Reviews with content warning for Sexual violence - Her Body and Other Parties

Reviews tagging 'Sexual violence'

Her Body and Other Parties by Carmen Maria Machado

106 reviews

bellist's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix

3.75

There’s no doubt that Carmen Maria Machado is an immensely talented storyteller. Her prose is variously elegant and chilling in this collection, and I really enjoyed hearing it read aloud in the audiobook. But I wasn’t gripped by the plots of the stories themselves — most of them ended fairly quietly and lacked the thrill of a some kind of mystery revealed. I fully skipped “Especially Heinous” (a retelling of SVU plots) because the format didn’t do anything for me, and I don’t know anything about that show. That doesn’t mean the rest of the stories weren’t good, they just didn’t give me what I wanted out of a horror anthology, but I don’t regret seeing the collection through. If you want to read some gorgeous writing and engage with thoughtful stories that blend themes like body horror and trauma with feminism and queerness, give it a try.

Standout: The Husband Stitch

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seventhswan's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious tense medium-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? It's complicated

4.25

The Husband Stitch: 3.5/5. Well-written, but I don't think this should have been the first story in the collection - as a retelling, I knew the ending before it arrived, and the whole thing read a little like it was made to be dissected in an advanced creative writing class.

Inventory: 5/5. This story genuinely terrified me, and I didn't previously think I could be scared of a horror story in the same way films sometimes scare me.

Mothers: 4/5. While it didn't grip me in the same way as Inventory, I still really liked this story, especially considering how short it was.

Especially Heinous: 100000000/5. I can't say anything in a review because all of it would be spoilers but it was SO GOOD and I stared at the wall for a good hour after reading it.

Real Women Have Bodies: 3.5/5, another one where the point felt a bit laboured and took away from the horror slightly, but the characters were interesting and the premise unique.

Eight Bites: 3/5. After so many incredible stories, this one was quite underwhelming, and I wasn't quite sure what the ending was saying. Most of this story read just like a magazine article about weight loss.

The Resident: 2/5, I didn't get along with this one, it felt like it was trying too hard and was too long.

Difficult at Parties: 5/5. The girls who get it get it.

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yinflower's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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danielsal31's review against another edition

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dark mysterious reflective tense fast-paced

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

4.0

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miranda_mic's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

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

4.0

there were lines in this that felt like they were scooped right from my insides

I love Carmen’s writing - she writes about the horror of existing as a woman like no other writer I’ve encountered

a lot of people hate the SVU story but I quite enjoyed it. favourites we’re ‘the husband stitch’, ‘real women have bodies’ and ‘inventory’

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