Impressive that this is the third book I've read by Joyce Carol Oates (JCO) in the space of eight months, each showcasing another facet of her prodigious talent. The fact that the three books consisted of a book of short stories, an 800-page novel, and this, a collection of four novellas only proves that she is equally at home with every form (she also has a book of poetry due out later this year). The theme uniting these four novellas of psychological suspense is women of different ages in danger, but such is her talent that these examples are unique in situation and outcome. She has been writing about the survivor of family mass murder ever since her earliest days, but due to her ability to create individuals, each is remarkable and memorable.

I am a huge Joyce Carol Oates fan but this book is just awful. The stories contained within in are stilted and disjointed and best and horrible at worst. Give this a pass

Perhaps it is the headspace I am in (the pandemic has rendered me capable of reading only comforting things), this book was just a miss for me. It felt slow, not gripping enough, and most importantly- hard to read! Both in terms of the writing style and the themes.

I love Joyce Carrol Oates and I loved this novellas. She's a master storyteller and her stories are haunting and brilliant.
It's strongly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

Joyce Carol Oates both never surprises and always surprises. That holds true in her new collection of four novellas, Cardiff, By The Sea. Her readers have come to expect excellence - lyrical writing, well-drawn characters, vivid settings and always with a touch or more of darkness - and so it is no surprise that these novellas are consistently excellent. I had read Phantomwise: 1972 when it appeared in The Best Mystery Stories of 2018 (edited by Louise Penny) but the other three stories were new to me, although they have all appeared in print prior to being gathered together in this collection. Oates always surprises with new insights, new depth of character, new twists and turns. All of these novellas feature women, women who discover more about themselves and women who discover more about others, mostly men. Cardiff, By the Sea is my favorite of the collection. It is the longest and, in some ways more complex than the others. One usually can't go wrong in choosing to read anything of Oates'; her work does not grow old. She is, indeed, one of our greatest living authors and a national treasure - and Cardiff, by the Sea will only add to that well-deserved reputation.

I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an impartial review.

Wow, JCO. First a fabulous 800+ page novel of family dysfunction, then a collection of sharp, short(ish) suspense novellas to soothe my COVID brain. In these stories, Oates applies her considerable and prolific talents to exploring the effects of trauma on (specifically) women's bodies and souls. Each of the stories has a female protagonist grappling with abuse, alienation and fear. It's ok to read in the dark (well, maybe not the first one...or the last one) because Oats deals in chills more than thrills--the quiet creeping sensation up your back as you delve into the sad and damaged worlds she creates. I confess to struggling a bit with the female characters as each, in her own way, must confront her own weaknesses to varying degrees of success. I found myself desperate for one of them to stand and fight in a conventional way. But in their fear, Oates finds a poignancy and the characters touch the reader in their vulnerability. These are haunting, psychological dramas that will leave you chilled and disconcerted. By which, I mean as a compliment.

*Many thanks to Joyce Carol Oates, Grove Atlantic and NetGalley for arc in exchange for my honest review.*
The four novellas were for me the introduction to Ms Oates's writing. All four deal with distrurbing themes and ways to conquer fears. Quite captivating and original.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for granting me an advance review copy.

Four wonderful novellas from Joyce Carol Oates. "Cardiff, by the sea": A young researcher, adopted as a young child, gets in touch with her biological family after receiving an inheritance. As she gets to know her family history, things don’t seem to be quite as they appear on the surface.

Miao Dao: A young girl experiences massive changes in her life with the only constant comfort in her life being a once feral cat that she has adopted

Phantom wise:1972: A young university student struggles when a romantic relationship with a professor goes too far.

The surviving child: a stepmother tries to make a success of her new blended family and to connect with her new stepson, who has survived the tragic loss of his mother.


Reading books by Joyce Carol Oates can be quite an intense experience. This collection is no different, four compelling and deeply disturbing novellas about troubled romance, death, life, relationships. Joyce Carol Oates never disappoints.

Another brilliant read by Joyce Carol Oates,as usual she writes in the most lyrical style.Four novellas full of wonderful characters.I was moved emotionally I laughed I enjoyed page after page.Highly recommend #netgalley#groveatlantic

This is an impressive collection of novellas from JCO, one of my favourite writers. I’ve already read Miao Dao as part of the Dark Corners collection from Amazon Original Stories. This is a dark and unnerving tale and I would have preferred some new material. The other three novellas, Cardiff, by the Sea, Phantomwise: 1972 and The Surviving Child are excellent. They all have JCO’s trademarks; fantastic characters and unflinching ability to take some pretty grim subject matter at just the right level and tone. The title novella is my favourite, a young woman who was adopted discovers she’s inherited property in her late paternal grandmother’s will and discovers dark skeletons in her closet. Phantomwise: 1972 is also excellent; the end of this sad and dark tale is heart-breaking. The same can be said for The Surviving Child. This would have been a 5-star book if not for the inclusion of Miao Dao, old material.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book. This was my first time reading Carol Oates and I loved it. I will have to explore her backlist a little more. Each novella had previously been printed somewhere i.e. magazine and then put together in this book format. I loved each separate novella and the separate lessons each character learned and what they had to go through.

I love Joyce Carol Oates writing, it's also so lyrical and amazing storytelling and Cardriff, by the Sea is no exception. In this book, Oates brings us four novellas that showcase her dazzling storytelling capability. You'll laugh, your heart will break, and you'll thank her for it all when you're done!

Try to contain your surprise: I’m giving yet another Joyce Carol Oates book 5 stars? Yeah, I’m convinced she’s our greatest living writer and would happily debate anyone on that. Oates is unafraid to break convention and explore any/all boundaries of the story form. I was ecstatic when I found out <i>Cardiff, by the Sea</i> (due out from Ecco in October) is a collection of novellas, as I feel some of JCO’s very best works are in the short form.

Does this new release live up to this writer’s 60-year legacy? Yes, simply yes.

What Oates managed to do was trick me, pull the rug out from under my feet in every story. She purposefully directs the reader one way, only to push the reader somewhere else. This collection is Oates nearly in Gillian Flynn territory, exploring exceedingly dark subject matter with razor-sharp prose and smart, well-written unlikable (yet wholly sympathetic) people. Oates has been doing this for decades, yeah, but it’s very much on display in all four of these stories.

As for my favorites: I loved all four of the tales collected here, but I think I’ll have to give the edge to “Miao Dao”, a winning combination of feral cats (I just love when Oates writes about kitties!), menacing stepparents, and the confusion of puberty. I also quite loved “The Surviving Child”, a tastefully gothic-esque chiller that explores a fractured psyche—and a beautiful ending up for much interpretation.

My favorite author still has it, and I can’t recommend this book enough. Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for granting me an advance review copy.

Joyce Carol Oates' short stories are always amazing. These 4 novellas all have that creepy, underlying dread, in spite of the character's most mundane lives..... Her portrayal of human emotions, fears, and ambiguous feelings is masterful.

This was my first book I have ever read by Joyce Carol Oates. I thought this pretty good and I may check out an actual novel by her next! Thank you netgalley and to the publisher!

Joyce Carol Oates is, without question, a national treasure. In these four novellas she brings her unflinching eye for character to a constellation of individuals and situations which will haunt the reader. A mandatory addition for any Oates bookshelf.

I requested 'Cardiff, by the Sea' by Joyce Carol Oates having read and loved one of her previous novels - 'We were the Mulvaneys'.

'Cardiff, by the Sea contains four novellas. The first is of a woman,who through being left a bequest, goes in search of answers about her early childhood, family and adoption. What she finds makes her wish she had never answered the phone.

Oates comes alive when writing about the eccentric cast of characters, and depicts the dialogue between them all brilliantly. However, the portions where the reader is inside the protagonists head felt slow and laboured and the tone of the first story made it feel as if it was written sometime ago.

As a result, whilst I enjoyed the first novella and it made think, I found myself putting the book to one side for other things, and I have not read the remaining three.

One of our greatest living authors, Joyce Carol Oates truly captivated me with these four novellas. It’s rare that I read a short story collection where there is no “filler” or weak link - but each of these stories is better than the next. They are, like all her work, beautifully and lyrically written; and also like much of her other work, deeply unsettling. This collection especially appealed to me as a mystery and suspense fan, and was more accessible and easily digested than some of her other work. It would be a good introduction to Oates for a suspense fan who has never read her work. I also really enjoyed the feminist, but very dark and disturbing, bent to all of the stories. Perhaps the most shocking story that stays with me the most is “Miao Dao,” which is (and isn’t) about feral cats. This story is incredibly disturbing in the best way, a way that stays with you that you can’t shake. Will probably read it again in the next few days. That story flows seamlessly into the somewhat related Phantomwise: 1972, which is equally haunting. Cardiff By the Sea is the perfect story to start with - and to think it gets even darker from there!

I had not read Oates in awhile and this book made me rediscover her all over again, like the time in college when I first read Foxfire. I would love to see another collection like this from Mysterious Press in the future - I for one never knew Oates had published in Ellery Queen mystery magazine, so I am hoping there are even more undiscovered haunting mystery gems of hers out there for me to discover.

Thanks to NetGalley, Grove Atlantic and Joyce Carol Oates for the chance to read this extraordinary book early in exchange for my honest review. The book deserves ten stars, but since I don’t have that capacity, here are the five biggest stars I can give. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I typically love Joyce Carol Oates, and this book was no exception. Her writing is always so unique and memorable, and these four novellas will stay with me for a long time.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC of Cardiff, by the Sea by Joyce Carol Oates.

This is only my second JCO novel, and I was totally blown away by Night. Sleep. Death. The Stars. It may have been an unfair bias, because I was a bit disappointed with these short stories. But I've come to realize that short stories are not for everyone. I imagine it's difficult to concentrate so much character, feeling, and story into a small package.

Overall the stories fell weak for me. The first started out with a lot of promise, it was weirdly too much, and not enough at the same time. I am still looking forward to trying out more works from Oates. She's clearly a gifted writer who has been around for a long time.