November 2017 - The Shell Collector

[Lilisa]

Cherie wrote: "Wow, wait until you get to the last story! It is long, but I think I liked it best of all. Doerr's stories really pull you in, don't you think? Even the ones I didn't especially like are so vividly..."

I love that all of us who've finished the book so far have different stories as their their fav one. It'll be interesting so see what other favorites ones emerge for those who are currently reading or going to start the book. Mkondo is a good one too. I agree - Doerr has done an amazing job with these short stories - IMO it's so much more challenging writing a short story than a full-length book. The writing has to be tight, the story has to unfold in a limited number of pages and it all had to come together from a character wise perspective too. I love what Doerr has skillfully done here.

[Lilisa]

Lisa A ⛅ wrote: "Lilisa wrote: "Interesting observations - TJ - re: the shell collector and [spoilers removed]"

It seems to me that most of the characters were [spoilers removed]

_____________

I completed the bo..."

Yes, Lisa - not sure how they would (view spoiler)[fare in urban settings - not well I imagine. In the Hunter's Wife, for example, the hunter was so uneasy coming to town to see his wife after all that time. I got the sense that he couldn't wait to be in setting among nature once again. I expect many introverts feel that way - even if they are city dwellers - can't wait to return to their santuaries and recharge. (hide spoiler)]

[Trudy]

Lilisa wrote: “The writing has to be tight, the story has to unfold in a limited number of pages and it all had to come together from a character wise perspective too. I love what Doerr has skillfully done here.”

That’s a very good summary of what I like about his writing. He has the ability to say a lot in only a few words, and doesn’t feel the need to spell everything out to the reader. I suppose all good short story writers require this ability, but I think he does it exceptionally well.

[Trudy]

Cherie wrote: "Wow, wait until you get to the last story! It is long, but I think I liked it best of all. Doerr's stories really pull you in, don't you think? Even the ones I didn't especially like are so vividly..."

I felt that this story didn’t flow as well as the others, especially (view spoiler)[ moving between the two locations - to Ohio and back. There didn’t seem to be a smooth transition. I did like the connection between running and life, and understood her need to get back home. (hide spoiler)]

[Eliestal]

I need to take some time to read through this thread this week, I'm falling behind. I finished So many Chances this morning and even though I am reading slower than usual, the stories are all interesting for now. I have to revise my favorites again since this one take the number one spot from The Shell Collector (story).
(view spoiler)[I like the simplicity of the story as there was nothing out of the ordinary. The title of the story is very fitting. Even though the family as a whole seems not very happy, the struggle of the father and Dorotea are apparent. They are not afraid to take chances. Even though it does not always bear fruits (Santiago's career), it can blooms into something like Dorotea passion for the sea and fishing. On the opposite site there is the mother, who just goes with the flow and is the one that evolve the least for me. (hide spoiler)]

[Saar The Book owl]

It's not a great reading month, apparently. This is the second book I haven't finished. I find it hard to concentrate on short stories. I've read the first 2 of this book, but the book itself couldn't hold my attention.

[Cherie]

TrudyAn wrote: "I felt that this story didn’t flow as well as the others, especially (view spoiler) ..."

RE Mkondo - I love the title. (view spoiler)[ I agree, parts of this story did not flow, exactly, but to me, it was the time, not exactly the sites. How each of the characters changed was what struck me, especially the man. The story was like a giant circle of need. What I really felt, throughout all of it, was the need to know what was going to happen next. Each time, I got close to wondering how many pages were left, something else would change or happen, and I did not care any longer, and I wanted to go on until I could find out. Some of the photography points were a little improbable, but I liked all of the different cloud names and how the woman could have the strength to stay still for such long times, until just the right moment to snap the picture. I used to have a friend that developed her own black and white photos, but color developing takes lots more chemicals and processes than black and white. (hide spoiler)]

I did go back and re-read Griselda's story. I liked it better the second time. (view spoiler)[What I got out of it the 2nd time was how the attention of the town's folks changed their focus and gossip. As long as they could see the subject that is what they talked about. They remembered only until something changed. As long as everything around them was the same, there was nothing to gossip about. The only thing I still do not understand was why the sister never showed the mother the letters that Griselda sent. Why wouldn't she want her to know? (hide spoiler)]

On the whole, I really enjoyed Doerr's stories and it makes me look forward to reading All the Light We Cannot See.

[[deleted user]]

Saar wrote: "It's not a great reading month, apparently. This is the second book I haven't finished. I find it hard to concentrate on short stories. I've read the first 2 of this book, but the book itself could..."

