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thegoblinempress's review against another edition
2.0
Reading Her Body and Other Parties feels like watching the news. I've come out of this collection feeling glum and underwhelmed, and to be honest if glum's what Machado's going for then she's achieved what she set out to do. I'm getting tired of books described as 'feminist [insert genre here]' being so damn bleak, though.
There's no denying that Machado is a talented writer and she's a writer I will definitely try again in future as I have a feeling In the Dream House will be more up my street than this book ended up being, but even the stories I enjoyed were so depressing. I think my favourite was the first story in the collection, "The Husband Stitch," simply because it's the one story I'm 100% sure I understood. Honestly I could just be an idiot who hasn't got what the stories in this collection were trying to do, but sometimes I don't want them to do anything--sometimes I just want a story, and so often these stories ended in such a way that I didn't feel any kind of resolution.
It doesn't help that Machado's writing style leads us to spend our time with characters who feel pretty held at a distance throughout the collection, so not only are these stories often a bit of a bummer but I didn't feel as though I got to know any of the women particularly well either.
I would also have to agree that the longest story in the collection essentially being a bizarre piece of Law & Order: SVU fanfiction was such a strange choice. Though weirdly it's a story I'm more likely to remember than some of the others.
There's not much else to say aside from that Her Body and Other Parties bummed me out. Don't get me wrong I wasn't expecting happy stories at all, but when I hear a collection described as feminist I'm hoping for stories that aren't about women being and remaining miserable.
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Domestic abuse, and Body shaming
charlotte2967's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Sexual assault, Domestic abuse, Sexual violence, and Rape
nialiversuch's review against another edition
- 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? It's complicated
4.5
Graphic: Animal death, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Fatphobia, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Toxic relationship, Blood, Body shaming, Death, Emotional abuse, Grief, Gore, Body horror, Violence, Mental illness, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Vomit
Moderate: Alcohol, Suicide, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Pregnancy, Panic attacks/disorders, Infidelity, Hate crime, Mental illness, and Medical content
doomluz's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
Graphic: Eating disorder, Body horror, Sexual content, Mental illness, and Pregnancy
Moderate: Misogyny, Domestic abuse, Toxic relationship, and Sexism
Minor: Rape and Sexual assault
talonsontypewriters's review against another edition
3.0
Graphic: Sexual content, Body shaming, Gore, Eating disorder, Dysphoria, Fatphobia, Body horror, and Domestic abuse
Moderate: Death, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Drug use, Misogyny, Sexism, Pregnancy, Medical content, Murder, Rape, Gun violence, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Self harm, Abandonment, Animal death, Panic attacks/disorders, Vomit, and Mental illness
Minor: Alcohol, Suicidal thoughts, Incest, Homophobia, Lesbophobia, Bullying, Pedophilia, Cannibalism, Suicide, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Child death, Fire/Fire injury, Excrement, and Child abuse
Illness outbreak, epidemic ("Inventory"). Unreality ("Especially Heinous"). Insects ("Eight Bites," "The Resident"). Illness ("The Resident").library_goth's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Graphic: Misogyny and Sexual content
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Sexual assault, and Domestic abuse
Minor: Homophobia
lmaloney's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Graphic: Toxic friendship, Violence, Blood, Domestic abuse, Sexual content, Body horror, Child abuse, Death, and Pregnancy
Moderate: Alcohol, Physical abuse, Self harm, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Addiction, Gaslighting, Gore, Body shaming, Chronic illness, Confinement, Dysphoria, and Eating disorder
Minor: Biphobia, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Infertility, Child abuse, and Cursing
graceocat12's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Sexual content, Rape, Domestic abuse, and Mental illness
dromedaryreader's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Gaslighting, Grief, Gore, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Mental illness, Misogyny, Outing, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Abandonment, Alcohol, Emotional abuse, Infertility, Medical content, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Violence, Blood, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Suicide
amandalorianxo's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Rape, and Violence
Moderate: Sexual assault and Sexual content