Where The Wild Ladies Are

I loved this book. I loved the individual stories, and each stood alone, but I enjoyed how they all linked together, and a character or place would pop up in a later story. I couldn't but this book down. It was definitely something new snd refreshing.

I’m a huge fan of Japanese literature specially horror and the supernatural and was really looking forward to reading Where the Wild Ladies Are. I enjoyed all of the stories in this collection. Though not all of them were supernatural or ghost stories despite the blurb, some were hard to categorise and I’d loosely describe them as having supernatural overtones. I particularly enjoyed The Peony Lanterns, Smartening Up, Where The Wild Ladies Are, Loved One and Enoki.

I genuinely loved reading this book! I was hesitant at first seeing as the stories were short, but as you progress through the book you begin to see just how interlinked they all are. The use of Japanese mythology in a modern setting was interesting!

Brillantly written and translated. Bit by bit the author feeds you with a small link to how the characters are brought together.Definitely recommend if you want to come out your comfort zone and read something slightly surreal.

Interesting modern take on traditional Japanese folktales. As you get into the latter half of the stories, they begin to come together loosely as a kind of almost novel. The book touches on heavy themes of violence, critiques of social norms and death with surprising lightness. Highly readable. Would recommend.

Very fine service - highly recommended!

I absolutely loved Smarting Up. How did women get trapped into the obligation of removing hair from their bodies in order present themselves with smooth skin? The author cleverly links the stories and characters to a mysterious company. I was very happy to find short synopses of original versions of the stories at the end of the book. These ghost stories and folk tales are witty instead of scary.

I have a soft spot for Japanese authors and I was really looking forward to read this short story collection. Even though the feminist re-telling of Japanese traditional ghost stories was refreshing, it was either sometimes too obvious or too flat to have any impact. I really liked the general atmosphere and how contemporary Japan was well portrayed using the Japanese ghost figures. The gender disparity, the focus on outward appearance of women and the indifference towards oneself and others are the main subjects of this book. Some stories were really good and entertaining (i.e. "Smartening up") and some of them were too plain, explaining too much. This book is ok for lovers of Japanese literature.

A series of stories that start interlacing in an enjoyable narrative. Based on Japanese mythology , I recommend after each story going to the notes at the end to learn about the original one.A nice and kind book.