Carole´s Monday: Girl Country

 

Author: Jacqueline Vogtman

Title: Girl Country

Genre: Anthology, Short stories, Fiction, Fantasy

Format: Paperback

Pages: 200

Published: May 16, 2023

Where I Got It: My shelf (Publisher/author for my unbiased and honest opinion)

Summary: 

A near-future farmer battling environmental crises takes in

a mysterious girl he finds on the roadside. A bus driver navigates through treacherous weather and memories of her tragic past as she races to save children from the end of the world. A woman keeps giving birth to children from different time periods. And a woman struggles with her young daughter mysteriously transforming into something wild and unruly, confronting themes of motherhood and family.

In Girl Country , stories range from medieval Belgium to the near-future of the American Midwest, populated by

mothers and monsters, mermaids and milkmaids, nuns and bus drivers—women in

every walk of life, but particularly working-class women, navigating the

intersection of the mundane and the magical. Perfect for fans of Orange World

and Animal Wife , these are stories about women with teeth—wild and

alive.

Review:

There is something about that cover that had me wanting to read the summary. Once I read the summary I KNEW I had to check this book out. Plus I can't remember when I last read an anthology...it has been a hot min....

Girl Country

This was one heck of an opener. It was really good, but also really, really sad. I wish we got more! Oof, that ending and those poor women? Creepppppyyyyyy! 4 stars

Once Bound for Earth

Again...I want more from this one! I feel like this could be a full story. What happens next???????? But yes, very good. Liked it a lot. I especially love that moment at the end between our heroine and another character. It did make me smile. 4 stars

Children and Other Artifacts 

Honestly...I think this is one of my favorites. It is such a wild story. Weird and strange, but it has a strong message at the end. Very different and interesting. 5 stars. 

A Love Letter From Very Far Away

Awwwwwww this made me tear up a tiny bit. The ending was a surprise but not at the same time. Hard to explain. When something was mentioned I guessed what was going to happen, but I didn't expect WHAT happened. Again...you gotta read it ;) 5 stars. 

When The Tree Grows This High

This one was really good. It was more simple than the other ones. It was just about a girl navigating life during The Great War. It was sad and bittersweet. 5 stars. 

BI6Foot

I started off not really liking this one. I found myself wanting to skim. However, I was shocked by the twist and ended up liking it more than I thought I would. 3 stars. 

The Hall of Human Origins

I honestly had to stop reading for a few after this one. This one truly makes me think and I took some time to mull this one over. Honestly, this one would be a good one to discuss with others. I'll give it 4 stars. 

Wilder Family

This was a super sad one. It was super weird too and oddly bittersweet. I did like it, but when the end happened all I kept thinking was, "HOW ON EARTH DO YOU TELL EVERYONE?" That's a conversation I would like to listen to. 4 stars. 

Jubilee Year

Not sure why I didn't connect more to this. It had everything I would like, but it fell a little flat. 2 stars.

The Mermaid and the Pornographer

I didn't expect to like this one so much. I wasn't sure what I felt at first, but as the story went along it was tragic and then the ending was fitting. But yes, surprisingly good. 4 stars.

The Preservation of Objects Lost at Sea

This was a nice way to end the collection. I liked this one. The ending was good but it did take a moment for me to get sucked into the story. 4 stars.

Overall, I really did like this collection of stories. There was only one that I didn't like or love. But the majority are good! I def recommend this if you like a mix of genres and stories that have some good twists and turns. Doing some complicated math, I will stamp this with 4 stars.