Vampires in the Lemon Grove

Stories

By: Karen Russell

Narrated by: Arthur Morey, Joy Osmanski, Kaleo Griffith, Mark Bramhall, Michael Bybee, Romy Rosemont, Robbie Daymond

From the author of the instant New York Times best seller Swamplandia! (a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize), a dazzling new collection of stories that showcases Karen Russell's gifts at their inimitable best.

In the collection's marvelous title story, two aging vampires in a sun-drenched Italian lemon grove find their hundred-year marriage tested when one of them develops a fear of flying. In "The Seagull Army Descends on Strong Beach, 1979", a dejected teenager discovers that the universe is communicating with him through talismanic objects left in a seagull's nest. "Proving Up" and "The Graveless Doll of Eric Mutis" - stories of children left to fend for themselves in dire predicaments - find Russell veering into more sinister territory, and ultimately crossing the line into full-scale horror. In "The New Veterans", a massage therapist working with a tattooed war veteran discovers she has the power to heal by manipulating the images on his body. In all, these wondrous new pieces display a young writer of superlative originality and invention coming into the full range and scale of her powers.

©2013 Karen Russell (P)2013 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

“An eight-tale adrenaline-delivery system packed with long-married, problem-beset monsters, abandoned children whose lives are in dire peril, teens with creepy sixth senses, and masseuses with inexplicable healing powers…Darkly inventive, demonically driven narratives set in the author’s inimitable imaginative disturbia.” ( Elle)

“Consistently arresting…startling…profound…Even more impressive than Russell’s critically acclaimed novel." ( Kirkus Reviews, starred review)

“Russell doesn’t work small. She’s a world builder, and the stranger the better…Russell’s great gift - along with her antic imagination - is her ability to create whole landscapes and lifetimes of strangeness within the confines of a short story.” ( Publishers Weekly)

Interesting range of odd tales

This was a fun read and well written. Some were a bit frivolous (tailgaiting in the polar vortex?) and some were disturbing and I am not sure any of them really went anywhere deep or far, but a fun read.

Excellent narrators, quirky stories

A lot of reviewers say that this is an uneven book-- and I agree that some stories are stronger than others. I feel like either you get what Russell is going for and like it, or it's not your thing at all. What she excels at, in my opinion, is creating a rich and realized storyworld for each piece in this collection. I found her characters interesting and generally sympathetic. What she's not so great at is nailing the ending-- but I can forgive that because her use of language is so engaging and poetic. I want to add that I HIGHLY recommend this audiobook (over reading a hard copy) because the narration is fantastic. Each story has its own narrator and I thought all of them were truly wonderful. The narration alone made this one of the best audiobooks I've listened to.

Interesting stories...Too bad they're short

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes if they were to quirky stories/paranormal I would. They are interesting stories. The author knows how to write.

What other book might you compare Vampires in the Lemon Grove to and why?

Any of the short stories by charlaine harris and others. They are fun and give a taste of the paranormal world without going too far.

Which scene was your favorite?

The first story was AWESOME!

If you could rename Vampires in the Lemon Grove, what would you call it?

I don't know I like it.

Any additional comments?

want more!

Well acted, stories drone on

The stories take a little too long to tell and often end without a fulfilling ending. There's so much detail for the sale of detail and world for the sake of world, but not all of it seems to really do much to add to the mood or contain any information relevant to the story. could use more concise storytelling.

Excellent Narration, Fresh stories

I usually prefer longer works of fiction, especially with fantasy, but each of these stories was a wonderful experience that I will not soon forget. The different narrators added a lot to the experience as well.

Haunting, engrossing stories

Where does Vampires in the Lemon Grove rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

This is by far one of the best audio books I've listened to! The stories were all quite different, with different narrators to match. The best of them were utterly haunting. The words and voices cast a spell on me, and linger with me still.

What did you like best about this story?

My favorite stories really stayed with me. The stories themselves are lovely, dark, beautiful things, and the actors reading them were perfectly chosen.

Which scene was your favorite?

My favorite stories were the silk weaver, the massage therapist, and the scarecrow ones. They seemed to get at a dark, true element of human psychology in a way that realism never could.

Any additional comments?

I highly recommend this audio book!

Short stories...good listen.

Somehow I missed that this book was a series of short stories. Only the first chapter is about Vampires in the Lemon Grove. The stories we're good but not what I was expecting.

5 stars across the board

I fell in love with each and every story, the characters, and the narrators. I initially picked it up because of Robbie Daymond (narrator of “The Graveless Doll of Eric Mutis”) but stayed for the entire thing. A real treat!

Recommended on NPR - Very cool

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Very cool short stories that were recommend on NPR Fresh air. If your looking for "Twilight" go elsewhere. If you are looking for modern cool writing check this out!

What other book might you compare Vampires in the Lemon Grove to and why?

Reminded me of George Saunders

Amazing Set of Readers

The quality of the reading was superb. The quality of the stories (like in most collections) varied a bit.