Thank you to Simon & Schuster, Netgalley, and Scribner books for the e-copy and physical copy of this one to read!

I literally pulled this out of the mail, sat down in my comfiest reading nook and read this in it's entirety. There's something about Agustina Bazterrica's writing that, although macabre, is gripping and mesmerizing. Each word feels like it's slotted perfectly into the puzzle, and I knew that her short stories would exceed my expectations.

I think this worked for me for a few reasons. It felt like a cohesive collection, however it had enough variety that moving from one story to the next was neither mundane and indistinguishable, nor jarring and confusing. Each story felt complete and doused you in the discomfort of your quietest thoughts and, at times, your deepest fears.

Of the 20 stories, I gave a range of individual ratings, primarily between 4 and 5 stars (with a couple of 3s). Some of my favorites included the woman who desired to become a circle, the story of a woman alone in a subway car, and "Candy Pink".

I love the brutal and haunting nature of these stories - they'll definitely stick with me. Again I'm wowed by Bazterrica's brilliance. 4.5 Stars

From the same author as Tender is The Flesh comes Nineteen Claws And A Black Bird. I am a huge fan of Tender is The Flesh and loved this book as well. Atmospheric, lurid novella of stories. Every story felt like a shadow, graceful yet ominous shadows. The kind of shadows you would find yourself following because of the uninhibited tenacity that they contain.
The bizarre dystopian situations you might hear about in a nightmare or in the cliff notes of an authors nightmare.

Each short story was unique and singular in its setting and likewise gave me unique and singular feelings. Shock, anticipation, bemused, different emotions for each story. Some of my favorites were: Candy Pink, Roberto (A karmatic tale of revenge of sorts), Unamuno's Boxes, The Slowness of Pleasure was pure tragic poetry. The silky words lulled and mesmerized you. Dark decadence, like eating poisoned chocolate.

This book of small novellas has intricate small world building, with striking details. Despite the short length each character POV is clearly drawn out. A book of existential horror with a beating pulse. I highly recommend this read.

I want to thank Pushkin Press and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC copy of "Nineteen Claws and a Black Bird" in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed reading this. This is the first time I've read a book with multiple short stories and I have to say it was a great read. I'm usually one to skip these sort of books but I'm so glad that I didn't. The emotions, descriptions, and overall atmosphere through these stories was truly mesmerizing.

I had a couple favorites and that was Roberto,
Perfect Symmetry,The wolf's breath and No tears. These really made me think and made me feel a sort of way. No Tears was my absolute favorite and made me realize there are people out there that want to cry and feed off that energy.

This book goes over many different themes, some not suitable for people that are triggered by certain things. So of course definitely check triggers.

Once again thank you!

before i picked up tender is the flesh, i had not finished a book since probs like 2017🧐 19 claws and a black bird marks my 50th read of the year. i love little coincidences like this.
I also love the way @agustinabazterrica fills my entire being with dread and disgust and despair in just a few pages. A few of her stories in this collection, I have already shared with my friends because i cannot shake them from my being.
Be sure to read up on trigger warnings as some stories cover some hard topics. My favorite of the collection were:
🐰 Roberto- teacher finds out student has a pet rabbit
🛸 Anita and Happiness-man falls for a strange woman
🖼️ The Slowness of Pleasure- woman connects to an art piece before her

I pre-ordered this book when it was first announced and I am so glad I did because this is one of my favorite collections i’ve read this year.

thank you @netgalley and @scribnerbooks for this ARC

3.75 stars.

I loved Tender is the Flesh so I was very excited to get an ARC of this book! These stories were beautifully and disturbingly written with subject matter from suicide death and grief, mental illness, violence, and more that I’m sure I wasn’t even able to discern. These stories speak to both the mundaneness of life and the terrible uniqueness of it.
My favorite stories were: A Light Swift and Monstrous Sound, Unamuno’s Boxes, Perfect Symmetry, The Continuous Equality of the Circumference, and The Dead.

Thanks NetGalley for this ARC!

bazterrica's voice is haunting and immediately recognizable, a factor that plays both as a strength and as a detriment. the stories in this collection start off incredibly strong, but the further into the text i got, the more repetitive the writing style and tempo became, even when the themes at hand were shifting. there are only so many descriptive and eerie narratives you can fit into a collection before the stories become shapeless and tiring.

"Nineteen Claws and a Black Bird" by Agustina Bazterrica, translated by Sarah Moses, takes readers on a journey through nineteen dark and wildly imaginative short stories. Having enjoyed Bazterrica's previous work, "Tender Is the Flesh," I eagerly dove into this collection, eager to witness the author's unique perspective on the human experience.

