Playing Sardines
by Michèle Roberts
On This Page
Description
Playing Sardines - a game in the dark, a game about desire, about wanting, all whipped up in a tale about the erotic allure of recipes: a cook whose obsessive love turns hungry and dangerous; a fan who tries to get into a celebrity novelist's sheets; a fanatical dieter and maker of lists working out how to deal with a husband who snores; a faddy eater thrown off-course by a miracle; a child greedy for love who faces up to her demon of jealousy - just some of the characters who shape this show more wonderful collection. Women yearning for what they haven't got - prepared to be wily, deceptive, cunning and perverse - all these strategies for survival in love and life are deployed here to mouth-watering effect. show lessTags
Recommendations
Member Reviews
This collection of short stories reads almost like an experiment in sensuality. Many of the stories focus on food, describing in detail the textures, colors, aromas, and colors of various dishes. Others describe in detail the beauty of objets d'art or even the beauty of everyday things. Still others wallow in the sensuality of love and sex. Even religion is approached through the senses. Most of Roberts's protagonists are in rather bittersweet--if not simply bitter--situations, but they seem to be redeemed by their sensual memories.
While this is not the best of Roberts's works that I have read, it was certainly interesting.
While this is not the best of Roberts's works that I have read, it was certainly interesting.
I'm reading Playing Sardines by Michèle Roberts. A collection of short stories. Rather patchy, but the best stories are very good. I never read her before and I'm enjoying the prose and her extraordinary imagination. She often plays for amusement when a lesser writer would go for the outright laugh and her best characters appear quiet and understated, managing to conceal their voluptuousness and sensuality, at least for a while.
Intelligent, literary stories with a carefully calculated variety of tone and subject.
Ratings
Members
- Recently Added By
Author Information
34+ Works 1,683 Members
Poet and novelist Michele Roberts was born in Hertfordshire, England and graduated from Oxford University. She has written two volumes of poetry (The Mirror of the Mother and Psyche and the Hurricane), a collection of short stories (During Mother's Absence) and several novels (including Daughters of the House, winner of the W. H. Smith Literary show more Award). (Bowker Author Biography) Half English & half French, Michele Roberts divides her time between London & Mayenne, France. She is the author of eleven highly acclaimed novels, including "Fair Exchange" & "Daughters of the House", which won the WH Smith Literary Award & was shortlisted for the Booker Prize. (Publisher Provided) show less
Common Knowledge
- Original publication date
- 2001
- Dedication
- In memoriam Lorna Sage
Classifications
Statistics
- Members
- 97
- Popularity
- 333,397
- Reviews
- 3
- Rating
- (3.27)
- Languages
- English
- Media
- Paper, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 2
- ASINs
- 2
