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bonnie3088's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
"Her hair shone like motor oil, greens and golds and blues all in that black"
"He came at her with the forces of a rabid dog gnashing into her flesh"
The writing in this book was beautiful, it is what kept me locked in as well as the common theme on family and gender especially in Latin households. I thought this book had strong messages and executed each story amazingly. There wasn't a single story that made me feel bored. I think each story could stand on its own and with all of them together it just creates a beautiful work that more ppl should read.
Minor: Sexual violence, Death of parent, and Violence
myrtosfullybooked's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
I've decided to stop giving star reviews to story collections because as we all know, each story will be different and some will hit a chord more than others, but for this book, I couldn't resist.
The stories in this collection deal with painful themes like intergenerational violence, abandonment, and discrimination, but they are written gently, and they flow easily. If anything, the writing felt minimal but, just like the women whose stories it portrayed, hid many deeper layers - not all of them meant to or being fully revealed to the reader. I feel like I learned a lot about the experiences of Indigenous and Latina women in the American West without the book ever becoming didactic or compromising the atmosphere of the story told.
Tomi, Any Further West, and Ghost Sickness were my favourites from the collection. Any Further West, especially, felt like a punch in the stomach, but it was so beautifully well-written. I may not be able to explain it very well, but we see characters lost, self-destructive, desperate, or perpetually in pain, and yet somehow what stayed with me was their strength and their survival. The cycles of violence and pain sometimes seem endless and inescapable, but every now and then a daughter will get away and make it; a grandmother will leave a legacy to be honoured; a cousin will be remembered for more than her beauty even if it's by only one person; a lost girl might be found... Normally, these would have been the type of stories I would have found so grim and depressing, and I was really surprised to find myself not wanting the book to end. It is all the things sad girl literature (or the samples of it I've read at least) is trying to be and fails.
I am so grateful to @bouebooks for putting this book on my radar. I will certainly be reading Woman of Light too.
Moderate: Abandonment, Colonisation, Abortion, Alcoholism, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Racism, and Sexual violence
alyaknedgo's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Moderate: Misogyny, Sexual violence, Racism, and Chronic illness
asainspace's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Terminal illness, Cancer, and Racism
Moderate: Sexual violence, Addiction, Suicide, and Alcoholism
Minor: Abortion
euphoricallydreaming's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Graphic: Domestic abuse
Moderate: Sexism, Sexual violence, Xenophobia, Abandonment, Addiction, and Racism
Minor: Alcoholism
mold_munchr's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Graphic: Child abuse
Moderate: Cancer
Minor: Sexual violence and Suicide
mmccombs's review against another edition
4.0
Graphic: Violence, Sexual violence, and Death
internationalreads's review
5.0
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Violence, Xenophobia, Car accident, Physical abuse, Abandonment, Abortion, Alcohol, Drug use, Grief, Infidelity, Pregnancy, Racism, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, and Suicide
belle2008's review against another edition
4.25
Graphic: Abandonment, Abortion, Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Cancer, Death of parent, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Grief, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Racism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, and Violence
hotbookscoldbrews's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Moderate: Abandonment, Terminal illness, Violence, Sexual violence, and Addiction