Reviews

Blonde by Joyce Carol Oates

brittnilurvesberks's review

5.0

Something is very weird with trying to rate and even find this book on Goodreads. I had to go by the ISBN number and even then it wouldn’t let me rate it or mark it as read. I’m on my phone right now so this review will be short but worshipful.

This book is extraordinary. Divine. It should be studied in classes. It a chimera, a changeling, a magical, beautiful, dangerous thing that mesmerizes and hypnotizes with every page. I don’t even know what to do with myself now, bereft of its presence. This book is ALIVE. You can feel it breathing and staring back at you as you read. You think this book is about Marilyn going in, but it’s about so much more. Oates is not kind in her depiction of men in this book, but all you have to do is go to the comments section of a young, beautiful YouTuber or TikToker to see it is still a scathingly accurate depiction. Aside from Cass and Eddy G. you’d even be hard pressed to find the men of Norma Jeanne’s short, robbed life fully named in this 700+ page tribunal of their atrocities toward all women, but this one deeply tragic woman in particular.

Read it. For the love of god, read it. I need somebody to be astounded with.

tanaleetanalee's review against another edition

4.0

JCO is everything you've ever read about her or said about her prolific talent. "Blonde" - what a topic to undertake. I did enjoy more than any of her other thousands of offerings she miraculously churns out. I found some of the feminism a bit heavy -handed at times, but chalked that up to a generational thing - a certain voice whose timbre I've heard before in decades past. Doesn't take away from the fabulous story telling and masterful quill. She's brilliant.

barbaravb's review against another edition

Horrible y cruel, qué innecesario todo. Esta señora no está bien de la cabeza, es el segundo libro suyo que tengo que dejar a medias, ni uno más.

pages_of_lit's review against another edition

4.0

Such a devastating book

itismebruna's review against another edition

dark emotional sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

maggiems's review against another edition

2.0

I could forgive the historical inaccuracies if the book wasn't so terribly dull 

darshang07's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

3.5

sparklypages's review against another edition

dark emotional sad slow-paced

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

4.0

alaynamurphy's review against another edition

I enjoyed this but I will say I was confused at times. Likely because I was expected a biography, which was my bad. 

zasou_reads's review against another edition

2.0

I can't deny that this is beautifully written, but it was a bit too literary for my taste, which made it hard for me to really enjoy and follow.