"Cardiff, by the Sea" is the kind of great foray into contemporary Gothic literature that only Joyce Carol Oates can deliver. The short stories--almost novellas--in this collection resist easy answers and instead deliver a spellbinding commentary on human nature.

Thank you to NetGalley and Grove Atlantic for providing me with an ARC of this title in return for my honest review.

Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience.

Requested in error but I'm sure it's a great book. I chose it because of the author and find it surprising to find her here as I thought she was rather old classic stuff. I will look for this in the library and read if possible. Thanks and apologies.

Four short novellas packed into one mind bending read. Joyce Carol Oates prose is intoxicating. She portrays her characters’ inner thoughts with veracity and clarity, lending a creepy coolness to life, and death.
Oddly enough, I had already read Miao Dao as a stand alone novella through Amazon, as it felt all too familiar.
I highly recommend you grab a cup of tea, with a splash of your favorite liquor and indulge in some incredibly well written creep!
This was an advanced reading copy through NetGalley. Time got away from me, so I’ve caught up on the now-available audio version. Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the advanced copy.

Late review! What an amazing collection, I've only read her novels in the past so it was definitely a treat to read her novellas this time around. Just as haunting as her novels, loved it.

This collection of four stories by the famed writer Joyce Carol Oates showcases her appeal and skill. Each of these stories could have been fleshed into a novel, but as they stand, they are delicious bon mots to savor and enjoy.

Lovers of Mrs. Oates writing will be pleased with what they find here.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and publisher, for allowing me to view this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This novella collection was my first Joyce Carol Oates read and it will certainly not be my last. Each novella was eerie and atmospheric with an amazing sense of place. I good picture myself in each sign and each story was unique.

My breakdown of the four novellas:
Cardiff, by the Sea - title story. 4.5 stars. Atmospheric story that takes place in Cardiff, Maine about a woman who returns to Cardiff after was adopted as a child after her family died.

Miao Dao - 3.5. Honestly this one was hard for me to read at times as it deals with animal abuse, and step fathers being creepy. However it was very atmospheric and I felt like in the moment with

Phantomwise: 1972-4 stars. Takes place on a college campus where a female freshman is pursued by two predators. I didn't see the ending coming at all. Finally a suspenseful college campus story that didn't disappoint me (it's no secret that nothing can live up to The Secret History to me). (TW: mention of suicidal thoughts and abortion by self)

The Surviving Child - 4.5 stars. A supernatural suspense that takes place in Boston.

If you're looking for some suspenseful short stories or novellas, look no further - you've found them!

I think this is my first Joyce Carol Oates book. I've been hearing about her for years, so I was excited to step into this collection of four novellas from the past. Well, I was underwhelmed. They were all equivalents of a 'shaggy dog story' where it goes on and on and either has an unsatisfying, anticlimactic ending or exactly the ending you thought it was going to have from page 2. Sad to say that my first Oates book will be my last.

I'd like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for this book. I had never read anything by this author before and it took me a while to get into her writing style. Once I was in, I was hooked. Each of these novellas are chilling and suspenseful. The endings of all of them have the reader guessing at what was true and what was not. I thoroughly enjoyed this collection of stories.

This is the second book of Oates's that I have read, and I enjoyed it very much. It is a collection of four novellas, each of which were disturbing and chilling in the best of ways. I will be checking out more of Joyce Carol Oates's works, as I really like her writing style. She is so clever with words.

*received for free from netgalley for honest review* ngl i didnt care for this book, i found most of the characters annoying, and uh what's up with all the nipple/boob/breastfeeeding weirdness throughout every story???? sounded weird out of place every time, forced myself to finish this. The stories were mostly boring but would have been 3 stars, just cant get over how weird it was.

Thank you to Grove Atlantic for providing me with a copy of Joyce Carol Oates’ collection, Cardiff, by the Sea: Four Novellas, in exchange for an honest review.

I’m a huge Joyce Carol Oates fan and I was thrilled for the opportunity to read her new novella collection, Cardiff, by the Sea. All four novellas focus on young women navigating isolating and unsettling situations. The collection is labeled a suspense, which is apt, as the pacing of each story feels like a ticking bomb and the edginess never fades.

