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    Vampires in the Lemon Grove
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    Vampires in the Lemon Grove
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    Vampires in the Lemon Grove
    Audiobook9 hours

    Vampires in the Lemon Grove

    Written by Karen Russell

    3.5/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    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.

    List of Stories and Readers:

    • "Vampires in the Lemon Grove" read by Arthur Morey
    • "Reeling for the Empire" read by Joy Osmanski
    • "The Seagull Army Descends on Strong Beach, 1979" read by Kaleo Griffith
    • "Proving Up" read by Jesse Bernstein
    • "The Barn at the End of Our Term" read by Mark Bramhall
    • "Dougbert Shackleton's Rules of Antarctic Tailgating" read by Michael Bybee
    • "The New Veterans" read by Romy Rosemont
    • "The Graveless Doll of Eric Mutis" read by Robbie Daymond
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherPenguin Random House Audio
    Release dateFeb 12, 2013
    ISBN9780449013717
    Unavailable
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    Reviews for Vampires in the Lemon Grove

    3.5/5

    337 ratings44 reviews

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    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 3/5
      Mixed bag for me, I liked some of the stories, but some of them I really disliked.
    • 2/5
      I skipped several of the stories when they got stanger than I was interested in seeing the end.
    • 5/5
      Trismegistus.
      The enveloping, subtle, resonant tone of these stories alone makes them great.
      The otherwise-unimaginable plots, taken to their unexpected-yet-inevitable ends make them great.
      The casually dropped jewels of phrase ("that sun ate lakes")make them great.
      There is a word for this quality of work: trismegistus.
      Karen Russell is undiminished. All Hail!
    • 5/5
      For my creative writing seminar in college we read a few of these short stories, and I remembered being simply flabbergasted at how exquisitely weird and beautiful they were. I had always intended to finish reading all of them, and I am so glad I finally did. I believe "The New Veterans" is above and beyond the best one in this collection, but my other favorites are "Spinning for the Empire", "The Seagull Army Descends on Strong Beach, 1979", and "The Barn at the End of Our Term". No matter how absurd or bizarre or magical the story Karen Russell made me believe it 100%, and she did so in the most stunning language. I was so sad when I finished the final story, and I am desperate to read every single word she has ever penned.
    • 3/5
      A collection of truly bizarre short stories: human silk worms, future-stealing seagulls, horse presidents, window smugglers, and other strange happenings all over the world and throughout history. I'm not sure if I could honestly say I really enjoyed these stories. There were a lot of really unusual and interesting concepts, but the plots and characters left something to be desired.A note on the audio: Usually I don't like multiple narrators, but I think it works to have a different reader for each story here, especially since they take place in so many different places. It would be strange for the same person to read as the teenage boy in 1970s Australia and as the young girl in 19th century Japan, for example.
    • 4/5
      Karen Russell is an international treasure. Damn.
    • 4/5
      The first stories didn't appeal to me but several were worth the entire book, amazing writing.
    • 3/5
      A collection of short stories. Fantastical characters, plots and settings.
    • 5/5
      WOW! These stories were all so unique - some horrifying, others darkly comic, most with a tint of sadness, all well-written and profound.
    • 4/5
      This is an excellent collection of short stories! I would have given it five stars, but the last story didn't grab me like the others. Karen Russell is so original and creative! Imagine all former presidents reincarnated as horses, or women spinning silk thread in their stomachs, or settlers sharing a piece of window glass to pass final homestead inspection, requiring one window minimum to be declared the landowner. Well worth a read!
    • 4/5
      A series of U.S. presidents find themselves reincarnated as horses. A young boy discovers a large seagull is stealing pieces of the future.Impoverished Japanese women are sold to a factory that genetically alters them to serve the function of silk worms.Tips for tailgating in the Antarctic. A collection of humorous, contemplative, and transcendent short stories.
    • 2/5
      Original, interesting stories of transformation and supernatural occurences. Russell is very adept at mixing "everyday" lifestyles with some bizarre interruptions (vampires who feed off lemons instead of blood, seagulls who scavenge crucial objects from your past and future). Alas, I am not a huge short story fan -- too much build up for an often ambiguous ending -- so bailed to move on to other options.
    • 2/5
      Not my favorite collection of short stories.
    • 5/5
      Creepy, magical, carefully but fluently crafted stories. I am especially impressed with how well she captures the voice of 14-year-old boys. Highly recommended!
    • 4/5
      I only read the first story (the title story) in this collection. I actually picked it up at the library and started reading (sampling) on page 3 or 4, and decided to read it. A few minutes later I realized it was a book of short stories, and I thought, so much the better. I’ll read this one and decide whether to read more.