Short stories aren't usually my first reading choice either. Sometimes I go back to a book a few months or even years later and suddenly it clicks with me though. Hoping this might be the case for this book if you choose to try again in the future.

[[deleted user]]

Clément wrote: "I need to take some time to read through this thread this week, I'm falling behind. I finished So many Chances this morning and even though I am reading slower than usual, the stories are all inter..."

Your comments pretty much sums up my thoughts about So Many Chances. It definitely was a simple story, but like yourself, maybe that is why I enjoyed it.

[Silver]

Cherie wrote

I did go back and re-read Griselda's stor..."

Regarding Griselda's story

(view spoiler)[I think the reason why the sister never showed her mother the letters is because she felt it would be in her mother's best interest, and perhaps the sister thought it would be better for her if the mother forgot all about it. Not that a mother could forget about a daughter running away but I don't think the sister wanted the mother to continue to obsess over Griselda and the gossip (hide spoiler)]

[Silver]

I just finished July Fourth

(view spoiler)[ This story reminded of a cross between an innocents abroad story and an anglers fish tale. I found more humur in this story than the others. While some of the physical landscape and events seem bleek I have this picture in my head of these Americans being mislead across the countryside by individuals who are either exaggerating about their own fishing experiences or who view the Americans as the "fools" the teacher sees and intentionally send them astray as a jest. (hide spoiler)]

[Trudy]

Silver wrote: "I just finished July Fourth

[spoilers removed]"
I think you’re right, Silver. (view spoiler)[ No fisher is going to give away the location of a great fishing spot, especially to strangers. And the American group, being fishers, should have known that they were being lead astray! No wonder they didn’t catch anything. And as for the one they did finally catch, but couldn’t get a photo of, was that just a tale? (hide spoiler)]

[Cherie]

Silver wrote: "Regarding Griselda's story [spoilers removed]"

(view spoiler)[I think the sister was just being mean. I know that there would still be gossip, but if the mother knew that Griselda was at least okay and happy, she would not have been so depressed? (hide spoiler)]

[Silver]

Cherie wrote: "Silver wrote: "Regarding Griselda's story [spoilers removed]"

(view spoiler)[I wonder if it was pure meanness or an act of jealousy. Perhaps the sister was jealous of the attntion Griselda was geting, even if a lot of it was negative and maybe she was envious of how much her mother fixated on Griselda. She may even envied Griselda's life. (hide spoiler)]

[Tejas Janet]

Regarding Griselda's story:

(view spoiler)[I think it was perhaps a combination of reasons that account for Rosemary not showing their mother Griselda's letters. Both jealousy of her sister and protectiveness of their mother. She was the one who stayed home and dealt with the aftermath of Griselda's sudden departure. It was like she felt that Griselda hadn't earned the right to be a part of their mother's life any more. So her protectiveness was maybe more of a justification for her own selfish reasons. But on the other hand, Griselda had shown selfish disregard for her mother and sister. But I don't think she could help it. Like it was a force beyond her control that just overpowered her and swept her away.
(hide spoiler)]

I didn't strongly like or dislike this story. Although I didn't care much for the characters or the story premise, I did find it rather memorable none-the-less. All that metal!!

I actually finished reading all the stories today. I'm working on discussing them more fully now, individually and collectively.

[Tejas Janet]

Lilisa wrote: "Finished the last three stories - The Caretaker, A Tangle by The Rapid River and Mkondo [spoilers removed] My favorite's a tie - The Hunter's Wife and The Shell Collector, followed closely by July ..."

My favorites were The Hunter's Wife and Mkondo. I also liked So Many Chances and July Fourth. The others I didn't enjoy as much, The Caretaker being especially unenjoyable.

Re: The Caretaker: (view spoiler)[Too sad with the terrible war imagery and many scenes of inhumanity and brutality. I could hardly take it where the one still living beached whale had to endure seeing his podmate being sliced up in front of his eyes. Just horrible. The writing throughout was effective, but disturbing and left me with a sense of hopelessness and futility. The relationship with Belle was endearing, and poor Joseph seemed to find some measure of redemption or at least peace of mind. Unlike the other stories, which often had an aura of magical realism, this one felt almost too real. (hide spoiler)]

[Lilisa]

The Hunter's Wife is doing well as a fav so far. I agree about The Caretaker (view spoiler)[it was rather gruesome and jarring compared to the other stories. It was different than the others. (hide spoiler)] Griselda's story(view spoiler)[with all that metal made me a bit nauseous. (hide spoiler)]

[[deleted user]]

I finished! The Hunter's Wife, The Shell Collector, A Tangle by the Rapid River and Mkondo are all firm favorites and stories I will re-visit at some point in the future.