In the first story and title of the collection, Cardiff by the Sea, a mid-twenties university researcher discovers that she has inherited an abandoned farm house in rural Maine. The woman had been adopted as a child and the inheritance leads her to blood relatives and a shocking revelation of her parent’s death. I was gripped by this story and it felt quite personal. I also had a similar family tragedy that happened to me at four years old, the same as the main character ( although I was not adopted) and I have quite a bit of mystery surrounding my blood relatives. I found myself deeply connecting to the point where I felt almost in a trance reading this story. It was an out-of-body experience that I have never had while reading. It has been a week and I feel haunted by Cardiff by the Sea.

The second story, Miao Dao follows a preteen girl struggling to survive absentee parents, a handsy new stepfather, and boys at school who both tease and touch her developing body. She escapes to a nearby abandoned lot that is filled with feral cats. Her favorite cat, “Miao Dao” becomes larger than life in her imagination and takes on a protector role, helping the girl fight back against those who harm her.

In Phantomwise:1972, a college student has two secretive relationships. The first is with a young professor who only uses her for sex when he is in the mood. She becomes pregnant and decides to keep the pregnancy a secret. In the early stages of her pregnancy, a much older visiting professor takes an interest in her and she becomes his assistant. She is flattered to have attracted the attention of a man that she admires, yet she knows that the situation is not right. He wants more. She struggles with the harmful and inappropriate attention of two men, while trying to figure out what to do with the secret growing in her uterus.

The final story is The Surviving Child. A new wife marries a wealthy older man and becomes stepmother to his young son, Stefan. Going into the marriage, she knew that her husband and stepson had suffered a terrible and highly publicized tragedy. Stefan’s mother had killed herself and his baby sister. The mother had tried to kill Stefan, but he survived. Stefan’s mother was a famous poet, who through her death achieved a feminist cult-like status akin to Sylvia Plath. Stefan is a strange child marked by tragedy and his stepmother arrives unprepared for this new role. She spends a lot of time wandering around the mansion, looking for clues left behind by her husband’s first wife.

Oates has written an exceptional collection. I highly recommend all four novellas. in particular, Cardiff, by the Sea was a profoundly affecting reading experience that has left me feeling rattled.

A book of 4 novellas by Joyce Carol Oates. Loved the 1st 2 novellas but the last 2 were too macabre for me. Joyce Carol Oates has retained her brilliance in this collection, brilliantly penning the first 2 suspenseful opening novellas.

I'm a big JCO fan and this did not disappoint. Nice collection of novellas in typical Oates style. My favorite story was the title piece. Still thinking about it and I read it a month ago.

The stories in this novella were so good! Rich, atmospheric and downright creepy! JCO just writes so beautifully and this was no exception. I'm definitely going to purchase this for an annual Fall read!

I have never read a story by Joyce before, and I have to say, this particular piece of work was fantastic! Four wee Novellas wrapped up with a bow. I found the perfect creep factor in these psychological thrillers. You can easily read this book and add it to your shelf for future re-reading in my opinion! Well done!

I haven't read Joyce Carol Oates before and didn't know what to expect, I find after reading this book of four novellas I will be reading more of her work. There is an underlying theme with these stories involving parent child relationships that are not easy to read, but are told in such a way that you can't help continue. Dark stories, all with twisted and unexpected endings... reminds me a little bit like Angela Carter. I think of the four stories, 'Miao Dao' is my favorite... not sure why, but the ending left me giving little Mia a high five. These stories are not for the faint of heart so, you have been warned... but I highly recommend.

This is the second of Joyce Carol Oates books I have tried recently. I do not enjoy these novellas and I will not try another of her books. These stories may be well written psychological dramas but I did not find them interesting or suspenseful.

Cardiff, by the Sea is a new collection of four novellas by Joyce Carol Oates. These 4 tales all take a look at women living their lives when something dark or bizarre comes their way. The title story is about a young professional woman who receives a call from a lawyer telling her that her grandmother has died and left her property in the small town of Cardiff, ME. Our protagonist was adopted as a toddler and has no memory of her grandmother or birth parents. She slowly unwinds her birth family's troubled past.

