Joyce Carol Oates

[Taylor Razzani]

Has anyone read anything by her? I've been meaning to pick up some of her books, but I don't want to start with one that might turn me off. Any recommendations on where to start?

[MsMartha]

I've read a handful of her books, and enjoyed them! That being said, it's hard to recommend one in particular, because she wrote so many. You might want to check her books out on Amazon and read the samples. Or if you have a local library, ask a librarian for a recommendation!

[Taylor Razzani]

Thank you, I should just pick up some copies! There's a used book store near me that has a ton of her books that I'm always afraid to touch for some reason.
I'll just have to deal with it and read a little sample from a few of them.

[MsMartha]

If you visit the used book store, try reading the first page and see if the book gets your attention

[ebeth]

I have never heard of her at all. If you have Kindle app you might be able to read a little bit of it first so you don't have to go to the bookstore.

[Taylor Razzani]

Both good points! I certainly do not need to go to another book store, so the Kindle app is a good idea. But I usually end up going to the book store anyway, so I can always pick up different copies and see what speaks to me

[DATo]

I am currently reading The Man Without A Shadow by this author and it is my introduction to the work of Joyce Carol Oates.

I am about half way into the novel which is a mystery genre tale. I find nothing that is particularly appealing to me about the writing style, but it is not bad either. The story thus far seems to be droning on and is getting a bit tedious but I think there may be a reason for this so I am not passing judgement yet. Despite her luminous credentials, and bearing in mind that I have not yet finished the book, I would thus far rate Oates as a typical modern day novelist.

[Pretty Pheonix]

Joyce Carol Oates has been my favorite author for almost 20 years. I have read around 20 of her works, with so much more to go! She is a master of the dark places the mind can go. I haven't gotten around to The Man Without a Shadow, yet, although I own it. I would recommend starting with one of the many short story collections she has published to know if her writing is for you, or not. She generally writes one novel and at least one collection each year.

[Fran]

I think I've read probably 20+ of her books so you can take it Joyce Carol Oates is one of my absolute favourite authors.

I would instance the following as her absolute best IMO:

We Were the Mulvaneys
The Female of the Species
Give Me Your Heart (Short stories, excellent but very dark)
A Fair Maiden
The Gravedigger's Daughter
Carthage
Daddy Love

[Taylor Razzani]

Thank you for the input everyone! I was afraid that the writing might not be what I like/am used to. I honestly wasn't aware she wrote short stories, so that would be a good place to start.

Now that I see the title, I think We Were the Mulvaneys was the book recommended to me, thank you!

[Celticlady]

I also have not read any of her work. Not sure why and now that she has written so many, not sure where to start.

[Scerakor]

The only work of hers that I have read is "Zombie" and perhaps, from what I have read, this is not the best one to start with. I enjoyed it, but consider myself someone that is perfectly capable to hold my own in the "WTF-factor" of some messed up books; this one challenged that capability.

[Amagine]

Where are you going, Where have you been? This is a short story by her that it is one of my favorites. She dedicated it to Bob Dylan. It was written based off one of his songs.