Ran out of time to read this before it was archived but loved what I had started!! Will be looking out for a physical copy for sure.

4.5~5★
“On the way back I put the empty bowl on the bench near the pond and sat down beside it. I think I should probably have just kept it in my hands really and held it in my lap because sitting next to the bowl felt really peculiar and it took some effort on my part not to glance down at it and ask it how it was doing.”

Who thinks like that? Considers talking to a bowl? The woman who tells us these stories lives on her own in an old cottage with a thatched roof. She writes about the thatchers, her friends, and her neighbours.

“I sat late one afternoon for a reason that resolutely refuses to come to mind in my neighbours’ house with my coat on all alone in the room between the kitchen and the parlour.”

I loved this. I also became frustrated and annoyed. Published in 2015, this debut collection of stories attracted a lot of attention from authors and critics. Her meandering thoughts and long, sometimes complex, sentences, mean you have to pay attention.

Not always. Here’s a short short story in its entirety.

“STIR-FRY
I just threw my dinner in the bin. I knew as I was making it I was going to do that, so I put in it all the things I never want to see again.”

Then there will be long sentences as she sorts out her thoughts on the page. She realises one morning that the only time she’s interested in the opposite sex is when she’s drunk.

“It was soon obvious that this particular observation wasn’t simply a fleeting instance of light-hearted self-derogation and as it achieved increasing firmness in my mind I felt incredulous and a bit put out that urgent tidings such as these could have remained distant for so long, since, it seemed to me, the instances upon which they derived foundation were surely not restricted to isolated and uncharacteristic phases, but more or less encompassed the entirety of my romantic career.”

You get the idea. You have to be a word-lover, someone who enjoys wordplay and is happy to go with the flow. These are not stories or anecdotes, as such – they are more like notes-to-self. Something like Helen Garner’s diaries and journals, perhaps, except Garner organises her thoughts masterfully. In Bennett’s case, her thoughts wander the way a small child’s do, jumping from subject to topic to person to episode to instance and then winding back to the subject – usually.

My example is nothing to do with her prose, but this is what I mean. I’ll make it about a man, so it doesn’t sound like I’m referring to ‘her’.

He’s just finished breakfast and goes to get dressed, taking his second cup of coffee with him. He sets the cup down on his dresser and looks at the photograph of his brother and sister when they were children. He reminisces (in long sentences) about the day it was taken, the oncoming storm, the games they were playing, the arguing, and the giggling. As he crosses the room, he realises he left yesterday’s socks on the floor. Picking them up, he thinks of an old girlfriend whose pet peeve that was – his leaving socks on the floor. Ah, yes, but when she wasn’t whinging about his socks, they had a great time, and he shares some colourful memories that rekindle his interest in her that remind him of the shirt that she liked – the one she pulled off of him the last time they …. Maybe he’ll wear that one today.

It’s sometimes like listening to the never-ending, breathless recounting by a six-year-old of everything that happened today at school, all pouring out at once so that you will maintain your focus solely on them. But these are told with beautiful writing, humour, and warmth.

When I didn’t feel like maintaining focus, I got frustrated. The trick, I think, is to read these one or two at a time. Dip into the book and enjoy each story. They are well worth it.

Having said all that – and I’m well aware I have a tendency to waffle – I did love her thinking.

“English, strictly speaking, is not my first language by the way. I haven’t yet discovered what my first language is so for the time being I use English words in order to say things. I expect I will always have to do it that way; regrettably I don’t think my first language can be written down at all. I’m not sure it can be made external you see. I think it has to stay where it is; simmering in the elastic gloom betwixt my flickering organs.”

Jon McGregor, whose lyrical writing I love, is quoted in ‘The Guardian’ as saying. ‘Bennett’s language is an ornate and long-winded riposte to all those pared-back minimalists, and I love it.’

Thanks to NetGalley and Fitzcarraldo Editions for the copy for review from which I’ve quoted. This was first published in 2015.

This is a slow but beautiful burn of a novel; it took me a little time to engage with the novel but once I did I was fully involved.

Thank you to the Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of the novel in exchange for an honest review.