      I liked the story, but it didn’t really end in any sort of satisfying way. Mostly it left me with a ton of questions.
    • 5/5
      Amazing book. Russell's prose is spot on--just gorgeous--and I love a good bit of magical realism. I will have to own this at some point, and I don't really say that about a lot of books.
    • 5/5
      A collection of strange and beautifully written short stories, in which, among other things, vampires learn to suck lemons, young women are turned into silkworms, and former US presidents find themselves reincarnated as horses. Oddly enough, the title story was, for me, the least satisfying of the lot (although still very well-written), but the best of them sort of crawl into your brain and do some really bizarre and interesting things in there. The silkworm story ("Reeling for the Empire") is particularly unforgettable.
    • 4/5
      In Vampires in the Lemon Grove, Karen Russell, author of St. Lucy's Home For Girls Raised by Wolves and Swamplandia!, amps up the weirdness, and it is delightful.Most of the stories are bizarre and original and pulsing with energy. Take, for example, “Dougbert Schackleton’s Rules for Antarctic Tailgating,” the narrator of which discusses tips and etiquette for tailgating at the annual Whales vs. Krill game. It’s full of the macho bravado of sports, the fierce loyalty of fans, championing the underdogs, and… the proper way to bury your frozen, starved dead. It’s the shortest story in this collection, and by far the funniest.Another highlight is “Reeling for the Empire,” in which young Japanese girls are sold to a factory to reel silk in support of the empire. However, what they don’t know when their fathers sign the contract is that each girl will be forced to drink a tea that will turn her into a half-girl-half-silkworm hybrid and then spend the rest of her days spinning silk through her fingers. It’s creepy as all get-out, and it looks at the cost of industry, child labor, female status, and transformation.But don’t worry, not all of the stories are super disturbing. In “The Barn at the End of Our Term,” we meet President Rutherford B. Hayes… reborn as a horse… in a barn full of horses that were U.S. Presidents in their former lives. The horse/presidents debate whether they are in heaven or hell or are still alive but transformed. It’s totally quirky and whimsical, and also kind of heartbreaking as Rutherford searches the farm for his dead wife, who he thinks has been reincarnated as a sheep.There are a few week stories, but all in all, I really enjoyed this collection. Karen Russell really goes all-in with the weirdness and fantasy and horror, and her knack for world-building and writing sparkling sentences is so much fun to read.Read the full review at Books Speak Volumes.
    • 3/5
      Vampires in the Lemon Grove is a collection of quirky, thoughtful short stories. There were some I enjoyed more than others, which I guess is true of any collection of stories. The stories ranged from sweet to weird to spooky. My favorite story was "Barn at the end of our term." Rutherford B. Hayes, along with 10 other former presidents, has been reincarnated as a horse. The farmer has given them horsey names like Gingersnap, but inside, these horses know that they were the leaders of our nation. Some of them, like Eisenhower and Grant, are plotting to escape and run for re-election (there must be some sort of loophole to allow this, since technically, they are dead and in a new body). Hayes just wants to find his beloved wife Lucy, and becomes convinced that she is a sheep on their farm.I also enjoyed "Reeling for the empire", in which young women are recruited to work in the silk mills. Little do they know that the tea they drank upon recruitment will forever change them into giant silkworms. One worker has different plans, and refuses to live her life in this horror show."Seagull army descends on Strong Beach, 1979" reminded me Daphne DuMaurier's "The Birds" in a way. Although in this case, the seagulls are stealing bits of people's lives from them and hiding them in a spooky tree. The lost trinkets change the course of the characters' lives, but even knowing this, the main character can't seem to make things right again. This was not my favorite, but I can't really put my finger on why.The spookiest story was "Proving Up". It took place during pioneer days, when the frontier was wide open. Part ghost story and part tall tale, this one gave me the shivers. It reminded me a little of the Robert E. Howard story I read in Dark Horse Book of the Dead.I liked the ideas behind all the stories. Each had a unique, creative view of the world. There was always a moment that made me say, "huh." But overall, I didn't finish any of the stories completely satisfied that the ideas had been fully executed. Russell is a beautiful writer, but I found myself skimming, and in short stories, probably not a good sign.
    • 4/5
      Each of the eight stories in this audio collection is read by a different narrator. The long-eared bat on the cover was engraved by Heath and published [printed] by G. Kearsley in 1800. That print is held in the Albert and Victoria Museum in London, England.'Vampires in the Lemon Grove,' read by Arthur Morey***1/2 Don't expect standard Bram Stoker vampires. 'Reeling for the Empire,' read by Joy Osmanski**** The plight of the silk thread-producing girls in 19th Century Japan really caught my imagination. I think it has a happy ending, but I doubt everyone would agree with me.'The Seagull Army Descends on Strong Beach, 1979,' read by Kaleo Griffith** Aside from the interesting role the gulls may play in the locals' lives, this story just depressed me.'Proving Up,' read by Jesse Bernstein***1/2 What starts out as a depressing tale of the hardships suffered by Nebraska homesteaders takes a flesh-creeping turn near the end. The image of that one homesteader's crop was worthy of a horror movie.'The Barn at the End of Our Term,' read by Mark Bramhall*** The idea of some U. S. Presidents coming back as horses at a rundown horse farm is an interesting one. They can't jump the fence and get away, much as they want to. Their desire for political power and finding out their place in history was rather sad. Rutherford B. Hayes is different. His yearning is to be reunited with his beloved wife, Lucy. Is there hope for him?'Dougbert Shackleton's Rules of Antarctic Tailgating,' read by Michael Bybee***1/2 I'm not a sports fan, but I've seen commercials and read news items about ardent sports fans, so this parody involving rules for fans of a team that always loses amused me.'The New Veterans,' read by Romy Rosemont**** Beverly, a dedicated, middle-aged massage therapist, tries to help a young veteran of the Iraq War who is haunted by the death of a good friend, just as Beverly is haunted by losing both parents to cancer when she was young. The vet has a very detailed tattoo on his back. Strange things happen with that tattoo. 'The Graveless Doll of Eric Mutis,' read by Robbie Daymond**** So who made that scarecrow of the boy the bullies used to beat up? Who tied it to the oak tree in the park? This story is told from the viewpoint of one of the bullies. I'm not sure what I expected when I checked this audio book out, but these stories of the weird are unusual even for their genre.
    • 2/5
      I have decided short story collections do not hold my interest. I found I was disappointed when the first story ended and the next began. Hopefully Karen Russell will develop the story.
    • 4/5
      I'm not usually a short story reader, but I loved this book. Each story is inventive and interesting and will leave you wanting more.
    • 4/5
      I liked the best of these stories as much as anything in Karen Russell's first collection--St. Lucy's Home For Girls Raised by Wolves--but it had more stories that fell flat. Overall, however, amazingly well recounted fantastic tales delivered in a realistic manner that are primarily about the imagination and secondarily about almost comically unrealistic yearnings and desires.

