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Grace, Tamar and Laszlo the Beautiful
Part novel, part fantasy, part social history, this collection of short stories set in the valleys of South Wales follows the lives of two sisters, Grace and Tamar. As these dark, universal stories detail their volatile sibling rivalry—on several occasions they almost kill each other—their disruptive coming of age, and dubious maturity, they express how utterly strange it is to learn to become human. While each story is complete in its own right, together they form a continuous and powerful sequence.
- GenresShort Stories
165 pages, Paperback
First published February 28, 2009
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93 people want to read
About the author
Deborah Kay Davies
11 books37 followersDeborah Kay Davies started writing and publishing when she was a mature student and taught Creative Writing at Cardiff University. Her first collection of stories, Grace, Tamar and Laszlo the Beautiful, won the 2009 Wales Book of the Year Award. She has also published a collection of poems, Things You Think I Don’t Know. She lives in Wales.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
April 11, 2012
another brilliant book from Ms Davies*. So nearly 5 stars. Only not 5 stars because I've been awarding 5 stars a bit too much, I feel. Proper review on its way...
These are linked stories (should be read in the right order, although they do stand alone) about two sisters growing up in rural Wales, from birth (the first story is set in the maternity ward as Tamar is born) to marriage and divorce. Their adventures are not comfortable – one gets assaulted by a man up a mountain (although she gives as good as she gets), they have sisterly spats and deeper arguments and splits, from throwing orange juice and making the other eat worms to stealing each other's boyfriends. Sibling rivalry x 10. This is not helped by their slightly mad mother (In 'Radio Baby' the mother brings home her newborn, but neglects him: Throughout the day the door has been knocked on several times. She indicates no, I’m not to answer, and blocks my way… She disconnected the phone when she found me trying to ring my father. Phoning will scrabble the soundwaves, she says…. Messages are about to come through she tells me. We must listen for instructions).
The stories are told in a mixture of first and third person, and are from each daughter’s pov (or neither). Totally lacking in sentimentality they do make you catch your breath and wonder at the survival instincts, the hardened attitudes the girls cultivate as protection against the vicissitudes of the world and from each other. It won’t appeal to the over sensitive, as there are some appalling scenes here – a sister pushed out of a tree, an abductor battered with a rock, numerous boys and relatives mocked and laughed at, sex with a bassett hound (didn’t quite believe that one). In the end though the ties of family still bind.
Throughout Davies' writing is tight and evocative. That basset hound for example:his tongue feels like an uncooked veal escalope. It smells meaty. Or this (not the same story):The ground is moist and the Japanese knotweed is giving off a rainy, astringent smell. Grace feels restless in places like this, green places, caves in undergrowth, amongst sprays of minty leaves; they awaken an empty feeling in her chest.
* the first book I read of hers True Things About Me was one of my top ten books of last year.
These are linked stories (should be read in the right order, although they do stand alone) about two sisters growing up in rural Wales, from birth (the first story is set in the maternity ward as Tamar is born) to marriage and divorce. Their adventures are not comfortable – one gets assaulted by a man up a mountain (although she gives as good as she gets), they have sisterly spats and deeper arguments and splits, from throwing orange juice and making the other eat worms to stealing each other's boyfriends. Sibling rivalry x 10. This is not helped by their slightly mad mother (In 'Radio Baby' the mother brings home her newborn, but neglects him: Throughout the day the door has been knocked on several times. She indicates no, I’m not to answer, and blocks my way… She disconnected the phone when she found me trying to ring my father. Phoning will scrabble the soundwaves, she says…. Messages are about to come through she tells me. We must listen for instructions).
The stories are told in a mixture of first and third person, and are from each daughter’s pov (or neither). Totally lacking in sentimentality they do make you catch your breath and wonder at the survival instincts, the hardened attitudes the girls cultivate as protection against the vicissitudes of the world and from each other. It won’t appeal to the over sensitive, as there are some appalling scenes here – a sister pushed out of a tree, an abductor battered with a rock, numerous boys and relatives mocked and laughed at, sex with a bassett hound (didn’t quite believe that one). In the end though the ties of family still bind.
Throughout Davies' writing is tight and evocative. That basset hound for example:his tongue feels like an uncooked veal escalope. It smells meaty. Or this (not the same story):The ground is moist and the Japanese knotweed is giving off a rainy, astringent smell. Grace feels restless in places like this, green places, caves in undergrowth, amongst sprays of minty leaves; they awaken an empty feeling in her chest.
* the first book I read of hers True Things About Me was one of my top ten books of last year.
March 25, 2025
I haven’t read a book like this in a long time. A powerful exploration of girlhood and sisterhood. Perfect in every way.
February 28, 2023
(for one of my uni modules)
February 2, 2022
This format of interlinked short stories os really starting to grow on me but of course it’s not like I was ever going to be disappointed by Deborah Kay Davies, a writer who captures the unreality of the mundane and the mundanity of the horrific so perfectly and consistently in everything of hers i’ve read so far.
