Girl Goddess #9 : Nine Stories

Rating:
Summary: Superb..
Review: "Dragons in Manhattan is the best of them all. I LOVED THIS BOOK! What is this book about? Well, its basically 9 short stories about girls. With Block's great "style" of writing. I think you will agree with me, after reading the book that the best short story you have ever read is "Dragons in Manhattan." I loved this book. If you are a Block person..this one is really for you!

Rating:
Summary: Creative and intriguing stories of "Girl Goddesses"...
Review: Though I did quite enjoy reading this book, I think it might have been my least favourite, so far, of her works that I have read. In fact, the story which this book was named for was probably the one I favoured the least - it was simply too shallow and juvenile for my taste. Though, of course, it isn't fair for one to expect the same character development, depth, and overall appeal of a full-length novel (as opposed to several short stories). The same lavish, aesthetic imagery grace the pages of these stories, creating a divinely brilliant, whimiscal world of beauty and art combined with realistic, universal themes of love, acceptance, truth, and self-discovery. Despite my feeling that it lacks a certain depth that some of her other books have seemed to achieve, I quite enjoyed indulging in another of Block's strangely brilliant works, and would recommend it to anyone who finds fantasy, glamour, darkness, and the strange and bizarre appealing...

Rating:
Summary: Goddesses become girls
Review: In "Pixie and Pony" a seemingly trite, even shallow emotional need is shown to be an important part of a sensitive young person's life-- the need to call someone her best friend. That story is one of the less dramatic pieces in this collection, but it resonates the more you read it. And it's one of the most lyrically written stories in the bunch, which is high praise considering the lush profusion of sights, sounds and smells evoked in these pages. Those who have attempted Block's novels and found them too overwhelmingly whimsical might want to give these stories a shot-- in the shorter format, Block can scale down some of the name-dropping catalogs of cool and focus in on the emotions at the heart of her tales. The novella-length "Dragons in Manhattan" tackles some of the themes of the middle Weetzie Bat books, but with more directness and a somewhat brisker sense of humor, thanks to our heroine Tuck and her hilariously-titled dances. The title story gives probably the first evidence of a sense of irony from this author-- and it's refreshing to see some of her heroines' pretensions get popped, while leaving their self-respect intact and even heightened. "Blue" and "Rave" are the most devastating stories here; "Rave" concerns a doomed groupie and the narrator who loves her-- the epilogue is particularly rich in its evocation of the emotional aftershocks of his relationship with her. "Blue" is more hopeful, but also even more painful in its depiction of a cavernous loneliness-- it's one of the best short stories of our time. The final story "Orpheus" relates to the experiences of the twenties, bringing the collection to an ambiguous conclusion--though, judging from the autobiographical hints, everything comes out right in the end. Like the bulk of Block's output, this is already a staple of adolescent reading lists, but this is also on the short list of her books with the most appeal for a wider audience; it's probably the best single-volume introduction to this fertile imagination.

Rating:
Summary: FLB Stunning again
Review: These nine stories are made for both teens and adults, its very easy to get into and fall in love with it; with its off beat charachters and fresh new language style I fell in love with it almost immeadiatly, a must for any FLB lvoer out there.

Rating:
Summary: A Girl's Review
Review: Girl Goddess #9 is a real life fairy tale. It tells about things that really happen but you never think will happen to you. This book lets you get to know the characters, as well as the setting. There are 9 different stories about different situations. The story I like the best was "Dragons in Manhattan" because it says that no matter what your parents look like they still love you. I would recommend this book to someone who doesn't have a problem with the sexuality of someone.

Rating:
Summary: Okay...
Review: This book was okay. The best story was "La" which was the saddest and had the most complete ending. I wouldn't reccomend this to everyone. Probably not to little kids. But I couldn't put the book down!

Rating:
Summary: A Great Book!
Review: This book, like all of FLB's books, was great! All of the stories were different. They were all very good and inspiring, in their own ways. My favorites were "Tweetie Sweet Pea" and "Blue". I liked "Tweetie Sweet Pea" because it reminded me so much of me and my sister when we were young. Two innocent little girls, who havent felt real pain yet. Even though this story is only about Tweetie and Peachy Pie when they are young, you know by things that are said and thoguht that they arent far away from growing up and realizing all the pain in the world. It was written from a childs point of view, from a childs magic world. Its real bittersweet. "Blue" is hard to understand and harder to explain, but I loved it because it was very sad and strange. I cried when I read about La's mother and what she went through being trapped inside her mind. I loved that story, but it gave me nightmares! Seriously, when I finished the story, that same night, I dreamed about closet demons and a little blue person!!! All the other stories are great too, and if you havent read it, DO!

Rating:
Summary: Intoxicating
Review: The 9 nine stories in this book are awesome. Tenderly intoxicating and brilliant, Block is my favorite author. The stories tell of people who are unforgettable: Raven, Blue, La, Lady Ivory...you will never forget this book and like me you'll read it several times. So buy it and remember it! I have it and it's so worn out from being read you can barely read the cover! That outghta tell you something!

Rating:
Summary: Great collection of Short Stories
Review: One of the things I love about Francesca Lia Block is that she ventures into emotional terrain where few authors dare to go. Her writing often has to be understood intuitively to be understood at all. Although some of her short stories lack focus, this is still the best collection of short stories I've ever read.

Rating:
Summary: Out of 5 stars, this one gets 10.
Review: What a beautiful collection of stories from the contempary classic, Ms. Block. Each transcedecent tale is richly told with heart and humor. Each story with make you feel lifted, every time you read and re-read it. Some of these stories made me cry, they are that good! If you are breathing, you need to read this book. It is essential for every growing "teen" and woman in her 20's that this book is read. BUY IT NOW!