The other 3 stories are all just as contemplative and twisty. There is sexual harassment, assault, bullying, suicide, murder. So you know, all those dark twisted corners of society that females may face. Oates' writing kept me enthralled despite the dark topics. And the ending of each story threw me for a bit of a loop so I had to page back and re-read a bit. Definitely left me thinking. Disturbing!!

In these four novellas, we are introduced to a cast of interesting characters and told four distinct stories. Each story pulls the reader in immediately. What they all have in common is the sense that something isn't quite right, but we don't know what that is exactly. Sometimes the suspension lingers at the end of the story, not exactly leaving the reader hanging, but not wrapping everything up either.

There are some unexpected twists, some unreliable narrators, and perhaps a ghost here or there. The writing is perfection. It's not too detailed, but Oates gives enough that the characters are well developed, there is a sense of place, and the tension that exists among the characters is palpable, but not explicit. Themes of identity, happiness, sexual harassment, relationships, and keeping secrets help make this an enjoyable read.

NOVELLA ONE: Cardiff, by the Sea

The title novella is one of my favourites of the four. 30 year old Clare Seidel is the beneficiary of a grandmother she's never heard of. Clare was adopted at the age of 2 and has been the perfect adopted daughter. She hasn't asked a lot of questions about her birth parents, but she carries the questions inside her. Her adopted parents, Hannah and Walter have been good parents; she is their only child.

Finding out about this grandmother causes her to be more curious and she asks her mother for more information about her birth parents. The answers are vague. Clare must go to Cardiff Maine, There, she stays with her two great aunts and her Uncle Girard. I loved how the aunts bantered and bickered back and forth.

Clare has inherited property and wants to learn about her family. Are her parents still alive? What happened to them? And why did they give her up for adoption at the age of two? Clare is hoping for these answers but they may not be answers she likes.


NOVELLA TWO: Miao Dao

Twelve year old Mia's life is falling apart. Her father is leaving the family and Mia thinks it's her fault. Mia has two younger brothers and feels like she's almost an adult. The only thing that makes Mia happy are the feral cats that roam the neighbourhood. Mia has secretly been feeding them.

At school, boys tease and harass her. She's too embarrassed and ashamed to say anything and there is increased tension with her friends. She's lonely, but finds comfort in the feral cats and has one that she has taken in as her own.

Her mother has been dating a man online and they eventually marry. This man who has been kind to Mia's mother and her brothers, and even her, starts to change. What will that mean for Mia and her family?


NOVELLA THREE: Phantomwise: 1972

19 year old Alyce Urquhart is pregnant and the father is her philosophy instructor. What is Alyce going to do now? She could have an abortion or commit suicide, but maybe there's another way?

Roland B, a distinguished poet and professor takes a liking to Alyce. Alyce is impressed by him too. He seems to have been connected to all of the great poets of the time. Roland invites Alyce to the Poet's House and asks her to be his assistant and archivist. This begins a beautiful relationship of mutual respect.

Alyce thinks that maybe Roland can help her and he is willing to, but then Roland becomes ill. Alyce cares for him and visits every day. When her philosophy instructor finally confronts her she knows that she has to tell the truth about the baby.


NOVELLA FOUR: The Surviving Child

10 year old Stefan is the surviving child. His mother and sister died by carbon monoxide poisoning three years ago. His mother, a notorious poet, left no suicide note and Stefan was originally in the car too. Why had his mother changed his mind about him, leaving him in a closet to be found by his father?

Now, his father Alexander, is remarrying a woman named Elizabeth. Elizabeth tries to find ways to connect with her new step-son who is quiet, mysterious, and has odd behaviours. Elizabeth wants so badly to be liked, maybe even loved by Alexander.

Her new husband has a harshness that Elizabeth doesn't like. He becomes distant and is away a lot which leaves Elizabeth alone in the house. She knows the rules. She's not allowed in the garage, but she still explores other rooms. She notices that strange things are happening in the house and she is having strange thoughts? Is the house haunted? Will she find out the truth about what really happened here?

Thank you to NetGalley and Grove Atlantic Mysterious Press for the free e-ARC for an honest review.

Bookworm Rating: 🐛🐛🐛🐛🌱