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Post by dem bones on Nov 5, 2012 0:03:51 GMT
Angela Carter - The Bloody Chamber (Vintage, 2006: originally Gollancz, 1979) Helen Simpson - Introduction
The Bloody Chamber The Courtship Of Mr. Lyon The Tiger's Bride Puss-In-Boots The Erl-King The Snow Child The Lady In The House Of Love The Werewolf The Company Of Wolves Wolf-AliceBlurb: From familiar fairy tales and legends — Red Riding Hood, Bluebeard, Puss in Boots, Beauty and the Beast, vampires and werewolves —Angela Carter has created an absorbing collection of dark, sensual, fantastic stories.
"She can glide from ancient to modern, from darkness to luminosity, from depravity to comedy without any hint of strain and without losing the elusive power of the original tales' The Times
'Magnificent set pieces of fastidious sensuality' - Ian McEwanIf it's good enough for Katie-Jane Garside, it's sure as hell good enough for me. Used to see second-hand copies of The Bloody Chamber around a lot, kept meaning to, didn't get around to it, slightly put off by lit. luvvies raving about it as am suspicious their recommendations will equate one excruciating reading experience for chav-at-the-controls here. And then I came under the spell of The Lady of the House of Love, and of course, the glut of used copies vanished from usual haunts overnight. This edition is marked up at £8.99 (not for nothing are they called "Vintage") so you're best advised to hang out for a charity shop/ car boot result. Or you would be, if you didn't already own a copy.
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sara
Crab On The Rampage
Posts: 69
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Post by sara on Nov 11, 2012 18:55:37 GMT
The Bloody Chamber is bloody brilliant! And well worth looking out for. Here's some more ‘vintage’ Carter: If I was reviewing this, I’d likely describe it as a dark, lusciously written slice of bohemian gothic or some other such twaddle but I’m sure someone else already has. Suffice to say it’s a good book.
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Post by dem bones on Nov 11, 2012 21:18:44 GMT
The Bloody Chamber is bloody brilliant! And well worth looking out for. Have been dying to make a start on the title novella, but my 'to read' pile is now so stupidly out of hand, the only way I've been able to make any sense of it is to separate the books into categories. (1) single author collections & anthologies on the go; (2) old favourites, rematch long overdue; (3) recommended by "discerning" board members, especially if likely to be entirely lacking in redeeming values; (4) unknown quantities, but my spidy sense (or lurid title/ artwork/ blurb) tells me they'll hit the spot; (5) authors whose work have previously enjoyed; (6) I only got you for the cover anyway. The Bloody Chamber makes pile 1, but it will have to wait it's turn behind the Paul Finch, Thana Niveau, and Mary Danby collections am currently engrossed in. That's sodding FantasyCon for you. It has a way of messing with even those of us who wouldn't be seen dead there. Hardly anything the rest of the year, but then everyone launches their latest at the same time. Which is how comes I've only given Terror Tales Of East Anglia the most fleeting of glimpses, when usually I'd have polished it off inside a week, tops. Anyway, have since sampled the very short (three page) Red Riding Hood variation The Werewolf, and it's delightfully horrible. Not sure why, but, the killer, thoroughly modern last line didn't do it for me at first, but it's actually laugh out loud funny.
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Post by jayaprakash on Nov 12, 2012 2:00:15 GMT
Love was an interesting novel too. I like what I've read by Carter so much I've stockpiled her novels and dole them out to myself every other year or so as there aren't going to be any more.
Her short story collection Black Venus should be of interest to horror fans too, it has a great story featuring Poe and a brilliant take on Baudelaire's mistress.
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