Rating: Summary: NOT FOR THE FAINTHEARTED Review: It is one thing to read fantasy/horror novels that are "safe" because of their improbability; there is nothing "safe" here. Oates zeroes in with relentless precision at the spectres that quietly haunt our hearts: lost loves, parental relationships, childhood fears, the darkness of closets and beneath beds, sexual longings, hometown memories, strangers. These stories draw up from within your tenderest vulnerabilities and quietly slice into them, crushing your heart. Good storytelling...but not for the thin-skinned.
Rating: Summary: Not quite as haunting as Haunted Review: Joyce Carol Oates has an interesting approach to horror. The vague view of the plot and characters allows you to fill in their personalities with the traits of those whom you know. Most of the stories center around family relations gone wrong. I found Haunter more frightening and suggest you read that first.
Rating: Summary: Not quite as haunting as Haunted Review: Joyce Carol Oates has an interesting approach to horror. The vague view of the plot and characters allows you to fill in their personalities with the traits of those whom you know. Most of the stories center around family relations gone wrong. I found Haunter more frightening and suggest you read that first.
Rating: Summary: not intended for the faint of heart Review: joyce carol oates is one of my favorite all-time writers & this is an excellent selection of really morbid or eerie short stories which is bound to strike a nerve with you. with the exception of perhaps one or maybe two stories, oates has taken suspense to a new literary height & she invites you to her ghastly world of tormented souls & creepy happenings. at times, i'm reminded of the classic tales of terror written by shirley jackson or edgar allan poe as joyce has a distinct literary voice not to be confused with any other living writers. one of the most disturbing tales in the collector of hearts is called death mother. if this one doesn't leave feeling a bit uneasy or nervous, then perhaps you no longer have a pulse. the majority of the stories here are taut, sometimes a bit gruesome, & extremely macabre in oates continual exploration & study of evil which lurkes inside us all. joyce knows the dark screts of the human heart all too well & the things which will constrict our throats but this novel is solid evidence that she isn't afraid to reveal her knowledge. as diverse as she is eclectic in her masterful writing style, you simply cannot go wrong with this marvelous collection of short stories. if you enjoy this, you may also like her her book called faithless: tales of transgression or haunted which are also excellent choices. modern day horror writers like koontz or king should be taking notes &/ or attending workshops that this woman may offer. unpleasant reading, my friends. enjoy!
Rating: Summary: not intended for the faint of heart Review: joyce carol oates is one of my favorite all-time writers & this is an excellent selection of really morbid or eerie short stories which is bound to strike a nerve with you. with the exception of perhaps one or maybe two stories, oates has taken suspense to a new literary height & she invites you to her ghastly world of tormented souls & creepy happenings. at times, i'm reminded of the classic tales of terror written by shirley jackson or edgar allan poe as joyce has a distinct literary voice not to be confused with any other living writers. one of the most disturbing tales in the collector of hearts is called death mother. if this one doesn't leave feeling a bit uneasy or nervous, then perhaps you no longer have a pulse. the majority of the stories here are taut, sometimes a bit gruesome, & extremely macabre in oates continual exploration & study of evil which lurkes inside us all. joyce knows the dark screts of the human heart all too well & the things which will constrict our throats but this novel is solid evidence that she isn't afraid to reveal her knowledge. as diverse as she is eclectic in her masterful writing style, you simply cannot go wrong with this marvelous collection of short stories. if you enjoy this, you may also like her her book called faithless: tales of transgression or haunted which are also excellent choices. modern day horror writers like koontz or king should be taking notes &/ or attending workshops that this woman may offer. unpleasant reading, my friends. enjoy!
Rating: Summary: Deluxe gothic escapade Review: Joyce Carol Oates is simply one of the best writers working today in any genre, any language. This book is a great collection of miniatures to complement her wonderful and engrossing novels. For lovers of the thrill, or of good writing, this could prove a excellent ocassion to discover the great Oates. Like all of her work, highly recommended.
Rating: Summary: Runs deeper than your average horror tale Review: Oates' stories in "The Collector of Hearts" are billed as grotesque, but the stories are not grotesque in the usual sense. Rather, it is the sense of foreboding, of struggling to conquer childhood hurts and broken relationships, that provide the horror in these tales. These are not stories you read for a good scare, so much as to get a sense of what in our ordinary lives might be horrific. One drawback -- the characters in these stories start to look and sound alike after awhile.
Rating: Summary: Runs deeper than your average horror tale Review: Oates' stories in "The Collector of Hearts" are billed as grotesque, but the stories are not grotesque in the usual sense. Rather, it is the sense of foreboding, of struggling to conquer childhood hurts and broken relationships, that provide the horror in these tales. These are not stories you read for a good scare, so much as to get a sense of what in our ordinary lives might be horrific. One drawback -- the characters in these stories start to look and sound alike after awhile.
Rating: Summary: Runs deeper than your average horror tale Review: Oates' stories in "The Collector of Hearts" are billed as grotesque, but the stories are not grotesque in the usual sense. Rather, it is the sense of foreboding, of struggling to conquer childhood hurts and broken relationships, that provide the horror in these tales. These are not stories you read for a good scare, so much as to get a sense of what in our ordinary lives might be horrific. One drawback -- the characters in these stories start to look and sound alike after awhile.
Rating: Summary: A horror anthology that scares the h_ll out of you Review: This morbid short story collection is not for the faint of heart as the talented Joyce Carol Oates makes her tales of horror seem so real that they could occur to any of us. The tales, for the most part, center around human phobias such as the fears of death and separation. The better stories are those that have a Homo Sapien as the ogre because they feel so frighteningly genuine. The few tales that include an otherworldly creature are also well-written, but pale when compared to the human monster.One of the all time leading American short story writers, Ms. Oates shows she still is at the top of her game with her latest book, a worthy continuation of HAUNTED, a fabulous short story collection. Any reader who enjoys the macabre will take pleasure with Ms. Oates, current horror anthology. Harriet Klausner
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