Member Reviews

Sorry, this is genius! I adored Boy Parts and Penance but generally not the biggest fan of horror or short stories, so I wasn't sure if I would read the full collection, but now I definitely will be! Also, very excited that a fellow Rebecca in Durham was featured!

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I am so very excited for this book. I loved Eliza Clarke's previous books, and I am intrigued to see where she's going with this. It is also a different format, with short stories rather than a novel, and I can't wait to read more. The sampler made me even more curious to see the direction Clarke will take with her new release

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Definitely glad I got to enjoy this sneak peek into Clark's short story collection and I look forward to reading the entire thing when it comes out!

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I haven't read any Eliza Clark books, but I couldn't resist the title, the cover, and the premise of She's Always Hungry! I mean, that's basically what I would write as my bio, if I had to.

The Shadow over Little Chitaly is so funny. It's dark, it's witty, it's gross, it's weird, but boy-oh-boy it's kind of perfect? I loved the format of restaurant reviews, and the returning customer that just obviously couldn't say no. The great thing about mixing up a format is the mixing of pace, and I loved that this quick sampler had me rushing through it to devour more.

This sampler, was an amuse bouche and I can't wait to gorge myself on the rest of the meal when She's Always Hungry is released. Yum.

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Read a little sampler of Eliza Clark’s forthcoming short story collection. It intrigued and excited me. It was a creepy start and I’m looking forward to reading the entire book when it’s out in November,

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Just on the strength of this sampler, I am unable to resist this collection by the amazing Eliza Clark. I loved both Boy Parts and Penance so will definitely be seeking out She's Always Hungry, for more of her quirky and utterly original writing.

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What an interesting sample. The Shadow Over Chitaly is weird and creepy but also playful and I can tell the author had a lot of fun coming up with it. The format is unusual, but I was a big fan of the story’s structure. I love Eliza Clark’s writing so I’m very much looking forward to reading the rest of the short stories collection once it comes out. Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for this sneak peak.

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I was given access to a sample from Eliza Clark's upcoming short story collection, a piece entitled "The Shadow over Little Chitaly' - I loved it. Clark's inventive narrative's structured as a series of reviews of the takeaway service provided by 'Little Chitaly' restaurant. It's a deceptively-simple concept but, as you might expect from Clark, it features a series of delicious twists - gradually shifting into the territory of the surreal and the absurd. I thought it was incredibly funny and incredibly clever. I'm desperate to read the rest of her stories.

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Sample from Netgalley:
The Shadow over Little Chitaly
Consists of a series of reviews of this Chinese/pizza fusion restaurant. It’s amusing and a bit silly.

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I received a sampler of this ARC from NetGalley and Faber and Faber Ltd in exchange for a free and honest review.

The story featured was titled "The shadow of little Chitaly" - a strange story which follows the reviews of a restaurant that is a fusion of Chinese and Italian cuisine with varying success. An interesting glimpse into this short story collection and I am eager to read the full book.

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From what I have read this book is going to be just as stunning and exciting as Eliza’s other books. Such a fantastic author and definitely one to keep an eye out for!
Thanks to NetGalley for sending me a snippet of the new book!

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Thanks to the publisher and netgalley for a taster story. Completely unhinged and bizarre but a lot of fun. Absolutely loved this short story and cannot wait to read the rest of the collection!

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So sad this was just a small sampler. Loved what I read. It was strange and unique. Looking forward to the release of this short story collection.

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I need more asap - so excited to read the whole thing. The unique format of this short story has enticed me in, and I can’t wait to get my hands on the full thing!!

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Eliza Clark never misses in all the strange, ambitious and eloquent ways that her books give. SO EXCITED to read more!!!

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ive loved eliza clark's other two books and this was an unusual and interesting small sample of her next one, would love more!

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I was kindly given a sample ARC of one of the stories in this collection (‘The Shadow Over Little Chitaly’) by Faber via NetGalley in return for an honest review. Whilst I haven’t yet read the full book, I am very excited for the full release!

I thoroughly enjoyed reading The Shadow Over Little Chitaly (one of the short stories within this new collection). Following the often absurd experiences of customers at a fictional Chinese-Italian fusion takeaway, this story was gripping and very original. Clark tells the story through a very unique narrative style by providing descriptions of meals, customer service experiences, and communication issues through a series of Google Reviews (or reviews on a similar platform). What I really enjoyed about this story was that it managed to push the bounds of acceptable reality whilst also being humorous (I laughed out loud on the bus whilst reading!).

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(rating for sampler only, I have not read the whole book)

I was initially disappointed when I realized the sampler for She's Always Hungry was just one short story from the collection, "Little Chinitaly", but it's one of the most surprising, funny and disturbing stories I've ever read and I could not shut up telling people about it. I was really confused by the format, which is of reviews of a takeaway, but I felt like I was getting sucked in against my will into an obsession with the strange patterns emerging in the reviews from customers trying to make sense of their unsettling experiences of what seems like a very ordinary thing, ordering a big dirty takeaway. I loved her two novels and am so happy that she's taking the mix of formats she played with in Penance into her short fiction, it feels all very exciting.

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I enjoyed this first strange short story. It's surreal, funny and foodie and I look forward to reading more.

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Eliza Clark is certainly talented writer of dark fiction. I’ve read Boy Parts and Penance has been on my list for forever. This short story sampler reads excitingly and I can’t wait for the whole collection. It’s difficult to judge an entire collection based on a single story, but so far so good!

Be prepared for dark themes, dark humour and dark, tortured characters!

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