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Flax-Golden Tales

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Erin wrote flax-golden tales (ten sentence stories inspired by photographs taken by her friend Carey Farrell) from July 2009 to July 2014. They are all archived and can be read at the link attached. She started them for her birthday to make her blog look more like an actual writer (direct quote). Five years and 261 stories later she decided it was time to stop.

261 pages, Online Only

First published July 9, 2014

About the author

Erin Morgenstern

7 books51.8k followers
Erin Morgenstern is the author of The Night Circus, a number-one national best seller that has been sold around the world and translated into thirty-seven languages. She has a degree in theater from Smith College and lives in Massachusetts.

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5 stars
110 (44%)
4 stars
87 (35%)
3 stars
33 (13%)
2 stars
10 (4%)
1 star
7 (2%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 39 reviews
Profile Image for Amy.
909 reviews56 followers
August 21, 2020
This collection is proof that Erin Morgenstern can weave beautiful, imaginative, fully-realized stories out of almost nothing (10 sentences!).

(Though I would love full-length novels spun from "preamble to an unwritten fairy tale" and "simple as kisses".)

My favorite tales (SO MANY!):
"hollow places"
"bunny without a hop"
"lion with a rabbit heart"
"the wish granters"
"simple steps"
"steps"
"a lonely giraffe spun into myth"
"the dog will see you now"
"to the ones who do the leaving"
"hardest truths from softest wool"
"pray to strange gods and receive strange answers"
"lights that guide the way to destinies untold"
"wisdom for the new year"
"finish one thing"
"be happy for no reason"
"the bunny business"
"three small deaths on the back gate"
"love will be there in the morning"
"another place in another time"
"cinderella pumpkin"
"secret wishes of stuffed tigers"
"under-bridge heart"
"glitter never fades"
"character reading"
"advice to follow"
"perpetual teatime"

My favorite lines:
"Time for departures and changes and brave new worlds.
New sights and new sounds, new dreams and new shoes.
Write yourself a note, to remember who you are.
(It’s an easier thing to forget than you’d imagine.)"


Some of the most adorable stories ever written:
"gosling investigators"
"not a real dog"
"the cat and the fiddle"
"penguin investigative services"
"season's greetings from George the toad"
"dinosaurs on holiday"
"the short yet joyful lives of soap bubbles"
"well-intentioned snow coercion"

Stories which remind me of Alice in Wonderland (which is nifty, if it's true her next book is Alice-inspired):
"take a seat"
"a not-quite-midnight picnic"
"brief conversation with a traveling cat"
"alternate paths"
"always"

And a few tales that seem to come from the world of The Night Circus:
"risk & reward"
"dangerous games"
"keeping time"
"the storied pasts of carousel ponies"
"the floral post"
"a time machine is not a clock"
"last words"
"implements"
"tattered & tied"
("tiny cathedrals" sounds like a letter Marco would write to Celia)

(Certain items make multiple appearances: bubbles, sea gulls (and other birds), sheep, chalk, ships, witches, dragons, talking animals, guardians, statuary, signs, carousels/carousel horses, snow, leaves, trees, snow, random items in windows)

If you love The Night Circus or cleverness wrapped in tiny packages of pretty words, then read this now!
Profile Image for Irene.
1,176 reviews89 followers
March 14, 2021
An utter delight. Some of these stories were sweet and whimsical, some were deep and thought provoking and some were simply creepy.

