THE CARDIFF by Joyce Carol Oates. Just released October 27, 2020.

Four novella's in one book. The first story is extremely interesting beginning with a young lady inheriting a house in Cardiff, Maine. The catch? She inherits the place from a stranger. The author opens the story up full of suspense and the unexpected.. All four stories grab your attention.

I listened to the audio version of this and while the narrator was not my favorite, I enjoyed the creepy, erie novellas. The stories were the perfect length and a perfect listen for this time of year.

OMG!! Such a super creepy collection of suspense and horror novellas. If you are looking for a chilling read to get in the Halloween mood, I would recommend it. I particularly liked the buildup in the first story, was disturbed by the second one, not particulalry impressed by the third story, and again, blown away by the final and fourth story.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the arc.

Cardiff by the Sea is a series of four novellas and I enjoyed every story. I listened to this on audio and it was a great listening experience.
My personal favorite, Miao Dao is one I’ve read before but enjoyed it just as much the second time around. A young girl, Mia, is hurt by those that should protect her, meets a beautiful feral cat that exacts vengeance for her. Truly disturbing yet oddly satisfying.
Cardiff, By the Sea is a be careful what you wish for story of a girl who has always wondered about her ancestry and gets more than she bargained for when she inherits a home from a grandmother she never knew about.
The Surviving Child is creepy and gothic, a ghost story set in a seaside cottage. The surviving child is Stefan, his mother has killed his sister and then killed herself, his new stepmother will have her hands full in this house of secrets.
Phantomwise: 1972: A student gets involved with her professor and things take a turn into the weird and the bizarre. A difficult story to read and absorb, mysogyny at it's worst.

This is a great collection of tales by one of my favorite writers, more psychologically thrilling than horror but sure to make the hair stand up on your arms. I enjoyed the Lauren Ezzo’s style, her pleasant voice and seamless changeover moved the story along effortlessly.

This book is certainly appropriate around this time of year, but I had a hard time getting into it. The narration, while well enunciated, felt unpleasant to me in a way that made it hard to want to continue with it. It was moody, a bit cold, and with pauses that felt a touch long. I think this might be one that would have have enjoyed more in text version. Since it is a set of novellas, it will probably also be more enjoyable to read in a version that allows flexibility in reading ir listening to them out of order.

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I got to experience this book in two forms. I read it before I listened to it. I already read this book and left a review that I will include at the end of this review. This is purely for the audio version. While I enjoyed the stories in this book when I read them myself, the narrator didn't do anything to enhance the experience and I was left wondering if I would have enjoyed the stories as much as I did when I read them myself. The first story, especially needed to be read with more differentiation in the voice. The aunts sounded so funny in my head!

On to the stories:
I don't think you could go wrong reading anything by Joyce Carol Oats. The very feel of the stories; somehow you always know something isn't right. My favorite story was the longest and the first. A young woman finds out that her birth grandmother, whom she has no memory of meeting, has left her land in her will. She has to return to learn about the past she has blocked out of her mind. I think my favorite part would be the hectic, Alice in Wonderland style dialogue of her new found aunts. They talk over and through each other in a head-sinning way, but give away more than she may think.

The second story, was my second favorite. A lonely, abused child and a feral, protective cat. What could happen? The third story breaks the pattern. It's not my third favorite. The ending redeemed it, but I slogged through the hard to look at story of a woman and her professors. Strangely, the last story was one I liked when I read it but it doesn't stay with me. Overall, I liked the gothic feel of the first story the most, but they all had a strong voice and a definite theme running through them. Has it ever been safe to be young and female?

Putting together the two considerations, I think this still deserves 4 stars.

Thank you NetGalley and Mysterious Press for the gifted audiobook in exchange for an honest review! The title of this definitely fits the bill as these four novellas are very suspenseful. I loved the imagery that Joyce Carol Oates painted for us in all of them. These stories are all loaded with themes of mistreatment, misogyny, secrets and the painful truth that other people have the potential to be the scariest things of all.