September 25, 2023
I’m not really sure how I feel about this book. Maybe I should have waited before reviewing as I only finished it a few minutes ago.
The way the author describes the world around the characters, the people they interact with, and the events that happen to them is quite simply beautiful. Such a stunning use of language and giving a fully realised feel to the book.
But I had an issue with the feel itself. It reminds me very much of something we would have been tasked with reading at uni, a book that can be analysed and discussed in depth. It’s not an easy read, at times it is really very uncomfortable, and I found myself thinking what on earth am I reading?!
I do wish there had been a bit more interaction and story beyond where it ends because I find the age we leave them at to be a bit too early and that it ends without really getting the full story. I wanted to know more about the brother and their relationship with him, I wanted to know more about their evolving relationships with the mother and father. Too many questions raised and left unanswered. I don’t know if that’s by design but I didn’t like it. Sort of feels like there are 20 - 30 pages missing from the end.
I’m not into spoilers and I feel if I started discussing one storyline I’d have to discuss them all, so I’m afraid that pretty much ends my review - a book that is beautifully written and also left me scratching my head not really understanding what I had read, with an overall feeling of having not been given quite enough.
The way the author describes the world around the characters, the people they interact with, and the events that happen to them is quite simply beautiful. Such a stunning use of language and giving a fully realised feel to the book.
But I had an issue with the feel itself. It reminds me very much of something we would have been tasked with reading at uni, a book that can be analysed and discussed in depth. It’s not an easy read, at times it is really very uncomfortable, and I found myself thinking what on earth am I reading?!
I do wish there had been a bit more interaction and story beyond where it ends because I find the age we leave them at to be a bit too early and that it ends without really getting the full story. I wanted to know more about the brother and their relationship with him, I wanted to know more about their evolving relationships with the mother and father. Too many questions raised and left unanswered. I don’t know if that’s by design but I didn’t like it. Sort of feels like there are 20 - 30 pages missing from the end.
I’m not into spoilers and I feel if I started discussing one storyline I’d have to discuss them all, so I’m afraid that pretty much ends my review - a book that is beautifully written and also left me scratching my head not really understanding what I had read, with an overall feeling of having not been given quite enough.
May 30, 2017
This is an extraordinary book, a collection of short stories but one that holds its own as a single account of the strained and tangled lives of the two sisters, Grace and Tamar. The stories are striking, real, shocking, painful. They reveal the strange underbelly of sibling relationships that many people will recognise. The first half of the book was so well written, it had me completely gripped and blew me away. But for me the book lost momentum about half way through and, disappointingly, didn't really pick up again. I really loved the title too, so it was disappointing to find that the eponymous Lazlo only has a bit walk-on part. Deborah Kay Davies is undoubtedly a hugely talented writer and I'd definitely want to read her next work.
March 2, 2025
wow this collection of short stories by Davies was honestly a really tough read at points. It’s very visceral and graphic in how it tells the stories of two young sisters and their mother, and how complex their relationship with one another is. i really enjoyed it honestly but it’s very weird and shocking at points, not for the faint of heart lol!
July 4, 2017
I'm not quite sure about this book. It's very readable. The author has a good style but I wasn't impressed with the weird plot lines. Too many questions and few answers. An easy but uncomfortable read.
February 17, 2024
very readable, filled with immense meaning and importance.
January 21, 2025
Underrated and amazing book, I studied it for my English literature degree and it’s one of the pieces of set text that truly gripped me. The characterisation is so perfect and poetic
March 5, 2025
Loved this. I don’t normally like short stories but these together tell a story of 2 sisters - the stories are quite dark but somehow compellingly relatable.
January 3, 2011
Described as a collection of short stories bound together by the reccurring main characters. I found this book to be very dark, in some places almost grotesque. The stories follow the lives of two sisters from childhood to adulthood and the dysfunctional relationships with each other and with the rest of their family and friends. The violent thoughts and actions,and each sister's delight when triumphing over the other reminded me somewhat of Tom and Jerry cartoon as they are caught in a cycle of stike and counter-strike. I found the mother quite disturbing and becoming more deranged as the stories progressed. We only get peaks into the girls lives as they grow up and as a result you start filling in the gaps from one story to the other which at times was unsettling. It was a thought provoking book, reminding me that there is no such thing as 'normal' when it comes to family relationships and even at their most dysfunctional family ties can sometimes be too strong to break.
February 13, 2023
This book is so good - such a fascinating exploration of girlhood, sisterhood, and the messiness of growing up. Many of the short stories are dark, grotesque and leave you with lots of questions, but the symbolism hidden within is so clever. It’s the kind of book you want to cover with annotations. The final line about the unbreakable cord between sisters made me sob - the book really captures the complexities of being a sister and how that relationship develops throughout your life. I love this book, I love my sister.
September 26, 2014
Si hablaramos de libros favoritos en el mundo entero...
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews