Matsuda Aoko

Witty, inventive, and profound, Matsuda Aoko's collection of linked stories is a contemporary feminist retelling of traditional Japanese ghost stories. As female ghosts appear in unexpected guises, their gently humorous encounters with unsuspecting humans lead to deeper questions about emancipation and recent changes in Japanese women's lives.

Where the Wild Ladies are

In this witty and exuberant collection of feminist retellings of traditional Japanese folktales, humans live side by side with spirits who provide a variety of useful services--from truth-telling to babysitting, from protecting castles to fighting crime. A busybody aunt who disapproves of hair removal; a pair of door-to-door saleswomen hawking portable lanterns; a cheerful lover who visits every night to take a luxurious bath; a silent house-caller who babysits and cleans while a single mother is out working. Where the Wild Ladies Are is populated by these and many other spirited women--who also happen to be ghosts. This is a realm in which jealousy, stubbornness, and other excessive "feminine" passions are not to be feared or suppressed, but rather cultivated; and, chances are, a man named Mr. Tei will notice your talents and recruit you, dead or alive (preferably dead), to join his mysterious company. In this witty and exuberant collection of linked stories, Aoko Matsuda takes the rich, millenia-old tradition of Japanese folktales--shapeshifting wives and foxes, magical trees and wells--and wholly reinvents them, presenting a world in which humans are consoled, guided, challenged, and transformed by the only sometimes visible forces that surround them.

Where the Wild Ladies Are

a fun collection of stories that feel magical. this book taught me empathy, subtle rebellion, and the beauty of living authentically.

the ghosts often guide and inspire me to reject rigid societal norms and instead embrace my true, unconventional self.

one of the ghosts taught me that healing is not always about fixing the past, but also about honoring it, and letting it transform us.

cherish

a fun collection of stories that feel magical. this book taught me empathy, subtle rebellion, and the beauty of living authentically.

the ghosts often guide and inspire me to reject rigid societal norms and instead embrace my true, unconventional self.

one of the ghosts taught me that healing is not always about fixing the past, but also about honoring it, and letting it transform us.

Eva Ströberg

Very interesting read about (feminist) tales of women in Japan in a ghostly aura.

Patrick Book

This was really neat! Probably moreso if I had a sense of the source material, I guess?

Ryan Mateyk

This was a weird one. I liked the stories, always magical, usually pretty quirky, but feel like something was missing. I attribute this to both the translation aspect, as well as the fact that I've never heard a single Japanese myth/legend and this collection is retellings of classic stories. I think it might have had more of an impact if I was familiar with these stories beforehand. I appreciated the explanations and background at the intro of some of the stories, and we were provided a list of inspirations for each story at the end of the collection, but.. just felt like I didn't get as much out of it as I could have.

A fun collection of fables and ghost stories.

Amelia Hruby

mari

Absolutely loved the writing and the integration of real world problems with Japanese folklore stories <333 love love love her style

Sevemedim. Öykü insanı değilim pek ondan da olabilir. Ama kadın gücü bambaşka yerlerde aranmış kitapta ve efsaneler çok uçuk kaçık. 

Fantastik desen değil gerçek desen değil. 

Oldukça büyük bir hevesle almıştım bu kitabı ama beklentimi karşılamadı. 

Zikriye Ürkmez

Sevemedim. Öykü insanı değilim pek ondan da olabilir. Ama kadın gücü bambaşka yerlerde aranmış kitapta ve efsaneler çok uçuk kaçık. 

Fantastik desen değil gerçek desen değil. 

Oldukça büyük bir hevesle almıştım bu kitabı ama beklentimi karşılamadı. 

Anyaconda

Some interesting and creative ideas, but most of the stories are very forgettable to be honest. I wasn't blown away by any of them.
I can recommend this only if you like ghost stories and japanese literary fiction in short story format.

Sahi K

Probably more of a 3.5 but I’m rounding up. 

This is another surprise addition to my read list this year. I think I saw this collection being mentioned somewhere after being nominated for an award, and as it’s stories are inspired from Japanese folklore and legends, I couldn’t resist picking it up. 