I really enjoyed the first story of her adventure to the inheritance, but I recently just read a different novel that had a similar plot so I wasn’t as astounded as I would be if I had read this first. But I won’t let that affect the score I give since that’s my own issue. I was almost too creeped out by Mia Dio haha but you could tell the writing and metaphors were strong since I was so freaked out by it! The story of Alice was maybe the most pungent. I could feel her emotions and sympathize with her, and the imagery and connections between her and Alice in Wonderland was refreshing and haunting. Oates was able to bring such simple things like childhood stories and give them a twist that made you think differently about it and the content she was writing. The ending broke my heart and I had the most intense goosebumps at the end, and coming from the 518 myself it really hit close to come when I heard that phone number. Haunting yet beautiful. The final story was heartbreaking and also reminded me of Sylvia Plath’s story, which was hinted at throughout these novellas and I absolutely loved when I could pick up on that (big Plath fan). Overall, you could tell Oates was using her powerful prose to paint a different picture behind the scenes that made your mind go into darker corners, which was so well done!

However, since I am reviewing the audiobook version of this I have to say the biggest downside to this was the narrator. The entire time I was almost convinced that Siri (yes, the automated voice on iPhones) was the narrator. Her voice was way too proper and enunciated every single word too clearly, and then when it came to actual characters everyone’s voice was so overdone I thought it was almost a joke. The aunts voices.....I hope to never have to hear that again.

As far as the story goes I give it 4 stars it was so well written and made beautiful points! The narration would receive 2 stars. If you have the chance to choose one or the other definitely choose a physical book for this one.

Four horror novellas in one beautifully narrated audiobook. The first two novellas didn’t grab my attention as much as the second two however they were all well written with a solid plot line and intertwined with each other. I did not find them more scary as more so more gory but I do recommend. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

“Cardiff, by the Sea” is my very first read by the celebrated contemporary American author Joyce Carol Oates. And it’s the perfect time of year to dig into this collection of four, suspenseful novellas. (Publishers Weekly even calls Oates the “grand mistress of ghoulishness.")

Each story features a teen or young woman at the center who must battle with threats (mostly of the opposite sex). There’s bullying, sexual abuse, exploitation and murder (oh my). And each ending leaves me wanting to talk another reader to determine if I think happened really happened. These psychological thriller essays are perfect book for a book club!

While I read the ebook on my Kindle, I also listened to the audiobook, narrated by the talented voice actress Lauren Ezzo. Based on some research, Ezzo has done a ton of narration for other suspense stories, so she’s perfect for this genre. As usual, I sped up the audio to 2 to 2.5 times the normal speed, and it made the storytelling even more dramatic. Ezzo’s voice is especially awesome in the first novella when she creates the characters of the aunts who live in Cardiff, Maine.

I recommend these spooky stories whether or not you’re an avid reader of Oates or not. She’s an award-winning author for a reason.

Cardiff By The Sea is a collection of short stories that all have the same thread tieing them together, loneliness. There are four stories total, Cardiff By The Sea, Miao Dao, Phan-tomwise and The Surviving Child. Each story has a female protagonist, struggling to get through their life and dealing with some sort of trauma.

I had a hard time completing this audio book. I found the mass amount of inner monologue in all four stories, to drown on. I think this made the book seem too long, forcing me to take breaks and almost not finishing at all. The narrator did a good job changing voices to fit characters, but it did not help liven up the stories.
There was no real separation between stories, which I found really frustrating. I had to back up a few minutes and replay to make sure I was not mistaken. Some audio books use music to start another story, or chapter. This, or maybe changing narrators, would have been helpful.

Of the four stories, I liked Miao Dao the best. Oates did a good job explaining the torment of a girl going through puberty and a family divide at the same time. I felt I could really connect with Mia's character. The feral cat colony was a perk. I've always dreamed of being the chosen one to find a lost kitten, a whole colony is amazing! Mia's attachment to the cats is her way of self soothing during her stress. I think that is why we all have pets, for comfort. This story line was enjoyable, and the end was absolutely puurrrfect.

So, I know I've seen books by Joyce Carol Oates - didn't she have one picked by Oprah years ago? But I've never read any of her previous works. Are they all this depressing? JCO is no doubt a good storyteller, but these four novellas are certainly dark. I was nervous listening to the second, Miao Dao, because of the feral cats. I love animals, especially cats and volunteer and have fostered for my local shelter so when I realized where this story was going, I was ready to hit stop and just walk away from the book. That novella was worth finishing but overall, I can't really recommend this book as it's just not of a variety I enjoy. As I said, the novellas are well-written and Oates obviously have an audience... I just won't be among them.

