Auribus teneo lupum (I hold a wolf by the ears): When one is in a situation where there is no way out without getting hurt. I Hold a Wolf by the Ears is a collection of 11 dark short stories by Laura van den Berg. Each story centers on a woman going through turmoil or reflecting on past pain. In these short stories you'll meet various types of women. One who impersonates the dead wives of widowers. Another woman who spent her youth in a treatment facility. A woman who doesn't realize she's being drugged by her husband. Another who is impersonating her missing sister. And a divorcee who refuses to believe that her brother abused his ex-wife. I Hold A Wolf by the Ears has its strengths and its weaknesses. Laura van den Berg's writing is sure to pull you in from the beginning. Her ability to create wonderful settings and chilling atmospheres is amazing. Each story has an almost supernatural quality to it that adds to the tension of each narrative. A sense of suspense that leaves you wondering how the story will end. And unfortunately, that's where we get to I Hold a Wolf by the Ears biggest weakness. Many of the stories in I Hold a Wolf by the Ears have very lackluster endings. There's this build up and all of a sudden there's an abrupt ending or one that feels rushed. I get the feeling that perhaps the abrupt endings were intentional and meant to add to the impact of each story's message. In that case, I felt that the execution was lacking and needing more work if that's what the endings were intended to do. I liked how each story in the collection started. But ultimately, the lack of well developed endings means I can't rank I Hold a Wolf by the Ears higher than a 3. However, I did particularly enjoy reading "The Hill of Hell", "The Cult of Mary", "The Pitch", and "Carolina". ~Narration~ I selected the audiobook version of I Hold a Wolf by the Ears. My audiobook came from Tantor Media and was narrated by Amy Landon. I enjoyed Landon's narration and I especially liked how she was able to add to the dark mood of each story. My Rating: 💙💙💙
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