Good writing, interesting in places. I found the shorter pieces (generally) more interesting and focussed than the longer. Insights into a mind or view of the world? Worth reading, random sections at a time seems more in keeping. Maybe nearer four stars though there were too many sections that didn't do enough for me to justify that for the whole text.

Good, interesting, worth dipping into. However, why there are so many quotes on here and and prior to the text proclaiming it to be one of the wonders of modern literature is beyond me.

This isn’t your typical short story collection, it reads like a bits of consciousness. It’s a book that will make you think, it will give you pause and you will have to sit with what you just read and perhaps read the same “story” multiple times in order to fully digest it. Because of this it was a slow read for me which I typically wouldn’t enjoy but something about the author’s writing kept pulling me back.

I DNF’ed this book unfortunately.

I love a stream-of-consciousness monologue, and this one had some wonderfully funny, quotable moments that I highlighted. But overall it was just too rambly for me. And too choppy.

I tried but had to stop at 38%

Having read and loved this when it was first published, on re-reading I'm shocked to discover that I remembered practically nothing about it - I had thought that the whole thing was about pears on windowsills, and the way the light hits the kitchen table. It's about more and less than that, and I can quite understand some readers' frustration with it. Personally I am totally charmed by it, even if I wish there was more about the pears.

Here are a couple of my favourite lines:

"And I remember suddenly what a sexy and beautiful thing it is to look at someone and decide suddenly and for no reason at all that I will for a while give them the cold shoulder. Of course it's expressive - what could be more arousing than inexplicable disdain my God."

"Paper Mate, I believe, manufacture ballpoint pens -but that is not the overall reason why I have no interest in them and will say about them nothing further."

My thanks to Fitzcarraldo Editions and NetGalley for the ARC.

Pond is a beautifully written series of stories, of varying length and detail, from the life of our narrator, a woman living alone in her isolated seaside home. I found myself more engaged with some of the stories than others, and at time struggled to follow the tangents she embarks upon, but the majority was incredibly enjoyable to read.

The way that Bennett describes such simple things, bordering on mundane at times, is very relatable and I found myself relating her frustrations to some of my own. The way her mind wanders, over-thinking and fixating on nonsensical matters mirrors the way the subconscious narrative runs in one's mind when left unchecked and I found myself transported into these small glimpses of her life.

A truly beautiful book, I'm very grateful to have had the chance to read as an ARC for the new reprint, and this is a novel that thoroughly deserves to be in the spotlight once again.

Not so much a collection of short stories, more a collection of moments. Some a few sentences long, other spread over pages. Beautifully recorded. Not a book to be read all at once, but one to be picked up and dipped into. To be read and reread, and to underline. Something to spend quiet moments with.

Pond has been described as a feverish stream of consciousness and that is not far wrong. - it put me in mind of a 21st century rural Mrs Dalloway. A middle aged woman lives on her own somewhere in the Irish countryside - she doesn’t seem to do very much or like anyone but is still overwhelmed by desire for life and love. The writing is beautiful, the style hypnotic and there is a permanent sense of unease and growing claustrophobia. The narrator’s life at times seems no larger than the pond at the end of the garden, sometimes it seems limitless as she merges with the elements. As the book goes on, she appears to become more and more unhinged and there is something unclear and murky (as a pond) as she remembers her childhood and especially her brother. It is good, the only problem is that I really did not like the narrator and being so caught up in her thoughts was not, in fact, a pleasant experience.

Pond – Claire-Louise Bennett

Quite often I’m terribly disappointed by how things turn out, but that’s usually my own fault for the simple reason that I’m too quick to conclude that things have turned out as fully as it is possible for them to turn, when in fact, quite often, they are still on the turn and have some way to go until they have turned out completely.

My thanks to @fitzcarraldoeditions and @netgalley for letting me read this collection in exchange for an honest review.

20 stories, told in dreamlike fashion from the viewpoint of an isolated and reclusive woman, living on the west coast of Ireland. No chronological order, or none that is discernible, a focus on the mundane (one story is about trying to source a part for a beloved minioven) which the author attempts to lift to poetic heights, an inward focus that one can become submerged in, feeling the warmth of her banality and little details.

