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Magic for Beginners

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'Magic for Beginners' by Kelly Link is a collection of surreal and bizarre short stories that blend reality with fantasy, mystery, and magic. The writing style is described as inventive, quirky, and unsettling, with stories that leave readers feeling unsatisfied due to their unresolved endings. The book showcases a mix of dreamlike and nightmarish qualities, playing with fairy tale elements and genre humor, while also exploring themes of absurdity and surrealism.

Characters:

The characters are often eccentric and vividly drawn, living in surreal settings that explore deep themes.

Writing/Prose:

The writing style is characterized by a casual yet poetic tone, blending humor with deep imaginative elements.

Plot/Storyline:

The plot weaves reality with magical realism through various odd and whimsical narratives. It lacks definitive endings.

Setting:

The settings oscillate between the mundane and the extraordinary, mixing the familiar with the surreal.

Pacing:

Pacing is varied, with some stories feeling rushed while others may seem prolonged, often ending abruptly.
Eric was night, and batu was day. The girl, Charley, was the moon. Every night, she drove past the All-Night in her long, noisy, green Chevy, a dog hanging out the passenger window. It wasn’t ever the...

Notes:

Magic for Beginners is a collection of nine short stories by Kelly Link.
The stories blend elements of fantasy, horror, and magical realism.
Link's writing style is known for its unique mix of simplicity and whimsy.
Plot twists in Link's stories often involve reality tweaks rather than traditional big reveals.
The Faery Handbag, featuring a magical purse, is a standout story in the collection.
Stone Animals is described as a family moving into a haunted house filled with stone rabbits.
Some stories, like Catskin and The Great Divorce, explore complex themes such as death and love.
The title story, Magic for Beginners, features a group of teens obsessed with a bizarre TV show.
The collection is praised for being both imaginative and engaging, although the stories can sometimes feel unresolved.
Kelly Link is noted for her ability to create vivid, surreal worlds that challenge conventional storytelling norms.

Sensitive Topics/Content Warnings

Content warnings include elements of horror, death, and psychological themes that may be unsettling for some readers.

Has Romance?

Romantic elements are present but not the primary focus, appearing in various stories with varying intensity.

From The Publisher:

Perfect for readers of George Saunders, Karen Russell, Neil Gaiman, and Aimee Bender, Magic for Beginners is an exquisite, dreamlike dispatch from a virtuoso storyteller who can do seemingly anything. Kelly Link reconstructs modern life through an intoxicating prism, conjuring up unforgettable worlds with humor and humanity. These stories are at once ingenious and deeply moving. They leave the reader astonished and exhilarated.

Includes an exclusive conversation between Kelly Link and Joe Hill

Praise for Magic for Beginners

"A sorceress to be reckoned with."-The New York Times Book Review

"[Kelly] Link's stories . . . play in a place few writers go, a netherworld between literature and fantasy, Alice Munro and J. K. Rowling, and Link finds truths there that most authors wouldn't dare touch."-Lev Grossman, Time

"She is unique and should be declared a national treasure."-Neil Gaiman

"Funny, scary, surprising and powerfully moving within the span of a single story or even a single sentence."-Karen Russell, The Miami Herald

"This is what certain readers live for: fiction that makes the world instead of merely mimicking it."-Audrey Niffenegger

"[These] exquisite stories mix the aggravations and epiphanies of everyday life with the stuff that legends, dreams and nightmares are made of."-Laura Miller, Salon, Best Books of the Decade

"A major talent . . . Like George Saunders, [Link] can't dismiss the hidden things that tap on our windows at night."-The Boston Globe

"The most darkly playful voice in American fiction."-Michael Chabon

"I think she is the most impressive writer of her generation."-Peter Straub

"Link's world is one to savor. [Grade:] A"-Entertainment Weekly

"Intricate, wildly imaginative and totally wonderful . . . will fill you with awe and joy."-NPR

Ratings (6)

Incredible (1)
Loved It (3)
It Was OK (1)
Did Not Like (1)

Reader Stats (22):

Read It (6)
Want To Read (12)
Not Interested (4)

About the Author:

MacArthur "Genius Grant" fellow Kelly Link is the author of the collections Get in Trouble, Stranger Things Happen, Magic for Beginners, and Pretty Monsters. She and Gavin J. Grant have co-edited a number of anthologies, including multiple volumes of The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror and, for…

 
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