Thank you to RB Media/HighBridge Audio and NetGalley for the audio ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I received an ARC of this book thanks to NetGalley and publisher RB Media in exchange for an honest review.

This collection sadly wasn't for me. I made it 40% of the way through on double-speed and the first story is not over yet, nor does it seem to be going anywhere interesting. The narrator almost did too good a job with the annoying aunts because I found listening to their conversations really grating. I didn't like the narrator overall-she has the same sort of voice as Baby from Five Nights at Freddys and it was melodic in a way which I felt detracted from the story greatly. Maybe if I was reading this physically then it would get a higher score, but as an audiobook it definitely drags and was a chore to listen to.

This was the perfect read for October! Haunting, unsettling, suspenseful... Four novellas that were disturbing in nature yet written with such finesse and grace that it was easy to get swept up in the storytelling. The stories were primarily about women/girls and the trauma and victimization to which they are routinely exposed. Each story has an eerie quality about it and an impactful thought-provoking resolution. Incredibly psychological in nature with three dimensional characters that kept me engaged and intrigued.
I listened to the audio and thought the performance was excellent. A gracious thank you from publisher and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

After listening to two stories, I am putting this one down for good. I felt like the stories dragged on and weren't all that suspenseful or thrilling. Maybe should be catagorized a different way.

Four new short stories revolving around ghoulies, ghosties and things that go bump in the night. From a woman inheriting a house in a remote Maine location from a total stranger to a troubled college student befriended by a professor with less than altruistic motives, this is an entertaining, slightly spooky listen. Ezzo is a competent narrator, but she doesn’t bring much life to this book

A breathy collection of short novellas by Oates, these are less "novellas of suspense" and more novellas of gendered trauma and building fears of violence and loss. Intensely dark and ultimately depressing, Oates illuminates the trauma of puberty, of loss of parents, of the creeping and leering gaze of males in positions of power, all through the lens of women and girls. Like many of her other works, Oates shows us the world of women and girls and makes us wonder how any of us are so lucky to get out alive.

I listened to the audiobook of Cardiff, bye the Sea: Four Novellas of Suspense. As far as the narration goes, the narrator did a good job creating distinct characters. However, this book was not for me. I found the stories depressing and slow.

A dark and haunting book of 4 novellas. Listening to the audiobook felt like listening to spooky ghost stories in the dark, and they were the perfect length for this, just long enough to develop the characters and surprise the reader! The stories are all psychological thrillers about women or girls in strange and uncomfortable circumstances.

In Cardiff, by the Sea, the main character is adopted and does not know who her birth parents are. After being contacted by a lawyer who tells her she has inherited a house in Maine, she goes to see the house and meets some of her extended birth-family, and they are all a little strange.

In Miao Dao, a young girl who is troubled by her mother, stepfather and boys at school turns her attention to the feral cats that live in the empty lot near her house.

In Phantomwise, a young college student gets too involved with 2 of her teachers, and neither has her best interests at heart.

In The Surviving Child, a new stepmother joins a family where the only remaining child survived his mother's murder-suicide.

Both the writer and narrator of this book do a great job of creating a spooky, haunting atmosphere that almost scared me too much to continue listening to the stories, but I'm glad I didn't give up. Every story had a surprise ending which was both thrilling and satisfying. A perfect book to read or listen to for Halloween or any dark autumn night.

These very dark novellas deal with hauntings, not so much in the supernatural sense, but created by the human mind and spirit. The characters are very complex. They are all women, surrounded and oppressed by men. Cardiff by the Sea is the longest and creepiest story. You can almost hear the wood creak under your feet when you read about the house where the action takes place. Miao Dao was my favorite, because I’m a cat person. Some passages were difficult to read, but I was very satisfied with the ending. Phan-tomwise: 1972 is hard to define and extremely heartbreaking and The Surviving Child is probably the darkest one. The audiobook narrator, Lauren Ezzo, does justice to the beautifully written prose. Her voices are distinct, so even if the stories are told by women in situations of uncertainty, they still all sound like different people. Her secondary characters are also excellent (I loved the great aunts in the first story, I could picture them so clearly, bickering). This is not a book you’ll easily forget. It is disturbing and deep.
I chose to listen to this audiobook and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Thank you, NetGalley/HighBridge Audio!