Fragile Things: Short Fictions and Wonders

Позвольте мне рассказать вам историю... Нет, стойте, одной будет недостаточно.Еще одна попытка?Позвольте мне рассказать вам истории о месяцах года, о призраках и разбитом сердце, о страхе и желании. Позвольте мне рассказать вам о выпивке в неурочное время и о неотвеченных телефонных звонках, о добрых делах и паршивых днях, о разрушении и восстановлении, о прогулках мертвецов и потерянных отцах, о маленьких show more французских леди в Майами, о доверии волков и о том, как разговаривать с девочками.Есть истории внутри историй, нашептываемые в тишине ночи или выкрикиваемые в шуме дня, разыгрываемые между любовниками и врагами, незнакомцами и друзьями. Но все, все они - Хрупкие вещи, скроенные всего из 26 букв, переставляемых вновь и вновь, чтобы родились сказки и грезы. И если вы позволите им, они ослепят ваши чувства, растревожат ваше воображение и раскроют перед вами сокровенные глубины вашей д... show less

Can I appreciate Gaiman's shorts more than his novels? Mostly it doesn't seem so. He and Vonnegut both have this way of looking sideways at the edge of reality that I don't like because I find it so bewildering... if there's a point, make it. I especially don't like that I can't quite see the difference between the sex scenes and the horror scenes, as in, do these people love or respect each other, or are they sadists?

But I do like the story *Goliath* here. "'Not in real life,' he said, 'That's just in the world.'"

And *The Problem of Susan* has some great ideas about children's literature. "It's difficult to read [b:The Water Babies|42573|The Water Babies|Charles show more Kingsley|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1400956374l/42573._SY75_.jpg|2918668] without wincing [because it's so sanctimonious]." And children's art, how "artists used to draw children... as adults, only smaller, without considering the child's proportions."

"The Runt was a 10 year old, small, with a runny nose and a blank expression. If you were to try and pick him out of a group of boys, you'd be wrong. He'd be the other one. Over at the side. The one your eye slipped over." I liked that story, *October in the Chair,* well enough, too.

But I did skip a few, and skim a few others. They just got too weird for me.

So, yeah, no, no more Gaiman for me, I think. Except some of his picture books. show less

Once upon a time I was in love with Neil Gaiman. I happily devoured Neverwhere, Stardust and Smoke and Mirrors. Then our relationship hit a rough patch. I hated Good Omens, Anansi Boys and American Gods. So when I started to hear the buzz around Fragile Things I didn't rush out a get a copy. I was a little reluctant to try it. I guess I considered it the last bridge of the relationship, once you cross it there's no going back. The beginning of the book got off to a great start. I really enjoyed October in the Chair and A Study in Emerald (if only Gaiman wrote more Sherlock Holmes!) Now for the bad news... nothing else in the book appealed to me. I fear the relationship is over.

This is one of the hardest books to review that I've come across. A few of these stories are really good, examples being October in the Chair and Sunbird. However, there are several that are just not very well thought out, and several that disturbed me enough to make me wonder if I want to read any more of Gaiman's work. If you believe that God is evil, then you will love The Problem of Susan. If you don't, then this story will seriously make you nauseous--it's one of the most truly perverted things I've ever come across. And if you don't want to know what's in the mind of a person with no scruples of any kind (little girls are his sexual preference, for instance), avoid Treasures and Momentos at all costs. However, if you are a show more Sherlockian, you will want to borrow this book and read A Study in Emerald--it puts a whole new twist on Doyle's classic story and has an ending you won't see coming!

Overall, I'd recommend checking this one out from a library or borrowing it from a friend--and then skipping most of the stories. If you are wondering if this will be appropriate for a child because of Gaiman's The Graveyard Book and Coraline--the answer is emphatically NO! Many of these stories are filled with explicit sex and foul language, as well as a sort of disrespectful attitude towards everything and everyone. After reading works like The Anansi Boys, which is so filled with positive messages and truly inspired, magical imagery, Fragile Things comes as quite a nasty shock. show less

A thematic set of short stories that focuses on intimate and revealing moments. The collection is full of so many conflicting feelings, expectations, results, disturbing details, and effluence. It's Gaiman attempting to reach for something literary-- and that is always to be commended.

3.5

I love Neil Gaiman but this was a struggle to get through. The two best stories are at the beginning and the end. I loved A Study in Emerald, How To Talk To Girls At Parties, and the Monarch of the Glen but the rest bored me.

It isn't that the other stories are bad, Gaiman continues to write beautiful prose but none of that characters really stood out. Basically it came down to not caring what happened in the stories.

The Monarch of the Glen just made me crave for more stories about Shadow. I know he isn't the most popular of Neil Gaiman's characters but there's something about Shadow that speaks to me, plus I am a sucker for Beowulf.

It doesn't help that I have never been to fond of short stories in general. Give me a 700 page novel show more anyday versus any short story. show less

Short story collections tend to be pretty hit or miss for me. I adore Jhumpa Lahiri’s work, but have been disappointed by collections with numerous authors. To me, they often feel like scraps or half-baked ideas tossed together in no discernable order. But when they’re done right, each story works as a stand alone, but also flows well with the rest of the collection.

I’m a sucker for Gaiman’s work, because his stories have a way of getting under my skin, in a good way. I can’t say I loved Fragile Things, but I did love some of the individual stories it contains. Even when the story itself wasn’t memorable, some of his phrases or characters were, which is a testament to Gaiman’s skill as a storyteller.

There were some show more pieces I liked more than others. I didn’t care for “Keepsakes and Treasures,” but thought the Sherlock Holmes-inspired tale, “A Study in Emerald,” was wonderful. I loved “The Facts in the Case of the Departure of Miss Finch," which is cheerfully dark, an odd balance only Gaiman seems to be able to pull off.

Another good one was a, spooky story, which follows a boy who runs away from home and meets a ghost. It felt like a precursor for The Graveyard Book. Fragile Things also contains a poem that I love, “Instructions,” which has since been turned into an illustrated children’s book.

This collection is best known for two stories; one featuring Shadow, the main character from American Gods, and the other is about Susan from the Narnia books. To be honest, these sections were two of my least favorite in the book, neither really worked for me.

If you’re already a fan of Gaiman’s work, I’d recommend this collection. For those hoping to try something of his, don’t start here, instead try Stardust, The Graveyard Book or the marvelous audio version of Anansi Boys. show less