Sounds like something you’re interested in? Good for you. I was, too, at points – the oven story in particular weirdly drew me in, for a start. Bennett, from what I can see, is an author like Fosse or Knausgaard, in that if you can get on board with the rhythm of the narrator, their style and idiosyncrasies, then you can fall in love with the author and the writing, passionately and devotedly.

Unfortunately, that wasn’t me, at least not this time. It was a book that I could see the appeal and attraction towards, and why a lot of people I respect enjoyed it, but it simply wasn’t for me. I just wasn’t in the mood for that level of introspection, and perhaps it’s something I should return to in a different mood. Right here, right now, I didn’t love it, but still feel like it should be read – she might be your new favourite author.

Pond by Claire-Louise Bennett is a collection of vignettes that read like journal entries and is a masterpiece of writing. The writing style is lyrical, contemplative, and introspective, with a strong emphasis on sensory description. Bennett's use of language is unique, captivating, and awe-inspiring, drawing the reader into the narrator's world. The narrator's musings are fragmented and often surreal, touching on themes of solitude, identity, and the complexities of the human mind. The writing is both witty and melancholic, and the observations are often both frivolous and profound. Bennett's ability to describe even the most mundane things in a way that is beyond beautiful and brilliant is something that I have never encountered before in literature. Overall, Pond is a thought-provoking work that offers a glimpse into the mind of its narrator and invites the reader to reflect on their own experiences and emotions.

4/5

Thank you, NetGalley/Fitzcarraldo Editions, for this book in exchange for an honest review

I was glad to be given the opportunity to read this book. It's been on my periphery for a while and have heard generally positive things. (although I have to admit I'm not entirely sure why a book that came out 8(?) years ago needs an arc).
The stories in this collection range from one paragraph flash to longer 'standard' length short stories, told from presumably the same narrator. Similar to Jesus' Son, but also not at all like it.
The language can be a little long-winded and verbose, but if you read that as the character's voice I found it interesting and funny. Another reader may find it pretentious.
I loved the story 'Control Knobs', perhaps in part because I used to live in a bedsit with a similar Belling oven, but I felt this was where the collection hit its' stride. I'm looking forward to reading more by the author.

Pond is a beautifully written collection of short stories told in an almost stream of consciousness style by an unnamed female narrator. Although short in length, I found this to be a challenging read as it is unlike most other short story collections I have read, where some 'stories' are a few sentences or a page long. It's a book I think is meant to be read slowly as it requires a certain level of focus, even though it has no real plot to speak of; I found myself fully immersed in the thoughts and musings of the narrator through her profound, intimate and often witty observations of the seemingly ordinary details of her daily life.

Overall an enjoyable and absorbing read. I will certainly be picking up the authors full length novel, Checkout 19.

Struggled with this. Have read it twice in the hope I'd enjoy it more following a second reading ... perhaps the first time around was me, or circumstances. Sadly, despite my best efforts, I just couldn't get to grips with it.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for granting the ARC.

I have mixed feelings about this book - on the one hand, I can absolutely admire Claire-Louise Bennett's writing style, it's just whimsical and flowery enough to make for a pleasant read. I was often in awe of how wonderfully she phrases things, snippets of wisdom here and there that made me stop and think. At the same time, I was a bit bored by this book, its complete lack of plot, jumping from one slice of life chapter to another without a clear cohesion, it just does not work for me. It's not a fault of the book itself, its style is certainly well executed, but it just failed to hold my attention.

I hadn't read anything by Bennett but quite liked reading this book with short stories, all related to the same character living in a remote town in Ireland. However, without really a plot or anywhere specific going ahead, it got quite hard to get hooked after a point.

Handily finished this exactly as my train arrived into Amsterdam Centraal Station. Even though this book came out in 2015, I got this as an ARC off Fitzcarraldo ahead of their new paperback release in the American(?) style (long and narrow (which I'm addicted to)). It's my first Bennett though Checkout 19 has been wavering in my periphals for some time. It's a hard one to rate: plotless, oftentimes boring, but oddly lonely. The honing in on banalities, kitchen stoves, flowers, etc., reminded me of The Mezzanine but rather than Baker's humour, Bennett's prose pushed towards claustrophobia. A book that couldn't really be any longer than it is.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3078348827