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3.75 stars
Thank you to @penguinrandomhouse for gifting me this copy of Florida by Lauren Groff to read and review! I’d been intrigued by Groff’s work after seeing a few people loving this collection on Instagram, and while a few of the stories were weaker than others, I’m glad to say that overall I enjoyed it!
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Throughout the whole collection there is the major overarching theme of women feeling unsettled or unsuited in their roles as wives and mothers, which is something that I always find fascinating to read about. Weirdly enough my favourite story in the book, Above and Below, does not address this theme, but the protagonist runs out of money and becomes homeless, so it’s another case of being displaced.
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Other standouts were Ghosts & Empties (a woman afraid of her heightening temper who takes long walks around her neighbourhood at night to blow off steam), The Midnight Zone (a mother with concussion and her two sons are trapped in their cabin while a panther prowls outside), and Snake Stories (a mother so desperate to escape her abusive husband with tragic consequences), but I’d say all of the stories had some merit even if they weren’t the most memorable.
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Of course, Florida plays a large part in this collection, its sultry, swampy, in many ways dangerous presence constantly lurking in the background, the heat affecting the characters, its wildlife invading their homes, and, in some cases where the protagonists leave the state, Florida and all they left behind is always there in the back of their minds.
.
Groff’s writing is also beautiful, with an airy feel to it even when she’s describing the oppressive atmosphere of the Florida, which provides a nice little contrast!
Thank you to @penguinrandomhouse for gifting me this copy of Florida by Lauren Groff to read and review! I’d been intrigued by Groff’s work after seeing a few people loving this collection on Instagram, and while a few of the stories were weaker than others, I’m glad to say that overall I enjoyed it!
.
Throughout the whole collection there is the major overarching theme of women feeling unsettled or unsuited in their roles as wives and mothers, which is something that I always find fascinating to read about. Weirdly enough my favourite story in the book, Above and Below, does not address this theme, but the protagonist runs out of money and becomes homeless, so it’s another case of being displaced.
.
Other standouts were Ghosts & Empties (a woman afraid of her heightening temper who takes long walks around her neighbourhood at night to blow off steam), The Midnight Zone (a mother with concussion and her two sons are trapped in their cabin while a panther prowls outside), and Snake Stories (a mother so desperate to escape her abusive husband with tragic consequences), but I’d say all of the stories had some merit even if they weren’t the most memorable.
.
Of course, Florida plays a large part in this collection, its sultry, swampy, in many ways dangerous presence constantly lurking in the background, the heat affecting the characters, its wildlife invading their homes, and, in some cases where the protagonists leave the state, Florida and all they left behind is always there in the back of their minds.
.
Groff’s writing is also beautiful, with an airy feel to it even when she’s describing the oppressive atmosphere of the Florida, which provides a nice little contrast!