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Loading... The Boughs Withered (When I Told Them My Dreams) (2019)by Maura McHugh
None No current Talk conversations about this book.   This review was written for LibraryThing Early Reviewers. ) jenny_acc | Jan 13, 2020 |  This review was written for LibraryThing Early Reviewers.Early reviewer from Library-thing I was not familiar with this author when I started to read this collection, which in some ways colors this review; but I knew from the very first paragraph that she has an enchanting (if dark) voice. She weaves a story like a spider weaves its web—the deeper you venture in, the less chance you have of putting it down. All starts innocently enough with plausible scenarios that are only a little wonky. The more hints she drops, the more your curiosity is piqued until by the end you kind of just sit there and question what just happened. Sometimes, she takes familiar stories and rewrites them from an alternate point of view. Or she will flesh out legends that are only approached in whispers. Some stories border upon being “urban legends” in a rural setting. Wherever the author decides to take the reader there is enough trust on her part to refrain from spelling things out in detail and thereby letting the reader chuckle at his own gullibility. She lets you hang struggling for a sure foot hold that might clarify her ideas. She does write some strange stories, but I liked them—they are not run of the mill in any way. ( ) Leano | Jan 2, 2020 | This review was written for LibraryThing Early Reviewers.Recommended Maddz | Nov 6, 2019 | no reviews | add a review
Awards
The Boughs Withered is the debut collection from accomplished Irish author Maura McHugh. It includes twenty tales - four of them original to the volume - which represent the best strange visions from an award-winning writer of fiction, non-fiction, comic books and plays. Among the featured stories is "Bone Mother", which was adapted into the award-winning stop-motion animated short film by See Creature in Canada. In her horror and dark fantasy stories, Maura McHugh explores her love of the uncanny, delves into the eerie past, and evokes weird landscapes that might just co-exist with our own. "These stories [are] made to last, reaching deep into myth-pools for eternal, primal treasures." - Kim Newman "Maura McHugh's gloriously twisted, tale-spinning imagination entwines and embraces the reader like dark ivy." - Ian R. MacLeod "Hauntings, dark pacts and ancient gods are brought into the here and now by Maura McHugh's peculiar magic." - Priya Sharma "Maura McHugh's stories are hugely enjoyable. Her insight and compassion, combined with a fresh, engaging voice, make her monsters, marvels and myths stand out in a crowded field." - Lisa Tuttle Contents: 1. Introduction by Kim Newman 2. Vic 3. Who Hears Our Cries in Forgotten Tongues? 4. The Boughs Withered When I Told Them My Dreams 5. The Light at the Centre 6. A Rebellious House 7. Beautiful Calamity 8. Home 9. Moments on the Cliff 10. The Gift of the Sea 11. Suspension 12. The Tamga 13. Spooky Girl 14. The Hanging Tree 15. The Diet 16. Involuntary Muscle 17. Family 18. Wake the Dead 19. Y 20. Bone Mother 21. Water 22. Author's Afterword No library descriptions found. |
LibraryThing Early Reviewers AlumMaura McHugh's book The Boughs Withered was available from LibraryThing Early Reviewers.  Current DiscussionsNonePopular covers
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