InA Tangle by the Rapid River (view spoiler)[when Mulligan handed the paper over to his wife's niece, I found myself shouting - "don't do it, your letter is in there"! I love it when I react to a book like that (hide spoiler)].

Mkondo held my attention - I wanted to know what was going to happen next. (view spoiler)[I was so pleased that Doerr left the ending open so that I could conclude that Ward and Naime's relationship didn't fail but that they lived happily ever after - ahhhh (hide spoiler)].

Overall, it is Doerr's writing style that I love. The descriptive writing is amazing. I will definitely be picking up All the Light We Cannot See.

[Silver]

I just finished Caretaker

(view spoiler)[ Thus far of all the stories I found this one the most difficult to fet into. It did stand apart as being very different from the others. For me this story really dragged. Nothing about particularly sparked my interest. I think the thing I found most difficult about the story was I could not bring myself to care about the main character in part because he did not much care for himself. I found him too inert at tines.

The most enjoyable part of the story was the portion dealing with the garden and his tendng to it.

I also felt this story was too all over the place and did feel as coherent as the others. I think the author tried to do too much at once in this one.

I did appreciate the symbolism of the title and how it could be applied to so many different aspects of Joseph's life. (hide spoiler)]

[Lilisa]

Anna wrote: "I finished! The Hunter's Wife, The Shell Collector, A Tangle by the Rapid River and Mkondo are all firm favorites and stories I will re-visit at some point in the future.

InA Tangle by the Rapid R..."

Lol Anna re: Mulligan - my reaction was similar. Check out Doerr's Four Seasons in Rome: On Twins, Insomnia, and the Biggest Funeral in the History of the World - I really enjoyed it.

[Lilisa]

Silver wrote: "I just finished Caretaker

Thus far of all the stories I found this one the most difficult to fet into. It did stand apart as being very different from the others. For me this story really dragged..."

There's a common theme here about The Caretaker, Silver. It'll be interesting to see which story will emerge as your favorite.

[Tejas Janet]

Lilisa wrote: "The Hunter's Wife is doing well as a fav so far. I agree about The Caretaker [spoilers removed] Griselda's story[spoilers removed]"


Yes, exactly my reaction about Griselda's Story...(view spoiler)[the idea of eating all that metal made me feel a bit sick at my stomach, ugh. (hide spoiler)]

[[deleted user]]

Silver wrote: "I just finished Caretaker

Thus far of all the stories I found this one the most difficult to fet into. It did stand apart as being very different from the others. For me this story really dragged..."

I found the first part of the story to be quite fast in pace but (view spoiler)[I didn't enjoy the war aspects or when the whales were washed up on the beach. I also found this story to be disjointed; it did not flow for me either. (hide spoiler)]

[[deleted user]]

Lilisa wrote: "Anna wrote: "I finished! The Hunter's Wife, The Shell Collector, A Tangle by the Rapid River and Mkondo are all firm favorites and stories I will re-visit at some point in the future.

InA Tangle b..."

Thank you for the recommendation Lilisa - I've added to the TBR!

[Tejas Janet]

I completely agree with all the comments so far about The Caretaker story. And yet, in some ways, it's the story that most speaks to me.

(view spoiler)[Tho this was the most difficult story, it was also the most realistic in uncomfortable ways. With the inhumanity to other humans in a war zone. So real. I cannot believe how much war we have fought against each others on this little, amazingly beautiful planet. Totally inhumane actions. And why? I'm not entirely sure. But it seems in many cases to benefit some small group of people. (hide spoiler)]

I came to feel much compassion for Joseph. And because I believe compassion is so important for us to have for one another, I may decide that this is my favorite story instead of least favorite story.

[Sarah]

From the look of it, not many people have reported their reads this month. Please check the reporting thread to make sure you have reported. You still have a few days left of the month anyway for those who haven't finished reading yet.

[Lilisa]

Thanks for the reminder, Sarah! Thought I had, but hadn't - It was monthly challenge that I did, headed to this reporting thread now...

[Silver]

Just finished A Tangle By Rapid River

(view spoiler)[ Like the Caretaker I appreciated the multi-meaning behind the title and simiallar to the story of the American fishermen ( for the life of me I cannot recall the name of it) I enjoyed the underlinng humur within a somber plot. But I found something lacking in the story overall. It started out with potential but fell apart toward the end. It seems Mulligan's solution to his quandry is to aviod it all together. Instead of making the choice or confronting the consequences of his actions he is just going to keep finishing.