I thought it was quite interesting that each of these seemingly different stories are connected and the writing was very engaging. Most of the stories were enjoyable to read too even if I didn’t always understand what the author was trying to convey through them. And as most of these are ghost stories, it isn’t surprising that loneliness and grief seems to be the common thread across most of them. But I also liked that the author depicts the various kinds of issues women face in their lives, and what they are able to accomplish when they decide to challenge the age old norms and take their destiny into their own hands. And the notes at the end with details about each legend or folktale that inspired these stories was a wealth of knowledge I really appreciated. 

I also listened to the audiobook and Sarah Skaer’s narration is pretty fun. I particularly loved her various voices and accents, as well as exclamations whenever they were warranted. I think I enjoyed the book more because of the narration. Definitely recommend it to anyone who would want to explore slightly offbeat, whimsical, and sometimes unexpectedly funny supernatural stories. 


  Smartening Up


While I can’t say I understood everything in this story, I loved the message that a woman shouldn’t have to change herself, both appearance and personality wise, just to get a man; nor should she excuse bad behavior from them just for the sake of companionship. The commentary on body hair was definitely very interesting too, and exactly what I always felt. 


  The Peony Lanterns


I thought it was a bit funny but another story where I wasn’t sure what was happening. Maybe it was just about the push the main character needed to stop his wallowing and look for a new job. 


  My Superpower 


I thought this was a great story about how we shouldn’t judge people on their appearance because we know nothing about what’s happening with them; and we should never forget that while we are judging someone, we are being judged in return. 


  Quite a Catch 


I didn’t expect to read a story of a woman who finds herself disillusioned by the men in her life and ultimately finds love with a ghost. It was surprisingly sweet and earnest. 


  The Jealous Type 


I’m seriously not sure how I feel about this story of an extremely possessive and jealous woman. It felt a bit cathartic in the beginning but then it devolved into too much destruction. 


  Where the Wild Ladies Are 


The story of a young man trying to get through life after the tragic loss of his mother, and a mom who doesn’t want her son to suffer from grief. This was both bittersweet and warm but weird at the same time. 


  Loved One 


Another story of grief and loneliness but I thought the main character’s relationship with her cat was endearing and I wasn’t surprised by her choices at all. 


  A Fox’s Life 


I’m not sure if it was the author’s intent but I thought this story was about how demure women are considered the good ones and women who live banal existences without making waves are preferred. But it does end on the note that things are changing, especially because are no longer content with playing invisible roles. 


  What She Can Do 


A very understandable tale about a young single mother struggling to get by while also facing the criticisms from everyone for making the decision for divorce. This is a story that clearly focuses on the childcare and support such mothers need. 


  Enoki 


Another story about the struggles of motherhood and how humans tend to sexualize everything without any meaning or purpose, except perhaps to get some perverse joy out of it. I liked the twist at the end. 


  Silently Burning 


This story is the perfect description of “don’t judge a book by its cover”. And how women are always underestimated but then elicit surprises when they naturally exceed expectations. 


  A New Recruit 


This can be considered a story about memories and nostalgia, and how important it can be to keep them close to our heart. 


  Team Sarashina 


This was a tale about how formidable a united group of women can be if they decide to strive for winning and aren’t scared of what anyone else will think about it. 


  A Day Off 


I could totally empathize with the main character here who supports women being harassed or molested, and is just in despair because she doesn’t know if a life without all this is possible for any woman to find. 


  Having a Blast 


I think this one really depicted how a wife and husband can view their marriage and relationship very differently. Very interesting take on how the women might feel after they no longer have a husband to take care of. 


  The Missing One 


A young woman trying to run her own business because she wants to work for herself, and trying to imagine all the worst possible scenarios so that she wouldn’t be surprised when something bad happened, seemed like a very realistic character to me. I also loved the little bit of history weaved through this story along with a lovely meet cute. 


  On High 


Interesting story of kind of a guardian angel (or ghost) staying on to guard the castle as well as the town, but feeling lonely because she has been doing it for too long and wondering maybe if she should give it up.

Maytal

Started off with a bang but then began to wane a bit. I wish that there were summaries before each story about which Japanese tale it is based off of, instead of just a few.