      My favorite was "Reeling for the Empire" which was about girls in Meiji Japan who were purchased from their families, turned into giant silkworms, and put to work spinning for the empire. A close second is the title story, "Vampires in the Lemon Grove", which is about older vampires trying to avoid blood while sucking on lemons in an Italian lemon grove. I also liked "The New Veterans", which was about a massage therapist who could manipulate a veterans feelings/memories by massaging the highly realistic tattoo of a battle he had on his back.

      "The Barn at the End of Our Term" and "Dougbert Shackleton's Rules for Antarctic Tailgating" were both amusing trifles but not much more, the former about eleven President's reincarnated as horses in a barn on a farm scheming to run again and the later about an obsessive supporter of "team krill" in the competition against the whales, although he is also realistic that they have never won a competition.

      I did not really get into the other three stories to anywhere the same degree.
    • 3/5
      This collection of short stories is hard to describe. Not really science fiction, not really fanatasy, not really horror, maybe magical realism, definitely weird stories. Sometimes humorous, sometimes chilling we meet a variety of interesting characters: vampires who realize that sucking blood does nothing so they suck lemons instead, young Japanese women indentured to make silk with their own bodies, a massage therapist who discovers she can manipulate the life of a veteran through his back tattoo, and a guide writer for fans of the whale vs. krill "games" in Antarctica. The stories are all clever and well-written. And each story is matched up with a perfect narrator.
    • 4/5
      Karen Russell's two previous books, the novel Swamplandia! and the story collection St. Lucy's Home for Girls Raised by Wolves have received impressive critical acclaim and popular success, and I'm sure that this collection will continue that trend.The stories in this book show tremendous skill in this young (b. 1981) writer, and also a remarkable range. Russell shows mastery and confidence with a sweeping variety of settings, character types, and moods. All of this volume's stories include some element of fantasy, but here too she ranges from a subtle touch of the supernatural to completely fantastical plots.Russell also has a terrific talent for utterly delightful descriptive phrases. A group of Japanese women are "graceful as calligraphy"; a sod hut in summer is "as hot as the held breath of the world"; a man's face is "as taut and bloated with pain as a waterskin"; a toy gun "required sixteen triple-A batteries to make a noise like a tubercular guinea pig."Two of my favorite stories illustrate Russell's range:"Proving Up" is a dark and gritty tale of a settler family in frontier Nebraska, and an incredibly fresh take on the tired old "coming of age" theme. There is a point, this story tells us, where perseverance in the face of hardship becomes madness rather than strength.In "The Barn at the End of Our Term," a random selection of past US presidents find themselves reincarnated as horses, now all living on the same farm. The story is both sweetly moving and riotously funny; the horses debate whether their situation is Heaven or Hell ("don't you think Heaven would smell better?" one of them asks), plot an escape to return to their careers in Washington, and bestow officious titles on each other, such as Governor of the Cow Pastures and Commanding General of the Standing Chickens.I do have a few quibbles with this book: "Dougbert Shackleton's Rules for Antarctic Tailgating" was for me just a long and unfunny gag, and I thought "The New Veterans" could have used a few hard editorial shakes to get its constituent parts to settle down into a more compact and cohesive whole. And I felt that the endings of a few of the stories were a little faltering; as if the story couldn't decide whether it was ending with a rousing cymbal-crash or doing a quiet fadeout.But I've read Russell's first collection of stories, and I think this one shows a clear improvement in her technical skills as a writer. And by any measure, this is an excellent collection by an excellent author. One can only wonder where Russell will go in the decades ahead.
    • 3/5
