Reviews tagging 'Pregnancy'

Her Body and Other Parties by Carmen Maria Machado

51 reviews

frogreads_'s review

challenging dark mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

This book is lovingly and hauntingly well-written. Even though i didn't understand the analogies in some stories (and looked up each story after) i adored the way each one was written. I am left both hollow and full; the way a truly good book does. 

The only reason this is not marked higher is because of my difficulty of understanding. Some of these stories are red hot wires of pain and trauma and then they're gone- and im left grasping to find the purpose of the story itself. I look forward to the day the author releases a longform story and we are allowed to grow, blossom, and die with the main characters. 

Her characters are deep from the start and complicated like a dream you barely remember. All of these stories are feminist, predominantly queer, and have an edge of mental health and i appreciate them for that. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault and Sexual content

Moderate: Rape, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Violence, and Mental illness

Minor: Vomit and Pregnancy

In my opinion some of these stories read like you are going through a dissociative fugue. You jump around and know as much as the main character does to the point where you are affected too-left feeling lost and confused, but taken all the same. This is very much in the stories The Resident and Mothers. Could be triggering for those who experience dissociation and/or derealization.

helhas3letters's review

dark tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Misogyny, Rape, Kidnapping, Sexism, Child abuse, Child death, and Death

Minor: Animal death, Colonisation, Fatphobia, Medical content, Murder, Sexual assault, Eating disorder, Gun violence, Lesbophobia, Blood, Body horror, Dysphoria, Pregnancy, Sexual violence, Violence, Vomit, Alcohol, and Homophobia

revarevareva's review against another edition

challenging dark funny medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pregnancy, Grief, Sexual violence, and Emotional abuse

jess_18's review against another edition

challenging emotional sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

I definitely thought the first short story ‘husband stitch’ was the best, it was upsetting but written very well. Some of the stories went over my head a bit but I think they were all good and told an interesting narrative. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship, Medical content, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Sexism, Pregnancy, Grief, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Mental illness, Injury/Injury detail, Rape, and Emotional abuse

bashsbooks's review

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75

Her Body And Other Parties taps into the horror of being seen as a woman - and emphasizes it with a fine and careful touch of the surreal. Thought-provoking and cerebral, Machado doesn't hold back on displaying the female body in all its gory glory. It is unsettling and horrifying, but in a very real and relatable way - there are no jumpscares here, only uncomfortable truths. Like all short story collections, I liked some of the stories more than others (I enjoyed "Inventory" and "Especially Heinous" the most) though they are all worth a read, as every story in this collection churned in my mind for days after reading it. I can't wait to see what Machado writes next.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cursing, Mental illness, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Misogyny, Body horror, Alcohol, Animal death, Vomit, Death, Fatphobia, Pregnancy, Violence, Eating disorder, Blood, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Bullying, Toxic relationship, Colonisation, Sexual assault, Toxic friendship, Domestic abuse, Body shaming, Pandemic/Epidemic, Rape, and Sexual harassment

-Explicit description of a flu-like illness. -Explicit description of popping pimple-like welts.

danimacuk's review against another edition

challenging mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content

Moderate: Abandonment, Alcohol, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Grief, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Sexual assault, and Toxic relationship

fell4's review against another edition

Too dark

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Sexual content, Pregnancy, and Misogyny

Minor: Rape

briereader's review

challenging dark mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content, Body horror, and Sexual assault

Moderate: Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, and Sexism

Minor: Pregnancy

lexihworth's review

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? N/A
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Alcoholism, Blood, Death, Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Infidelity, Vomit, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Bullying, Colonisation, Confinement, Cursing, Drug use, Sexual violence, Sexism, Body horror, Sexual assault, Violence, Toxic relationship, Mental illness, Body shaming, Dysphoria, Eating disorder, Pregnancy, Panic attacks/disorders, Grief, Emotional abuse, Sexual harassment, Sexual content, Rape, and Alcohol

blunderw0man's review

emotional reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

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Content Warnings

Minor: Sexual harassment, Pregnancy, Body horror, Toxic relationship, Domestic abuse, Dysphoria, Sexual content, Mental illness, Sexual violence, Rape, and Miscarriage