Bazterrica's stories delve into a wide range of themes, exploring violence, alienation, dystopia, and the depths of our unspeakable desires. From the very beginning, the author's clever and vivid writing style captures the reader's attention. However, as is often the case with short story collections, both hits, and misses can be found within these pages.

While each story presents an intriguing premise, I must admit that many of them failed to leave a lasting impact. They seemed to build up towards something significant, only to abruptly conclude, leaving me yearning for further exploration of their themes. The endings, in particular, fell somewhat flat, lacking the anticipated punch.

Nevertheless, "Nineteen Claws and a Black Bird" still offers an enjoyable and swift reading experience. The stories themselves are engaging, enhanced by the interplay between dark realism and surreal elements. Bazterrica's exploration of topics such as abuse, murder, suicide, and alienation succeeds in maintaining reader engagement throughout.

Within the collection, a handful of stories emerged as personal favorites. "Elena Marie Sandoz," "No Tears," and "The Solitary Ones" enthralled me with their distinct premises and compelling characters. These narratives exemplify Bazterrica's talent for crafting thought-provoking tales that plumb the depths of human emotions.

I want to thank Pushkin Press and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC copy of "Nineteen Claws and a Black Bird" in exchange for an honest review.

Despite my reservations regarding certain endings, this collection will resonate with fans of dark and peculiar stories. Bazterrica's skill in exploring the most shadowy recesses of the human psyche is evident throughout, rendering this collection a worthwhile read for those seeking unconventional tales that stretch the boundaries of imagination.

Agustina Bazterrica's "Nineteen Claws and a Black Bird" will be available for purchase on June 20th, 2023.

Agustina Bazterrica’s, Tender is the Flesh still sits with me months after reading it. So I was very excited and nervous to read their next book. I am so glad I did! A collection of 20 stories ranging from totally disturbing to totally surreal. This book begs to be read more than once after the initial shock wears off.

Bazterrica really flexed their writing in this one. From cruel, disturbing, sympathetic, and surreal. If you like your books dark with some good twists, 'Nineteen Claws and a Black Bird' is for you. Favorite stories from this collection: Earth, The Continuous Equality of the Circumference, A Hole Hides a House, Mary Carminum, & The Solitary Ones.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Thank you, as always, to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me the chance to read this book early!

If you are looking for a collection of inventive, confusing, surreal, and gut-wrenching stories that will keep you thinking about them long after you’ve finished, then this is the one for you. Many people have been—no doubt—introduced to Bazterrica’s work through Tender is the Flesh, and these stories follow a similar writing style, at times detached in their depiction of cruelty and horror, but in others entirely empathetic.

Some of these stories are told in a more traditional format, while others turn out to be puzzles in written form that I had an excellent time deciphering. Although, I can understand how that style may not be everyone’s preference. While I am a fan of horror, especially Latin American horror, sometimes Bazterrica’s work is a little too much for me. Not all of the stories were too much, but the odd one was difficult to swallow. But, after all, Bazterrica never tries to make their main characters into heroes. Overall, this is an excellent collection and fans of Tender is the Flesh and other horror will not be disappointed.

I was deeply disturbed (in a good way!) by Agustina Bazterrica’s other book, Tender is the Flesh, so when I saw she was releasing a collection of short stories, I was ecstatic.
Originally written in Spanish, this English translation of twenty stories touches on dark, arcane, and cringe-worthy topics. The first story in the lineup, A Light, Swift, and Monstrous Sound, is at the top of my favorites. It’s so... so strange. Other stories in this collection will take you on a tale of a man trying to watch a football (soccer) game with an annoying cat that his Ex had left behind. A woman feels that Manhattan’s lights have perforated her brain. A man thinks his girlfriend isn’t human. I liked some more than others. I wish I could talk about all of them, but I don’t want to spoil anything!
These stories require imagination. They aren’t the kind of scary stories where the whole entire plot is laid out in clear form for you to follow with a clean, wrapped-up ending. Bazterrica’s writing style isn’t for everyone, but it works for me. It forces me to look deeper and allow myself to feel the uncomfortable and strangeness of what each story's purpose.
I’m excited for this to come out!

Thank you to the author Agustina Bazterrica, publishers Scribner and Simon & Schuster, and as always NetGalley, for an advance digital copy of NINETEEN CLAWS AND A BLACK BIRD.

