Customer Reviews

Blood Roses

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On Francesca Lia Block's website, there are a bunch of words lumped together, reminding me of magnetic poetry that has been used to describe her work. I couldn't agree more with the words reviewers have used. The one word that kept jumping out at me while reading this was lyrical. I was looking for a word to describe what I thought about her newest literary novella, BLOOD ROSES, and that describes it perfectly. Surreal and dreamy would be good adjectives to use, as well.

The book is broken up into nine short stories. All of the stories deal with a transformation of some sort, whether it is physical or emotional. Not once in any of her stories is the magical element questioned - it is just accepted. My favorite story out of all of them is called Skin Art. Basically, it is about the all-consuming power of first love and how, after time has passed, it is not as great as once thought.

Easy to read, this little book sucks you in, especially if you are a fan of thought-provoking fantasy, as Ms. Block straddles the line between the worlds of magic and reality. The stories seem very personal, emotional; even, at times, irrational. You definitely can't argue with the quality of writing - Francesca Lia Block is a very good writer, but with that said she is not for everyone.

People that are into the art scene will enjoy her work, as well as those who like to analyze dreams, as the stories are rich in sensory detail. Hail to the queen of magical realism.

Reviewed by: coollibrarianchick

In Blood Roses Francesca Lia Block does what she does well--writes evocatively, using poetic language to create a lush mood. Blending fantasy with reality, most of the characters in these short, short stories are young girls who live on the west coast of the United States. The tone and occasional reappearance of characters, from earlier stories in the text, result in a tight focus of mood and moment.

This works wonderfully in her novels but not quite so well in her short story collections. Because almost every story is told in the same voice, the stories barely stand out one from the other. Beautifully written, any one would stand out from another writer's short stories but it is hard to find one from this collection that stands out from the others.

Nevertheless, the images are so rich that it is hard to not recall them all as the protagonists from each story seek to find meaning. And Block, who is not afraid to address some of the more frightening aspects of adolescent reality, does so with a fairy tale elegance that cloaks the darkness in beautiful prose. In this, she is harkening back to the tradition of bedtime stories where children were taught to fear through stories. However, her stories are not meant to inspire fear but to offer healing of psychic and spiritual wounds.

So, although this is not my favorite of Block's many books, it is still superior to most young adult literature.

I adore Block's work. Although it sometimes seems very abstract, the imagery and flow of her words is absolutely gorgeous. My favorite story in this particular book was Skin Art.

That said, I wouldn't recommend this to people who weren't fans of Block already. In some ways, it's more difficult to read (although shorter) than her other works.

Blood Roses was a book I was highly anticipating, due to spending a hiatus away from reading for a while of any books, I wanted to get back into reading Block again.

The book, like most of hers, branch out and focus not only on one character, but a "red string" effect with a multitude of characters. This book was no different.

Though I have to agree it wasn't my favorite of the books I have read of hers, but it had moments where my heart melted just like in "Echo" and "Psyche In A Dress"

However this book hit a lot of dark spots, it focused on how dark a girl's heart can really be. And how bad things can be if your left to your own devices.

Block's short story collection paints portraits of troubled teens: girls worshiping a recently-suicided rockstar, a girl in love with a too-old tattoo artist, a boy whose father and girlfriend both have died and has decided to live underground. But Block puts a twist on these stories by adding fantastical elements. In My Boyfriend is an Alien, a girl recounts all the evidence she has seen that he is not from here - his accent, his giant round eyes, the way he says "your" instead of "our" when speaking about the government. In My Haunted House, a child deals with the realization that her doll house is haunted by death and is distraught that no one could possibly believe her. A series of four stories are intertwined, each of the characters unaware of the troubles the others are facing: a desperate sadness that causes Rachel to grow to ungodly proportions, falling in love with someone from the wrong side of the tracks, tattoos appearing all over the body without an artist in sight, a vampiric mother. Most touching is the story of Lincoln and Audrey, the boy with wings and the girl who found him with these wings torn off and kept him safe while he healed. These stories are sexy and frank. The truth in Block's writing sings over the elements of fantasy that serve as a platform for the anguish that is adolescence. This book is cathartic, passionate, and lovely.

Not bad, not great. Most of the stories are pretty forgettable. Maybe I've just gotten too old for this author.

This collection of nine short tales is great for any Francesca Lia Block fan. Most of the stories have overlapping characters, so you get a little more from learning about the characters this way, than in other short story collections. Block has a whimsical way of writing which comes across like poetry in story form and even in the short format of the book it still shines through.

I found many of the characters charming and wanted more of them, but often they were the ones that weren't repeated throughout the story...the boys these girls are so passionate about. It's a shame that the boys were the more interesting of the characters since the tales are based on the girls and their thoughts and feelings. I don't think the collection is as wonderful as her full books though, but it does offer a taste of what her writing style is about.

Reviewed by Jessica for Book Sake.

The term most used to describe Block's writing is 'lyrical' and this certainly is. I had never read any of her stories before, and loved this introduction to her style and subjects. All nine stories are centered around girls, some of which know each other, so they are loosely related, but can be read as stand-alones with no trouble.

I read the entire book in an hour or so, and was entranced by the way Francesca Lia Block's poetic, yet sparse writing draws you into a world where magic is accepted, no matter how unexpected. Each character, from the ones in the title story about two sisters, to the one whose body erupts in torturingly beautiful tatoos--grows from the fantastic experiences they encounter.

Overall, a good, quick read for those that enjoy fantasy and don't mind a deeply romantic perspective. Wonderful.