from all the others with action and events totally belying the brevity of length. I discovered entire lifetimes and traveled time and geographical distance as I read. There are themes of love, loss, spite, revenge, power and much, much more, providing a narrative for every reader and every change in their emotional state. Yet at the same time, there are links and echoes that make for an immersive and rewarding reading experience. There’s something almost antediluvian, for example, in the references to water and the sea that pepper these stories because Chloe Turner has captured the very essence of humanity in its most raw state; we all come from water.

I have been sitting some time, trying to find words to convey what it is about Witches Sail in Eggshells that I have found so gloriously moving and astounding, but have come to realise I don’t have the vocabulary to express how I feel about Chloe Turner’s stories. I am genuinely thrilled to have discovered her writing because my life has been enriched by it. Whether you’re a reader who wants to be entertained or a writer who wants to hone their craft, I cannot recommend Witches Sail in Eggshells highly enough. It’s magnificent. ...more

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Jul 07, 2019 Bookish Chat rated it it was amazing

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

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Aug 07, 2019 Jackie Law rated it it was amazing

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

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Nov 25, 2019 Tracy rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

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

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Sep 01, 2019 Robert rated it it was amazing

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 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 Chloe Turner’s range:

My personal favourite story was Pinata: a tale about social class struggles via a spoiled child’s 8th birthday party. It’s humorous, captures upper class parents perfectly and has an ending that will make the reader grin. Due to Turner’s way of writing this story can also be interpreted as how adults are also bigger versions of children.

There are other stories detailing the fragility of relationships. Breaking the Glass Blowers Heart does this fantastically, mixing the metaphor of glass with forbidden love is a genius stroke and so deftly pulled off.

However when it comes to witchcraft and being creepy, Turner excels. Be it the title story about a girl having relations with a witch (at least that’s what I think she is) or hordes of sea-life (A Raft of Silver Corpses) dying on a beach or an infant with a peculiar affinity with the sea (The Wetshod Child). Lobster Scissors reminded me of the stories the grandmother would tell her grandson in Roald Dahl’s The Witches and the opening tale, Hagstone gave me gooseflesh.

What makes these stories special besides the writing style is that there’s a lot of complex layers. On the surface things may seem weird but there are usually underlying thoughts ( or am I over interpreting??) All 17 tales here are winners. Something that is rare in story collections.

What else can I say? do check out this collection. It’s been a while since I’ve read short stories which affected me so much. Never have I laughed, shivered and gawped so much. With Witches Sail in Eggshells Chloe Turner has made me look at short stories in a different way. Hopefully when you read this collection you will too!

Many thanks to Reflex Press for providing a requested copy of Witches Sail in Eggshells in exchange for an honest review. ...more

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Jun 13, 2020 Bronwen Griffiths rated it it was amazing

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

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Apr 25, 2020 theshortstory.co.uk (TSS Publishing) added it

"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

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Jul 08, 2021 Rue Baldry rated it really liked it

Shelves: short-story-collection, contemporary-literary-fiction

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.

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Jan 18, 2021 Heather rated it liked it

Shelves: savidge-reads-recs

Not much to say about this one. It was an interesting collection of well written short stories with intriguing concepts. Some contemporary, some with a magical twist, but all about human emotion.

3.5 stars.

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Dec 31, 2020 Laura Besley rated it it was amazing

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

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Dec 08, 2021 James Lawless rated it really liked it

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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