I actually read this collection twice. My first time through, I knew it was smart, creative, and I really liked it. But I also just didn't know how to review it as a collection. So the second time through, I took some notes. My aim: to minimally review each of the stories within the book to give you, potential read, maximum exposure to its spectrum of subject and brilliance.

1. "A Light, Swift, and Monstrous Sound"
This one is a little hard to follow, but it's a fable (sort-of) about gossip. What's the difference between a suicide and someone falling to their death on the balcony two storeys down? A nosy neighbor.

2. "Roberto"
I'll never look at small rodents or metaphors for genitals the same way ever again. This story is one of my top 3!

3. "Unamuno's Boxes"
The form of this story holds up the narrative, maximizes the suspense and brilliant irony. The punchline: Better off dead than old.

4. "Candy Pink"
I love when writers write suicide as an actual characteristic rather than a trashy trope or plot device. Bazterrica has a bad habit of this, so it's nice to see she's got the range for both.

5. "Anita It Happens"
There is only one woman in the world for Pablo? Sometimes the narrative structure of these stories dilutes the meaning a little.

6. "Dishwasher"
This story about stigma and keeping up pretenses brilliantly uses subtext to make its point. "Jane never would have imagined that machines could panic."

7. "Earth"
The trajectory of this tragedy stole my breath away. It is a story about a child and her mother, half of which is, by necessity, below average.

8. "Perfect Symmetry"
'He knew that no woman was cheap and that every dish was delicious. The secret was in the particulars that made them unique.' p50

9. "The Wolf's Breath"
Another linguistic puzzle or word game.

10. "Teicher vs. Nietzsche" This story appears to be a private joke for existential philosophers. For readers who aren't familiar with the theories and theorists at hand, the piece could be inaccessible.

11. "The Dead" Told from the perspective of a vengeful and angry young person, a little convoluted, though the theme of domestic violence is certainly clear.

12. "Elena-Marie Sandoz"
This story has an incredibly inventive oroboros shaped logic, which results in a circular form. Stories like this are usually a trip, but I loathe when authors use suicide as a plot device.

13. "The Slowness of Pleasure"
Wow, I've been doing art museums all wrong! I love this eerie tale about the connection between a piece of art, the object of the painting, and a woman admiring the painting. This piece is spooky, sensual, and powerful! Top three!

14. "No Tears"
It's a funeral, and I mean *anybody's* funeral, and this sweet lady will cry because she wants to!

15. "The Continuous Equality of the Circumfrence"
Several of the stories in this collection are linguistic puzzles, or word games. This is another one, and it's quite creepy fun, as the main character is fixatedon the shape of her body. I wouldn't be at all surprised if Bazterrica became distracted by the centralidea of this story on day, and wrote this just to work out the -- is it geometry? anatomy? anametry? Whatever, great story.

16. "A Hole Hides a House"
A surreal and heart-rending story about child wives and how they live. Trigger warnings galore for this one.

17. "Hell"
A very sad, surreal story about the keeping of wild species as pets. Trigger warning for animal cruelty and death.

18. "Architecture"
I'm not too sure about this one. It's definitely about architecture.

19. "Mary Carmium"
This very freaky story appears to be about cults and cult abduction and indoctrination. One of the best things about it is the pervasive sense of absurdity and preposterous. The narrator knows everything that's happening is ridiculous, but he's as much an observer as we are! This story is one of my Top 3!

20. "The Solitary Ones"
A fantastic classic scary story, complete with a twist ending!

Rating: 🐇🐇🐇🐇.5 / 5 inuendos
Recommend? Yes!
Finished: June 2 2023
Format: Digital, Kindle, NetGalley

weird stories are one of my favorite genres, but they always run the risk of crossing over some unspecified line that I can’t put into words. i don’t have specific requirements - they don’t always need to have a point or a theme or a vibe or an ick factor or fill in whatever blank, but they need to have at least one of those things. I can’t explain why certain collections do it for me and others don’t. Things we lost in the fire? Check. Cursed bunny? G2g. Mouthful of birds? Didn’t do it for me. Nineteen claws and a black bird was closer to the latter than the former, unfortunately. Certain stories were exceptions, I loved the last two stories (deliciouslyyy creepy), and a few others were good, but overall I found myself finishing each story with a sense of “…ok?” and not in a fun way.

I hoped for so much more, given my (unhealthy?) devotion to Tender is the Flesh, but this just wasn’t it for me.

Nonetheless, this was a very fun experience to be able to read such an anticipated read in translation early thanks to a netgalley arc & the publisher.

I got an ARC from NetGalley and was very excited! I loved Tender Is The Flesh, and so I was excited to get to read more from this author.