This has to be the first short story collection I’ve read in which I’ve liked every single story. I adore Morgenstern’s writing. I wish I could buy a copy of this collection in physical format.
Profile Image for sara.
901 reviews193 followers
Read
January 11, 2020
My favourite words-maker weaving beautiful tales. Revisited it now because I got reminded this also exists.
Profile Image for Rachael.
540 reviews99 followers
May 29, 2019
Erin Morgenstern is such a great writer. In just 10 sentences, she can tell a story that simultaneously satisfies you but leaves you wanting more.
There are 261 short stories on her blog written over a period of 5 years - all of them are really good and a few are even reminiscent of her excellent The Night Circus.
My particular favourites in this collection were: The Wish Granters, Happily, The Story Trees, Worldbuilding Assistance, Strange Tides, Tools to Build the Stars, and Cinderella Pumpkin
Profile Image for Malinda.
7 reviews
February 14, 2019
Reading this collection of short stories was really enjoyable. They all were very short, yet had an almost magical quality to them. I read these stories a little at a time. It was never something that I sat down specifically to read, but something I did while waiting for the bus or for my classes to start.
73 reviews1 follower
July 15, 2020
A great concept, brilliantly executed. Very sad to have finished reading them and knowing that they’re not available in book form to easily return to.
Profile Image for Cindy Richard.
406 reviews9 followers
October 24, 2020
I actually read these over time on Erin’s blog, but I just realized I could record them on Goodreads. I enjoyed the link between the photographs and the stories told in 10 sentences. I love that she gave herself these limits, and spun gold from what she had to work with. I wish they would make these available in a book and publish them - I bet a lot people would be interested.
Profile Image for Christy.
121 reviews32 followers
April 5, 2017
A clever and beautifully done challenge inspired by the same illustrations I had used as writing prompts in early secondary school. Some of these vignettes are profound, others not so much, but many certainly marked by witty humour. Though her entries do get repetitive at times, with a particular tendency to say, "but that's not true" or "that's not true either". (In all fairness, there are six years' worth of tales, so the very collection is testament to her incredible imagination.)

Favourites:
"the wish granters"
"happily"
"seasons greetings from george the toad"
"tools to build the stars"
Profile Image for Cathie.
566 reviews83 followers
December 30, 2017
5 wonderful stars.
You can find these Tales here: http://erinmorgenstern.com/writing/fl...

I started reading these short tales of magical realism based on photos a friend of Erin Morgenstern took a year ago. I have savored every word, every story (some of them more than once), every line.
They were created over a time span of 6 years.

These are like tiny reprieves from reality that never ceased to amaze me and leave me in awe of how Erin Morgenstern views the world or can take one view and totally turn it into something else.

I will be revisiting these tales often. They are brilliant.
Profile Image for Katie.
444 reviews34 followers
October 3, 2018
The "Flax-Golden Tales" are a collection of short stories written by Erin Morgenstern, inspired by photographs taken by Carey Farrell. They have not been published as a physical book, but are available on Erin's website for free.
I did not like these tales as much as I had expected. The reason for this is that I have only recently read "The Night Circus", Erin's debut novel from 2011. The best part of that book was without any doubt the writing, which is why I was so very excited to read this collection - I love short stories and I feel like they give an author great opportunities to show their talent for beautiful and whimsical writing. However, while I liked many of the tales (I have bookmarked my favourites so I can re-read them at one point), there were quite a few that I did not enjoy at all. I cannot even exactly explain why. They just left me with an uncomfortable and uneasy feeling that I did not appreciate. Moreover, I must admit that most of the pictures were not quite my cup of tea. I really love photography, but my tastes are very specific and do not seem to go with Carey Farrell's preferences - which is, of course, fine.
I guess that the general problem was that I went in with extremely high expectations that this collection could not meet. Not because it is bad, but just because it was not as amazing as I wanted it to be. Of course, one also has to consider that some of the tales are older than "The Night Circus" and that Erin's writing has changed since 2009 (when the first tale was published). Others, however, are newer than Erin's novel and I still felt like they could not live up to the standards it has set.
Profile Image for AquaMoon.
1,572 reviews57 followers
October 26, 2019
What a perfect, absolutely perfect thing to read on a rainy afternoon!! These short little story snacks were lovely and weird and haunting and just plain wonderful! Not unlike Tales from Outer Suburbia (in fact, Erin Morhenstern's writing reminded me very much of Tan's).

This was my first time reading Morgenstern, and you can bet it won't be the last! I've placed a hold on her book and plan to preoreder her new one (or perhaps request it for my birthday, since that's coming up and, because of that, I am allowed to make wish lists of things I would like to own...like books and packages of exotic coffee).

I have the feeling Morgenstern will become a new favorite author. And could be what pulls me out of one of the worst reading ruts I've ever experienced.
Profile Image for ranta.
59 reviews37 followers
December 12, 2020
These are so good. I really like her writing style.