      This was my first foray into audiobooks, and I'm still on the fence on how I feel about them. But I figured, since I drive 45 minutes to school each way 4 days a week (and I was getting tired of the songs on my iPod) I should try audiobooks. My library doesn't have the most expansive selection, but Vampires in the Lemon Grove was on my TBR list, so when I saw that on the shelf, I took that as a sign.I was worried that I would get annoyed with the various readers (which I did), or that I wouldn't like some of the stories (which I did). However, I found most of the stories and readers enjoyable, especially the titular story about vampires who live off of lemon juice in a grove in Italy, and a kooky guide to tailgating in the Antarctic. Unfortunately, the story I liked the least ("The New Veterans") ended up being the longest of the bunch, and I found the reader to be the most annoying. I guess it was hard for me at first to get used to "reading" a story with someone else's voice and at someone else's pace.It did make the commute more enjoyable though. Russell's stories all have a sense of the fantastic to them (I'm hesitant to call it "magical realism", but that's the closest phrase that comes to mind). You don't always know right away what's different in the stories, but something happens that makes you think "Oh. Well, that's different." And that's not a bad thing. I appreciate authors who can present familiar situations and characters then turn the entire thing on its head.I admire authors who write short stories. To me, it seems like a difficult style to write, since you need to essentially create a believable world with interesting characters in a fourth of the time as a novel. I wonder now, though, would I have enjoyed the stories more if I read them for myself and not listened to them?
    • 4/5
      I don't remember what enticed me to pick up Russell's first book, the novel Swamplandia! But I do know that book was the reason I picked this one up. Swamplandia! was a great book with weird characters, but the depth given just made it such a great read. In a short story anthology, there's just not that space to draw characters out the way Russell managed so well with her novel.I think Russell's quirkiness comes out in Vampires in the Lemon Grove, but it seemed forced in some stories. The title story seemed a little drab, meanwhile the next three stories seemed alright, but I guess I expected more from Russell after Swamplandia! With the next two stories - one about former presidents being reincarnated as horses and another about basically a sporting event where there's fans of different sea creatures with the narrator being a supporter of team krill, I felt Russell just had an idea that may have been amusing as a statement "I had a dream that presidents came back as horses. And that people go to the Antarctic to cheer on krill or to cheer on whales." In either case, that would have sufficed. Turning them into full stories? Not so much.Fortunately, the last two stories - one of a tattoo that seems to let a memory live on while taking over the life of someone that interacts with it and the other of boys finding a scarecrow in the likeness of a boy they teased, saved the whole collection. The last two stories were what I really had expected from Russell the whole time. If they had started off the collection, it would have been horrible ...ending with the horse and krill stories....would have left such a bad taste. But having the two best at the end saved it. With the first three stories, I think the collection would have garnered three stars. With the two stories I hated, they would have been two stars at best. The final two stories maybe 4 stars each...so the collection is worth reading I suppose, but much more enjoyable if you can convince yourself to skip two of the stories.I know others really liked the two stories I hated, but I felt that if i wanted to read George Saunders, I'd have picked up George Saunders and it would have been done better...
    • 4/5
      Karen Russell comes from the same place that brings us Kelly Link with these peculiar fictions which either start in strange places or get there very quickly. They have a pretty strong sense of theme as well, though, so I didn't find myself wondering by the last lines why the piece had been written. Along with the squalor comes a feeling of understanding, but it never feels as if it is something the author wants to overpower the reader. I will be interested in reading the novel she has published and to look out for other story collections of hers.
    • 5/5
      One of the best audiobooks you will ever encounter. The eight wildly original and emotionally powerful stories are read by an all-star roster of audiobook voice artists. I have never encountered a short story collection that has been this well-produced. The stories are outlandishly diverse with the one common element being their emotional force. Highest recommendation.
    • 1/5
      Like first story about vampires but couldn't finish any of the rest.