Vampires in the Lemon Grove by Karen Russell

Vampires in the Lemon Grove by Karen Russell

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Goodreads Synopsis:

From the author of the instant New York Times best seller Swamplandia! (a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize), a dazzling new collection of stories that showcases Karen Russell's gifts at their inimitable best.

In the collection's marvelous title story, two aging vampires in a sun-drenched Italian lemon grove find their hundred-year marriage tested when one of them develops a fear of flying. In "The Seagull Army Descends on Strong Beach, 1979," a dejected teenager discovers that the universe is communicating with him through talismanic objects left in a seagull's nest. "Proving Up" and "The Graveless Doll of Eric Mutis"--stories of children left to fend for themselves in dire predicaments--find Russell veering into more sinister territory, and ultimately crossing the line into full-scale horror. In "The New Veterans," a massage therapist working with a tattooed war veteran discovers she has the power to heal by manipulating the images on his body. In all, these wondrous new pieces display a young writer of superlative originality and invention coming into the full range and scale of her powers.

List of Stories and Readers:
"Vampires in the Lemon "Grove read by Arthur Morey
"Reeling for the Empire" read by Joy Osmanski
"The Seagull Army Descends on Strong Beach, 1979" read by Kaleo Griffith
"Proving Up" read by Jesse Bernstein
"The Barn at the End of Our "Term read by Mark Bramhall
"Dougbert Shackleton's Rules of Antarctic Tailgating" read by Michael Bybee
"The New Veterans" read by Romy Rosemont
"The Graveless Doll of Eric Mutis" read by Robbie Daymond

My Review:

I really enjoyed the stories. They were detailed and really spun a picture in my mind. I felt the author provided more insight into the stories than a normal novel. There were a lot of endings that were not wrapped up into a nice and neat package. However, I feel that was part of the magic, you could finish off the story in your head to your liking. I haven't read a book of short stories in a while, and then they were more mystery (Agatha Christie) not a broad range of stories. I will definitely be open to reading another similar book.

Favorite Quotes:

“I wanted to touch the edges of my life - the same instinct, I think, that inspires young mortals to flip tractors and enlist in foreign wars.”

“There is a loneliness that must be particular to monsters, I think, the feeling that each is the only child of a species. And now that loneliness was over.”

Read from May 01 to June 24, 2013

Top 5 Genres*: Short Stories, Fiction, Fantasy, Magical Realism, Horror
*According to Goodreads
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My ratings system
5 stars - I absolutely loved it
4 stars - Good book and would recommend
3 stars - Decent book, but wasn't spectacular
2 stars - Not good, but was able to finish it
1 stars - Did not finish (DNF) and I don't usually rate a book I haven't finished (just to be fair to the author)

View all my reviews