I had similar problems with this story as I did the Caretaker. The inertness of the characters. While Joseph does not necessarily try to aviod what he has done, they both reach a point where they simply decide not to deal with life at all. (hide spoiler)]

[Cherie]

Anna wrote: "I finished! The Hunter's Wife, The Shell Collector, A Tangle by the Rapid River and Mkondo are all firm favorites and stories I will re-visit at some point in the future.

InA Tangle by the Rapid R..."

Anna - I finally got onto my laptop to read the spoilers that I cannot see on my iPod app. I agree with you on the Tangled River story - I was yelling the same thing! I liked the open ending on Mkondo too.

[Cherie]

Silver wrote: "Just finished A Tangle By Rapid River

Like the Caretaker I appreciated the multi-meaning behind the title and simiallar to the story of the American fishermen ( for the life of me I cannot recall..."

I wanted to like the fisherman, but I could not. I do not know why, but his name really made it worse too. I did not like Joseph either.

[Eliestal]

I am cutting it close this month but I think I will manage. I finished 4 stories in the last 4 days: July Fourth, A Tangle by the Rapid River, The Caretaker, and For a Long Time This Was Griselda’s Story in that order of preference.

July Fourth: (view spoiler)[This was a fun story! When the punishment to a bet is to run naked in the street it can only be a fun read. I liked how they were set to fishing until the very end. Even though it did not yield result this time they were determined. I feel like the Americans were seen as “Fools” by everyone in the story since they were sent all over the place by their opponents. At least they enjoyed themselves during their trip! (hide spoiler)]
A Tangle by the Rapid River: (view spoiler)[I like this story because of the contrast between the calm atmosphere of the fishing trip at the beginning and Mulligan’s not-so-calm marriage. As I read through the story more and more difficulties invited themselves into his fishing trip, mimicking his troubled personal life. Maybe the last fish that got away is supposed to represent that but I’m not sure. (hide spoiler)]
For a Long Time This Was Griselda’s Story: (view spoiler)[This one didn’t really stick with me. I felt like it was telling me: “look at was would Griselda’s life be if she was like everyone else in the town”. But different people like different thing so I ended up not liking the attitude of the town for that reason. The fact that Griselda addresses that her life is not that grandiose only shows the close-mindedness of the town to me. She just decided to live her life differently. The metal eating was really cool though. It is not something that I saw often in stories. (hide spoiler)]
The Caretaker: (view spoiler)[I had a hard time with this story. It went too much all over the place for my taste. Between his life in his country, the war, his job in Oregon and his relationship with the blind daughter of his (former) boss, I felt like I missed a lot of information. This is why I didn’t enjoy it that much. The beached Whales part was probably my favorite as I found it very creepy. The image of hacking through a whale to get to the heart is not one I thought I would ever think of. (hide spoiler)]

I now have two days to finish the last story. It should be OK. I started it this morning and from what I have read, I think this will be one of my favorite from the book.

[Lilisa]

Clément wrote: "I am cutting it close this month but I think I will manage. I finished 4 stories in the last 4 days: July Fourth, A Tangle by the Rapid River, The Caretaker, and For a Long Time This Was Griselda’s..."

I too thought Doerr was (view spoiler)[poking fun at the Americans - potato chips displayed on a plate! Like your thought re: the last fish getting away having greater significance. Metal eating cool??? I thought it was wierd! :-) beached whales were sad to me - creepy for you! It's fun to see how things appeal to some, others not. (hide spoiler)] Still liking the last story?

[Lilisa]

Cherie wrote: "Silver wrote: "Just finished A Tangle By Rapid River

Like the Caretaker I appreciated the multi-meaning behind the title and simiallar to the story of the American fishermen ( for the life of me ..."

Cherie - you didn't like the the fisherman's name??? :-)

[Silver]

I just finished Mkondo

(view spoiler)[ I have to say I think this story and The Hunter's Wife are tied for my favorites. They had a lot of similar elements. Mkondo offeres the posibillity of more hope in the relationship than The Hunter's Wife. I loved the way Niame found her passion and happiness in photography. I was also glad to see Ward redeem himself near the end. After he took Niame back to Ohio it seemed as if he cared more about his job than his wife. (hide spoiler)]

[Eliestal]

Lilisa wrote: "Clément wrote: "I am cutting it close this month but I think I will manage. I finished 4 stories in the last 4 days: July Fourth, A Tangle by the Rapid River, The Caretaker, and For a Long Time Thi..."

