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Blood Roses
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
Format:Hardcover
On Francesca Lia Block's website, there are a bunch of words lumped together, reminding me of magnetic poetry that has been used to describe her work. I couldn't agree more with the words reviewers have used. The one word that kept jumping out at me while reading this was lyrical. I was looking for a word to describe what I thought about her newest literary novella, BLOOD ROSES, and that describes it perfectly. Surreal and dreamy would be good adjectives to use, as well.
The book is broken up into nine short stories. All of the stories deal with a transformation of some sort, whether it is physical or emotional. Not once in any of her stories is the magical element questioned - it is just accepted. My favorite story out of all of them is called Skin Art. Basically, it is about the all-consuming power of first love and how, after time has passed, it is not as great as once thought.
Easy to read, this little book sucks you in, especially if you are a fan of thought-provoking fantasy, as Ms. Block straddles the line between the worlds of magic and reality. The stories seem very personal, emotional; even, at times, irrational. You definitely can't argue with the quality of writing - Francesca Lia Block is a very good writer, but with that said she is not for everyone.
People that are into the art scene will enjoy her work, as well as those who like to analyze dreams, as the stories are rich in sensory detail. Hail to the queen of magical realism.
Reviewed by: coollibrarianchick
The book is broken up into nine short stories. All of the stories deal with a transformation of some sort, whether it is physical or emotional. Not once in any of her stories is the magical element questioned - it is just accepted. My favorite story out of all of them is called Skin Art. Basically, it is about the all-consuming power of first love and how, after time has passed, it is not as great as once thought.
Easy to read, this little book sucks you in, especially if you are a fan of thought-provoking fantasy, as Ms. Block straddles the line between the worlds of magic and reality. The stories seem very personal, emotional; even, at times, irrational. You definitely can't argue with the quality of writing - Francesca Lia Block is a very good writer, but with that said she is not for everyone.
People that are into the art scene will enjoy her work, as well as those who like to analyze dreams, as the stories are rich in sensory detail. Hail to the queen of magical realism.
Reviewed by: coollibrarianchick
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
9 reviews
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Courtesy of Teens Read Too
20 May 2008
Format:Hardcover
On Francesca Lia Block's website, there are a bunch of words lumped together, reminding me of magnetic poetry that has been used to describe her work. I couldn't agree more with the words reviewers have used. The one word that kept jumping out at me while reading this was lyrical. I was looking for a word to describe what I thought about her newest literary novella, BLOOD ROSES, and that describes it perfectly. Surreal and dreamy would be good adjectives to use, as well.
The book is broken up into nine short stories. All of the stories deal with a transformation of some sort, whether it is physical or emotional. Not once in any of her stories is the magical element questioned - it is just accepted. My favorite story out of all of them is called Skin Art. Basically, it is about the all-consuming power of first love and how, after time has passed, it is not as great as once thought.
Easy to read, this little book sucks you in, especially if you are a fan of thought-provoking fantasy, as Ms. Block straddles the line between the worlds of magic and reality. The stories seem very personal, emotional; even, at times, irrational. You definitely can't argue with the quality of writing - Francesca Lia Block is a very good writer, but with that said she is not for everyone.
People that are into the art scene will enjoy her work, as well as those who like to analyze dreams, as the stories are rich in sensory detail. Hail to the queen of magical realism.
Reviewed by: coollibrarianchick
The book is broken up into nine short stories. All of the stories deal with a transformation of some sort, whether it is physical or emotional. Not once in any of her stories is the magical element questioned - it is just accepted. My favorite story out of all of them is called Skin Art. Basically, it is about the all-consuming power of first love and how, after time has passed, it is not as great as once thought.
Easy to read, this little book sucks you in, especially if you are a fan of thought-provoking fantasy, as Ms. Block straddles the line between the worlds of magic and reality. The stories seem very personal, emotional; even, at times, irrational. You definitely can't argue with the quality of writing - Francesca Lia Block is a very good writer, but with that said she is not for everyone.
People that are into the art scene will enjoy her work, as well as those who like to analyze dreams, as the stories are rich in sensory detail. Hail to the queen of magical realism.
Reviewed by: coollibrarianchick
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Better than most others but not my favorite from Block
15 Oct 2008
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
In Blood Roses Francesca Lia Block does what she does well--writes evocatively, using poetic language to create a lush mood. Blending fantasy with reality, most of the characters in these short, short stories are young girls who live on the west coast of the United States. The tone and occasional reappearance of characters, from earlier stories in the text, result in a tight focus of mood and moment.
This works wonderfully in her novels but not quite so well in her short story collections. Because almost every story is told in the same voice, the stories barely stand out one from the other. Beautifully written, any one would stand out from another writer's short stories but it is hard to find one from this collection that stands out from the others.
Nevertheless, the images are so rich that it is hard to not recall them all as the protagonists from each story seek to find meaning. And Block, who is not afraid to address some of the more frightening aspects of adolescent reality, does so with a fairy tale elegance that cloaks the darkness in beautiful prose. In this, she is harkening back to the tradition of bedtime stories where children were taught to fear through stories. However, her stories are not meant to inspire fear but to offer healing of psychic and spiritual wounds.
So, although this is not my favorite of Block's many books, it is still superior to most young adult literature.
This works wonderfully in her novels but not quite so well in her short story collections. Because almost every story is told in the same voice, the stories barely stand out one from the other. Beautifully written, any one would stand out from another writer's short stories but it is hard to find one from this collection that stands out from the others.
Nevertheless, the images are so rich that it is hard to not recall them all as the protagonists from each story seek to find meaning. And Block, who is not afraid to address some of the more frightening aspects of adolescent reality, does so with a fairy tale elegance that cloaks the darkness in beautiful prose. In this, she is harkening back to the tradition of bedtime stories where children were taught to fear through stories. However, her stories are not meant to inspire fear but to offer healing of psychic and spiritual wounds.
So, although this is not my favorite of Block's many books, it is still superior to most young adult literature.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
probably for fans only...
12 Aug 2008
Format:Hardcover
I adore Block's work. Although it sometimes seems very abstract, the imagery and flow of her words is absolutely gorgeous. My favorite story in this particular book was Skin Art.
That said, I wouldn't recommend this to people who weren't fans of Block already. In some ways, it's more difficult to read (although shorter) than her other works.
That said, I wouldn't recommend this to people who weren't fans of Block already. In some ways, it's more difficult to read (although shorter) than her other works.
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