Bottles and Pots

by Jacqueline Pye

Bottles and Pots is a collection of dark short stories. They vary from short, sharp pieces to longer reads, and portray love, jealousy, psychosis, revenge and murder. Some have been listed, commended or placed in competitions, and some included in various published anthologies.

90 pages, Paperback

First published September 29, 2013

Reviews

[Joanne]

I won a copy of this book in a goodreads giveaway. It's a clever collection of short stories, some are less than a page long but still tell a fiendish tale in so few words. Once I started I didn't stop till I got to the end.

[Rebecca Gransden]

Bottles and Pots is a collection of short pieces joined by a thread of dark intents. The author has studied psychology, which is made clear in an obvious interest in the motivations behind the action. I found, however, that on a few occasions the characters just didn't ring true, particularly on Ugly Duckling.
The settings are also oh so middle class. This is like Tales of the Unexpected for those who say the word 'organic' a lot. I wanted to connect with this more. I found myself wanting more weight but ultimately finding more to take away in the shortest pieces. 'The Enemy' is full of familiar fears but is quite creepy and evocative. Also, 'The Disappearing Tale of Sour Pete' holds menacing echoes of a traditional folk tale at it's core.
There are a few good ideas here, and the writing has a clarity, but as a collection I found it uneven.


I received this book as a giveaway from Goodreads First Reads but all opinions are my own.

[Gina Dickerson]

Jacqueline's newest book is a short story collection of dark tales. It includes flash pieces, as well as longer stories. Some are poignant and thought-provoking, others full of twisted actions and thoughts. I enjoyed this collection but, of course I did have favourites! "Coming To Terms" - a tale of loss, "Cobwebs" - a story of bitter love and retribution, and "The Yellow Satchel" - of twisted love and too-late realisation, were three stories I particularly enjoyed. "The Game" also features in this collection and is a great read. In fact, there are more than just the four stories I've mentioned which resonate in the mind. Bottles and Pots is an interesting mix of stories that remain with the reader after the close of the page.

[Shirley Golden]

Funerals, executions, serial killers, and inventive ways of taking revenge; Jacqueline Pye's short story collection is darkly entertaining. As with any collection, some stories I connected to more than others; amongst my favourites are the historical fiction pieces, 'St Anselm's Day' and 'The Stones, The Stones', both of which evoke a solid sense of place and past perspectives, and 'The Yellow Satchel' stands out for its sense of mystery and poignant ending. Overall, though, I preferred the flash-fictions, as this is where the language is at its tautest and, for me, where the sinister implications reverberated for the longest time. A very good debut. Recommended.

[Daniela]

Thoroughly entertaining and cleverly written.I won this book via FirstReads and read it in one go.