Where the Wild Ladies Are

A masterful collection of classic Japanese ghost stories and folktales retold with contemporary approaches to gender roles, the female body, and general gender expectations vs. realities. The titular story was probably my favorite, but there really isn't a bad story in the entire collection. Quiet, unsettling at times, ghostly and ethereal, while also witty and sharp, these stories are perfect. Being less than familiar with the classic Japanese stories, I also greatly appreciated the summaries of classics in the last chapters, which really brought the stories into sharper contrast.

I had zero experience with Japanese folklore prior to this so I wasn't sure what to expect. I'm easily frightened so eerie-haunting type stuff is a no go for me, but the description really intrigued me. I'm so glad I gave it a try. It's clever, witty, and very different from anything I could have imagined. ⁠
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A feminist retelling of traditional Japanese folktales where humans and ghosts live and work (ghosts with jobs!) side by side. In this collection of linked short stories, the spirits are not there for untoward reasons. In fact, it's quite the opposite. Some of them are there to support (provide babysitting services), encourage (teaching the importance of self-love), and inspire the humans they visit. ⁠
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This is the second translated book I read this year and I intend to read more translated stories. I think some of these works capture and disseminate culture in a, particularly distinct fashion. There is an "Inspiration for the Stories" section at the end which serves as a reference list of the original stories. I appreciated this portion because it gave me the opportunity to learn about the original stories and understand what made these retellings feminist in nature. ⁠

Aoko Matsuda took traditional Japanese ghost folk stories and modernized them in a brilliant, interwoven feminist collection. I absolutely loved reading these stories of ghosts and shape shifters.

The supernatural elements made sense and weren’t forced, which is the sign of a masterful storyteller. I also enjoyed the quirkiness of many of the stories. These are not gory or scary, but very human, exploring how humans get along, deal with hardship, survive, and grow.

Each story could have stood on it’s own, but was made richer for being in the collection, where, at times, the reader knew things that the characters didn’t.

This was a fantastic read and a wonderful glimpse into Japanese folklore.

Thank you to Soft Skull Press and NetGalley for the Reader's Copy!

Now available.

WOW. I can truly say that this was one of my favorite reads so far this year. Wildly inventive, fresh and darkly humorous, Aoko Matsuda's "Where the Wild Ladies Are" is an unexpected delight. Matsuda's modern, intelligent and quirky retelling traditional Japanese ghost stories had me hooked from the first page. From hapless employees to reluctant calligraphers and grumpy cats, this book truly encompasses everything. What I loved the most was the way each story seamlessly blended into the next with recurring characters, themes and overlapping narratives. "Where the Wild Ladies Are" is an effortless, timeless classic.

If there is one thing you should know about me as a reader it's that I am always up for a fairytale or mythological retelling. So, when I saw this book being promoted as a "collection of feminist retellings of traditional Japanese folktales", I knew that I had to read and review this title. Where the Wild Ladies Are is made up of several short stories that eventually interweave with each other as you get further along in the book. It was pretty clever of Matsuda, the author, to make all of the stories set in the same world and it definitely added positively to the reading experience. My one complaint about this story was that the original folktale summaries were all at the end of the book. I wish that I had either known this so I could flip back and forth after reading each story or that they had come directly after the retelling. As someone who is not familiar with Japanese folktales, I didn't really understand where each story came from until I stumbled upon the summaries at the end. Overall, I would recommend this title. It is important to read books set in countries that you do not live in as it expands your knowledge of other cultures.

I kind of have a thing for Japanese fiction, so was excited to read this new collection of short stories from Aoko Matsuda. Where the Wild Ladies Are is a collection inspired by Japanese fairy tales and folklore, but with a definite feminist twist. A large portion of the stories feature ghosts or bizarre events but they are all oh so subtle. These are spooky ghost stories, they are understated and just take the ghosts as an every day occurrence. The women in these stories challenge the cultural gender norms. A number of the stories have a common thread of a theme or a character between them.

I took a slower approach to this book and read a story here or there over the course of a week and a half. As with many short story collections, some of the stories resonated with me more than others, but overall it is a very strong collection that I highly recommend.

Where the Wild Ladies Are is a delightful riff by author Aoko Matsuda on traditional Japanese folk tales and superstitions. Bringing such age-old beliefs and lore into the present day, Matsuda presents spirits living amongst humans as quirky, motivated, and mostly well-intentioned. The glossary of tales that inspired Matsuda's collection shows that the author's stories are not merely retellings, but rather inspired takes. Matsuda skillfully weaves characters and stories together through the volume, contributing to a cohesive and engaging read.

What a cool book! It's awesome to read translations and see things from other cultures perspectives and this book was no exception!

Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for providing me with an arc for an honest review.