joycecaroloates

Middle Age: A Romance | Joyce Carol Oates

so-so

I should have bailed at the half way mark when I was first seriously considering it. Skimmed the last 100 pages. A local man in a wealthy town with a mysterious past dies, the book follows the subsequent year experienced by various locals who were emotionally touched. My only glimmer of a favourite was Owen Cutler who remarked ‘good‘ upon news of the death. Oates writes so well but this was a snooze.

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DrSabrinaMoldenReads

A Widow's Story: A Memoir | Joyce Carol Oates

This has been my favorite on this topic.

#Widow #CharacterCharm

Eggs, Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

Eggs It sounds great! 1mo

25 likes1 comment

vivastory

High Lonesome: Stories 1966-2006 | Joyce Carol Oates

Is JC Oates a disaster online? Absolutely. Did she write some of the most unsettling stories of the 20th C? This is also true. The title story is a noir masterpiece.
#bestof2025

Reggie I‘ve only read her Zombie, and it was sooooo dark. Good but real disturbing 3mo

56 likes1 comment

vivastory

High Lonesome: Stories 1966-2006 | Joyce Carol Oates

My #ThorsDayRec this week is a 700 page collection that I finished at the end of January this year after starting it the beginning of Dec last year. There are numerous memorable stories collected in this retrospective, the title story itself is one of the greatest pieces of American 20th C noir fiction. When JC Oates is on point, she is right up there with Shirley Jackson & Patricia Highsmith IMO. Absolutely fantastic.

tpixie Intrigued! Great review! 6mo

Ruthiella I recently found out that the movie Smooth Talk with Laura Dern is based on the Oates‘ short story “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been”. It‘s a good, but uncomfortable, film. 6mo

vivastory @tpixie Thanks! There were so many fantastic stories in here. It would usually take me awhile to get through a retrospective this big, but I have always found Oates short stories very compelling (strangely enough although I have read several books of her short fiction I have yet to read one of her novels). 6mo

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vivastory @Ruthiella It's funny you mention that; one of my streaming services is Criterion & while I was reading this CC had a Laura Dern retrospective including that movie. That felt like a cross between Shirley Jackson & Flannery O'Connor (edited) 6mo

tpixie @vivastory despite her being a famous author I never have read her. I need to fix that! 6mo

TheBookHippie Guess I‘ll move this up the list. 6mo

vivastory @tpixie @TheBookHippie I think that this is a good volume to check out from your library if possible. If it is available, I recommend just reading where you want to. I had no intentions whatsoever of reading this beginning-to-end when I checked it out, it just worked out that way! 6mo

tpixie @vivastory thanks for the tip! 6mo

Branwen I feel really guilty for this admission, but JCO is an author that I really WISH I loved! 😭 I have tried to read so many different of her works, and each one has left me feeling disappointed. 😔 Do you have a favorite work by her? Maybe I could try that and see if it changes my mind? 6mo

vivastory @Branwen I've only read her short works. I really liked Evil Eye. Also, her story Doll-Master is worth reading. It's one of the most unsettling things I've ever read. 6mo

Branwen @vivastory Okay, maybe I'll give one of her shorter works a try! 🥰 Thanks, Scott! 6mo

49 likes2 stack adds11 comments

PaperbackPirate

Broke Heart Blues | Joyce Carol Oates

Chipping away at this book, hoping I can review it in time.
Taken secretly by my dh today while waiting for the food to come.

I‘m trying, team #Flerken!

#HauntedShelf

53 likes

MelKelsey

Missing Mom | Joyce Carol Oates

so-so

Book 169

I listened to Missing Mom by Joyce Carol Oates, the story of Nicole discovering her mom, murdered in her home, and grieving the first year of life without her. Oates writes dynamic characters with emotional precision. That being said, Nicole isn't likable and the grieving, though arguably authentic feels protracted. ⭐️⭐️⭐️

26 likes