My favourite ones (in no particular order):
-to the ones who do the leaving
-simple as kisses
-mystery street
-hallowed halls
-coffeeshop magic
-objects in space
-broken-wing butterfly
-the short, sad life of a faceless snowman
-frames for nature
-piano player
-journey without a destination
-beautiful uncertainties
-up to interpretation
-hollow places
-wisdom for the new year
-be happy for no reason
-finish one thing
-the year in moments, caught in birds
-untested paths obscured by snow
-bunny without a hop
-take a seat
-bargaining with space and time
-gingerbread army
-heart-shaped cage
-the horse collector
-tiny love letter
-preamble to an unwritten fairy tale
-sprinkles
-the leaf painters
-safe passage
-back in the day
-the best revenge
-don’t

Profile Image for Ashley Bostrom.
193 reviews2 followers
June 3, 2020
I don't always do well with random collections of writing, but I love Erin Morgenstern's books and I wanted more...on a whole, I enjoyed the stories, but the ones below are the ones that have stayed with me, throughout all the other stories:

Those I wish were turned into full-length stories:
-Safe Passage
-Mystery Street
-Preamble to an Unwritten Fairy Tale
-The Memory of Birds
-The Last Sunflower

Those that are perfect in their briefness:
-Perpetual Teatime
-Broken Wing Butterfly
-Carousel Elephant
-Piano Player
-Fragile Vessels with Invisible Contents
-Borne Back Ceaselessly Into the Past
-Pocket Taxi Service
Profile Image for cass 𓍊𓋼𓍊.
210 reviews11 followers
June 9, 2022
this series of 261 10-sentence short stories by Erin Morgenstern (each one based off of a photo taken by Carey Farrell) literally feels like i have been gifted my own version of ‘Sweet Sorrows’.

Erin’s ability to powerfully personify every single thing in a photo and create poignant, raw, and moving short stories out of only 10 sentences clearly shows her mastery of storytelling. this collection is a triumph
and i will savour every single word that Erin Morgenstern writes until the day i die.

a truly momentous feat.
59 reviews2 followers
January 10, 2020
I love these little stories. I think Gosling Investigators is my favorite. And it could just be because it's in my head but it was fun seeing similarities to the Starless Sea, just little phrases that made me say, hey! I really hope this gets made into a physical book someday because I'm greedy like that.
Profile Image for Cecillie.
841 reviews13 followers
April 26, 2020
I didn't like these as much as I like Morgenstern's novel, but they were still super interesting to read. It was really cool to see how Morgenstern gets better at writing throughout her time doing these small stories. So if you're interested in reading this collection I definitely recommend starting with the earliest written stories and working your way forward!
Profile Image for Nique 💫 chroniqled ✨.
326 reviews549 followers
October 23, 2022
This isn’t actually a book and I won’t put it on my read list, but i just want to say that these stories are perfectly enchanting, and i do sincerely hope they get turned into a book sometime in the future.

I’m still in the process of going through the stories on her blog, and I’m honestly quite entertained. 💖
Profile Image for Nuji.
235 reviews15 followers
January 23, 2019
It took me years to finish, but that's because I only read a few each week. Some are very clever and others are repetitive, but overall the extremely short stories show off Erin's talent and I loved the concept!
Profile Image for Clinton Powell.
36 reviews20 followers
January 31, 2022
These are utterly devastating and beautiful. Haunting and playful.
Part blog. Part Photo Gallery. Part poem. Part fairy tale.
Amazingly fun and inventive.
Probably best to be savored, though I devoured them as a whole.
865 reviews4 followers
July 12, 2019
These range from 'pretty good' to 'shut up and take my money already'

Would 100% recommend to anybody who likes short fiction, doesn't like short fiction, or just needs a little dose of happiness.
Profile Image for Leah.
169 reviews10 followers
November 24, 2019
I absolutely love these! I wish it hadn't taken me so long to discover their existence.
Profile Image for Boo.
51 reviews
October 6, 2020
Really enjoyable; whimsical, fun, occasionally mind-stretching. Some people read them on a rainy afternoon. I divided them up over a couple of months. I'm awed by her imagination.
Profile Image for Sunny.
131 reviews2 followers
January 11, 2021
Omg, I really hope Morgenstern will publish these beautiful - sometimes slightly repetitive - tales in a book one day!
Profile Image for Silja.
317 reviews42 followers
April 12, 2021
Finally finished this over a year later, and while I had a (very) long pause reading this I still very much enjoyed Erin's writing style which I loove
Profile Image for Maura Roo.
328 reviews11 followers
May 27, 2022
So many favorites, but the ones I wrote down to remember are Tandem, Bouyant Solidarity, and Under-Bridge Heart.
143 reviews
December 1, 2022
I LOVE these. Plus it's a very different project, and I'd love if these were all made into a book, a thick chunky little hardback book, that would be delicious!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 39 reviews

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