Cindy

On paper, Where the Wild Ladies Are is prime Cindy-bait: feminist retellings of Japanese folklore. In the stories where the elements of magical realism were strongest, I was hooked. I loved the setup of "Having a Blast" (the ghost of a woman works alongside her husband, who is still alive), and I loved "A Fox's Life", which is very overt in its allusions to Japanese folklore. The first story, "Smartening Up", is clever, elegant, and wry in its perspective on beauty.

There were two main factors that colored my reading experience though:

- The adaptation of folklore tales are often ingratiated in a very contemporary setting. Starbucks iced chai lattes are easily namedropped alongside Dean & Deluca and The Avengers. The magical elements feel so subtle that you could easily miss them in the blink of an eye. When I was reading about the book, I had expected spoop of the ghost story variety. I'm not sure if I felt spooked out at any point. Maybe weirded out, but not the same psychological terror from reading or watching pure horror.

- I've yet to get used to the slice-of-life structure of the stories. I'm often too used to short stories that follow a buildup/conflict, climax, and resolution (the latter part isn't always necessary; sometimes a good cliffhanger can really bring it home), that some of the stories felt abrupt to me. A setting would be described in intricate detail, only to feel suddenly cut off, without any conflict or resolution (e.g. "My Superpower", "Team Sarashina"). Or maybe I just tend to conflate short stories with novellas and novels, and expect a lot more plot and heft.

In this witty and exuberant collection of feminist retellings of traditional Japanese folktales, humans live side by side with spirits who provide a variety of useful services--from truth-telling to babysitting, from protecting castles to fighting crime. A busybody aunt who disapproves of hair removal; a pair of door-to-door saleswomen hawking portable lanterns; a cheerful lover who visits every night to take a luxurious bath; a silent house-caller who babysits and cleans while a single mother is out working. Where the Wild Ladies Are is populated by these and many other spirited women—who also happen to be ghosts. This is a realm in which jealousy, stubbornness, and other excessive “feminine” passions are not to be feared or suppressed, but rather cultivated; and, chances are, a man named Mr. Tei will notice your talents and recruit you, dead or alive (preferably dead), to join his mysterious company. In this witty and exuberant collection of linked stories, Aoko Matsuda takes the rich, millenia-old tradition of Japanese folktales—shapeshifting wives and foxes, magical trees and wells—and wholly reinvents them, presenting a world in which humans are consoled, guided, challenged, and transformed by the only sometimes visible forces that surround them.

Chelsea White

This was honestly just a “me” issue with the book: I wish I had read up on the original fairy tales (folk lore?) before reading this book of modernized and female-centric versions. The book includes the inspiration at the end, and if I had known that I would’ve read the inspiration before reading each story! Overall beautiful and haunting, cheeky and engulfing.

Anina.

Erika A

miya

Rifqaiza Pravangesta

Daniel Rees

Madeline Schmidt

Gelaine Trinidad

Elena Kuran

Brian

Gianluca Coci

Nel paese delle donne selvagge possiede una speciale alchimia che regala un’esperienza di lettura indimenticabile. Questo libro trascina il lettore e lo invita a una nuova visione del mondo. Così ci si ritrova a scoprire figure spesso ignorate o invisibili.

La raccolta di racconti di Matsuda Aoko, Nel paese delle donne selvagge, osa e mostra un’ampia serie di intrecci narrativi. Il tono varia, passando dal commovente al comico al contemplativo, spesso all’interno della stessa storia. Si percepisce una sensazione magistrale di grandezza, poiché l’autrice racchiude e trasforma noti racconti della tradizione popolare giapponese in modo inaspettato. Oltre al folklore, la raccolta dà spazio a “rubriche” di consigli, figure di imbroglioni e ciarlatani, rabbia femminista senza freni, satira sociale, aromaterapia soprannaturale, orrore del corpo, solitudine postmoderna e molto altro. Altrettanto ambizioso è lo sforzo di bilanciare il tenore ludico e creativo di racconti popolari rivisitati, permettendone un’interpretazione allo stesso tempo tradizionale e contemporanea.

Where the Wild Ladies are

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