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wordsofclover 's review for:
Orange Horses
by Maeve Kelly
I received a free copy of this book from Tramp Press in exchange for an honest review.
Wow oh wow. This is the best short story collection I’ve ever read, and the only one who keep me hooked onto a book from start to finish, as I’m not one to read an awful lot of short story collections but this one hit me where it matters.
Orange Horses is a bunch of different stories about different women in Irish society, many of them marginalised. There’s a focus on the tough life of a farmer’s wife/daughter, as well as late marriages, late pregnancies, infertility, domestic abuse, and sometimes just being Irish in an English society. I loved almost every single story, and each one had points in it that just took y breath away with its honesty and raw feeling.
Journey Home was one of my favourite stories - just for the ferocity and justified anger in Maura. I loved the images this story delivered to me of her driving her car at top speed down the country lane with the kids and sister-in-law screaming in the back.
Orange Horses was a beautiful story in all its broken pieces. I really felt for the mother who just had to accept the abuse she received from her husband. I also thought the points raised in this story in the value of sons vs daughters in Irish society, particularly the traveling community, was excellent. I think this story also was open ended in that the reader could decide what happened.
Parasites was something that I feel would resonate a lot with today’s more ‘woke’ society - the Louise O’Neill generation if you will. I really loved it.
The Vain Woman was one of the longest stories of the lot but one of the most powerful, beautiful and saddest of them. The wife in this story gained so much in knowledge, confidence and experience and almost found a deep love and passion again but had it taken away by her husband when he used her children as bartering tools, as happens in real life all the time.
Those were just some of my favourites but I would strongly urge everyone to read this book, especially if you like stories written by women about women for women, about struggle and acceptance, of being beaten down but staying strong. Just the pure strength that comes from being born a woman in a society that prefers men. This is just a wonderful collection of work.
Wow oh wow. This is the best short story collection I’ve ever read, and the only one who keep me hooked onto a book from start to finish, as I’m not one to read an awful lot of short story collections but this one hit me where it matters.
Orange Horses is a bunch of different stories about different women in Irish society, many of them marginalised. There’s a focus on the tough life of a farmer’s wife/daughter, as well as late marriages, late pregnancies, infertility, domestic abuse, and sometimes just being Irish in an English society. I loved almost every single story, and each one had points in it that just took y breath away with its honesty and raw feeling.
Journey Home was one of my favourite stories - just for the ferocity and justified anger in Maura. I loved the images this story delivered to me of her driving her car at top speed down the country lane with the kids and sister-in-law screaming in the back.
Orange Horses was a beautiful story in all its broken pieces. I really felt for the mother who just had to accept the abuse she received from her husband. I also thought the points raised in this story in the value of sons vs daughters in Irish society, particularly the traveling community, was excellent. I think this story also was open ended in that the reader could decide what happened.
Parasites was something that I feel would resonate a lot with today’s more ‘woke’ society - the Louise O’Neill generation if you will. I really loved it.
The Vain Woman was one of the longest stories of the lot but one of the most powerful, beautiful and saddest of them. The wife in this story gained so much in knowledge, confidence and experience and almost found a deep love and passion again but had it taken away by her husband when he used her children as bartering tools, as happens in real life all the time.
Those were just some of my favourites but I would strongly urge everyone to read this book, especially if you like stories written by women about women for women, about struggle and acceptance, of being beaten down but staying strong. Just the pure strength that comes from being born a woman in a society that prefers men. This is just a wonderful collection of work.