I guess I wasn't too sure what I was getting into because the stories didn't really make me care much as I was going through the books. These "musings" on the human condition aren't particularly terrifying, and some of them I would even argue were quite shallow. I'm not sure if there's anything lost in translation, but these stories were fairly just ok. Guess I'm just not a fan of this book.

Like most anthologies that I read, I think there were some interesting stories and some that didn't really hit the mark. There's a good mix of weird, bizarre, strange, and dark stories which kept it interesting. I love weird books, but I couldn't follow some of these stories because of how strange they were. My favorite stories were probably Mary Carminimum and The Solitary Ones.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with this ARC!

"Nineteen Claws and a Black Bird" is a remarkable collection of strange and haunting tales that defies easy categorization. Within its pages, author Agustina Bazterrica masterfully weaves together unusual situations and vivid prose, presenting readers with a collection that is both beautiful and unsettling.

After reading Tender is the Flesh, I knew I wanted to read more from Agustina Bazterrica. I bought the Spanish version because I couldn't wait to read it. I was also given the English version for review. I read and enjoyed both.

There were definitely hits and misses for me but overall I liked the collection of stories. The stories deal with dark topics ranging from abuse, murder, suicide, self mutilation, cults, etc. Proceed at your own risk. Although I'm sure if you're coming from reading Tender is the Flesh, you have an idea of what you're in for.

Bazterrica's writing is at times haunting, disturbing, and surreal. Some of these stories are strange little tales. My favorite stories from this collection: Roberto, Earth, The Continuous Equality of the Circumference, A Hole Hides a House, Mary Carminum, and The Solitary Ones.

Just like Tender is the Flesh, these stories will stay with me (Roberto and Earth especially because I found them disturbing). I'd highly recommend if you enjoyed her previous work or if you enjoy macabre stories.

Thank you to Scribner, Pushkin Press, and the author for providing me with an ARC for review.

I have a love/hate relationship with this book. About half of the short stories I truly enjoyed, so I am rating the book a 3.5 star read. For those looking for a dark, horrific, short story collection, this would be an honest recommendation to give. It explores the darkest parts of our minds, fears, and compulsions. The author writers frequently of death, especially a form of suicide (whether intentional, accidental, or circumstantial), limb removal, entrapment, loss, obsession, assault… the list goes on and on. Based on this alone, it falls in line with what I expected from the author based on Tender Is The Flesh. Generally, a very dark and interesting read.

What I enjoyed most is being in the mind of those with compulsion and obsession, as well as the final 2 short stories at the end. Roughly 1/3 to 1/2 of the stories didn’t feel necessary to me, or just felt overly descriptive to the point where I wasn’t sure exactly what the premise was for that story. Despite that, the author has quite a specific way of describing feelings, acts, and the environment of the character, which is refreshing compared to other authors.

One or two of the stories in this collection will be memorable, and worth recommending to others who would be interested in such a macabre style of literature.

I will be very interested when Bazterrica releases another novel, an hoping it is representative of the short stories I enjoyed the most from this collection.


Thank you Netgalley and Scribner for providing me an ARC of this book.

Tender is the Flesh is one of my favorite books of all time, so I was so stoked when I knew there would be another book translated in English from this author coming out. I have to say- this one was just not for me. The stories did not keep my interest as I expected they would. I think there were some good foundations and beginnings of profound work, but they never made it over the crest to keep me intrigued. I do think there's a lot of powerful emotion in this book related to sexual trauma; however, I was looking for something more sinister and apathetic like Tender is the Flesh, as I gravitate more towards those themes and mostly stick to reading the horror genre. I won't be discouraged from reading future works from this author, but sometimes authors are better at novels than short stories, and this is the case for me and this book.

Book : Nineteen Claws and a Black Bird
Author : Agustina Bazterrica
Pub Date: 20 Jun 2023

Thank you Net Galley, Scribner and the author of this book for an opportunity to review this ARC.

This book was amazing. I LOVE Augustina’s writing and I love short stories!!! Tender Is The Flesh is one of my all time favorite books. I read through these many times! Dark short stories are my comfort. I loved all of these little stories. Short and packing a creepy dark punch to them. Perfect for anytime as far as I’m concerned but would be perfect to set on your coffee table for the fall time for a little aesthetic reading.

This is quite possibly a top favorite true short story book and I will be telling all of my book besties about this one. It needs to be on your TBR.

Gripping and disturbing, and the stories are short enough that you keep telling yourself "Okay, one more." I read through the whole collection in one evening. https://omaha.bibliocommons.com/v2/comment/2316210438