by Violet Kupersmith
I'm never quite sure how to review short story collections, so bear with me. These stories all share a sense of unease and creeping dread, which is something I enjoy in my ghost stories. There are plenty of spooky ghosts, unsettling scenarios, and narratives that leave your skin crawling. They have ...
In the Frangipani Hotel, Violet Kupersmith brings to life nine tales of her native Vietnam. The stories are ghost stories based on old Vietnamese folk tales and legends. This book reinterprets the stories into a more modern world – the one after the Vietnam War and incorporating the Vietnamese immig...
I'm Vietnamese. I speak, write, and read the language. I was born there, I know people who were served in the Vietnam War (hi, dad), I know people who came over to Europe, the US, Australia as boat people. So needless to say, if this book claims to be a book of Vietnamese stories, I'm going to be ex...
**Thank you to Random House and Netgalley for providing this copy in exchange for an honest review** I don't usually rate a book of short stories this high. For me, short stories lack the space needed to fully develop a story. There isn't enough time for adequate world building. Just when the charac...
Violet Kupersmith's debut collection, The Frangipani Hotel, has some wonderful stories. All with a touch of Vietnam, these ghost stories often blend the war era with modern times. Many are startling and creepy, but what's most impressive is the variety from one story to the next. Overall, this colle...
ATTENTION! Nebula nominators and World Fantasy Award voters! You want to read this book!Yes, I know it says "The Frangipani Hotel: Fiction." And the cover is ever so tastefully vague and understated. A more accurate title might be: "The Frangipani Hotel: Dark, Lush and Horrific Ghostly Tales of Viet...
Shamefully, my book shelves are heavy on Western authors and there are huge gaps in my reading list of authors from other parts of the World, so when a collection of short stories based on traditional Vietnamese ghost tales became available on NetGalley I jumped at the chance to broaden my horizons....
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