I am still liking it! I am at the point where (view spoiler)[she decide to go to college. I suppose this is a good turn of event because she was very broken after the death of her parents. She felt very much like a tropical flower to me, only a small change in its environment will make it wilt. It felt like that with her moving to Ohio. (hide spoiler)]

[Eliestal]

In regard to A Tangle by the Rapid River: (view spoiler)[I just remembered that, in video games or golf, a mulligan is "a second chance to perform and action after the first chance went wrong because of bad luck or a blunder". It might make sense in the context of the story. (hide spoiler)]

[Eliestal]

Continuation of Message 135 as I finished Mkondo this morning!

(view spoiler)[After she discovered photography, she learned to enjoy herself in the still foreign Ohio. For me, it was logical her to back to Africa since there were nothing between her and Ward anymore, at least for her. When I look back on the beginning of the story, it seems obvious that their relationship would not have worked. When he was he Tanzania, he changed in order to chase after her, but, when you are in the confort of your own country and home, old habits are hard to break and he reverted in his old routine.
Conpared to The Hunter's Wife there is more chances for their couple to work out but I don't think it will since in the end they are so different.
This story is my third favorite after The Shell Collector and So Many Chances. (hide spoiler)]

Overall thoughts: (view spoiler)[This book was a weird read for me since my favorite stories were at the very beginning and at the end. Even though I didn't hate the other stories they didn't speak to me as much.
I was not used to the writing style of Anthony Doerr but I think I like it as it is very vivid. It was easy to visualize the scene unfoldin in the stories.
In the end, since the middle of the book was a little under for me, I will give it a 3 star rating, staying middle of the road. I might need to read All the Light We Cannot See to see if I like it better when he is not writing short stories. (hide spoiler)]

[Lilisa]

Nice wrap up, Clement. And you have a day to spare to gopher for the 2018 challenge!

[Eliestal]

I actually finished my gophering for the 2018 challenge yesterday! So I am kind of free right now.

I am not a fast reader so I might start next month book a little early since I have the group read with The Bear and the Nightingale, the buddy read for The Desert Spear and the toppler (book TBD).

[Debra]

Hey everyone. I’ve been out of commission for a while. I should have time tomorrow and/or Friday to make a few more comments about the rest of this collection. Overall, I’m giving the book a rating of 4 for imagination and excellent writing. However, I found the stories to be mostly unpleasant and depressing, so I can’t say I exactly enjoyed reading them. I’m glad I finished a few days ago, and have moved on to novels I’ve wanted to read. I’m just not a short story person.

[Lilisa]

Hi Debra - great to hear from you - hope you are doing well. Good to have you chiming in - looking forward to your comments. What was your favorite story?

[Cherie]

Lilisa wrote: "Cherie wrote: "Silver wrote: "Just finished A Tangle By Rapid River

Like the Caretaker I appreciated the multi-meaning behind the title and simiallar to the story of the American fishermen ( for ..."

Yeah - for some reason Mulligan just rubbed me the wrong way. Strange, I know.

[Cherie]

Clément wrote: "In regard to A Tangle by the Rapid River: [spoilers removed]"

Good observation. (view spoiler)[ I know what the name stands for, but did not think of it that way. It is the word associated as a person's name that I guess I disliked the most. Your guess makes sense, but the fisherman did not make any attempt at doing any about cheating on his wife, nor doing anything about getting the letter back from her niece. He just ignored the whole situation and stayed at the river fishing all night - which is illegal in the US, by the way. (hide spoiler)]

[Cherie]

Silver wrote: "I just finished Mkondo

[spoilers removed]"

I liked Mkondo more than The Hunter's Wife and I agree about Ward.

[Lilisa]

Cherie wrote: "Lilisa wrote: "Cherie wrote: "Silver wrote: "Just finished A Tangle By Rapid River

Like the Caretaker I appreciated the multi-meaning behind the title and simiallar to the story of the American f..."

Lol, Cherie! 😂

[Tejas Janet]

Mulligan seems like a much better dog name than person name to me : )

[Tejas Janet]

I'm with you, Debra, in that I can't say I exactly enjoyed the stories. But gave 4 stars because I appreciated the author's writing and story-telling ability. I was on the fence between 3 and 4 stars. Still kind of am actually.

[[deleted user]]

Every time I read "Mulligan" it makes me think of mulligatawny soup!!

Man, I'm hungry....

[[deleted user]]

Clément wrote: "In regard to A Tangle by the Rapid River: [spoilers removed]"

I didn't know that - thanks for sharing Clement.

[Janice, Moderator]

Anna wrote: "Every time I read "Mulligan" it makes me think of mulligatawny soup!!

Man, I'm hungry...."

Yum! I had some the other day. It's one of my favourites.