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annablanna's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Smashed through this in a couple of days. The three stories differ in style and content but each make a nuanced comment on marriage, female emotion, and mania. Inherently French and a picture of second-wave feminist writing.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic friendship, Mental illness, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Child death, Suicide, Death, Suicidal thoughts, and Infidelity
Minor: Racial slurs, Body shaming, War, and Racism
_fallinglight_'s review against another edition
challenging
dark
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
I couldn't connect with the first story, "The Age of Discretion." It was the soporific ramblings of a boy mom, and the last novella was annoying. The standout for me was definitely "The Monologue." Pure, unadulterated female rage, and maybe it's concerning, but I found myself relating a lot to the MC, Murielle, at least with the misanthropic and nihilistic thoughts, her acidic homophobic and racist diatribes notwithstanding. The writing was chef's kiss, run-on sentences and all. The psychotic stream of consciousness was both chaotic and tragic to follow, but reading Murielle's delusions of grandeur and excessive narcissism wasn't as dreadful as when men do it. I think this manifesto against the world is the one I'll keep coming back to, and maybe I'll even make it a tradition to read it on every new year's day starting next year lol
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity, Grief, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Suicide, Drug use, Homophobia, Suicidal thoughts, Racism, Sexism, Child death, Gaslighting, and Mental illness
Minor: Abortion and Pregnancy
ericaw212's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racial slurs
Minor: Racism, Lesbophobia, Homophobia, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide
zreadz's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Infidelity, Misogyny, and Mental illness
Minor: Suicide and Suicidal thoughts
majesticbirdy's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? No
4.5
ahh the horrors. do not read if you do not want your heart rate to spike.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Emotional abuse, Suicide, Gaslighting, Mental illness, Misogyny, and Toxic relationship
_rowan_'s review against another edition
emotional
informative
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Child death, Slavery, Drug use, Death, Eating disorder, Suicide attempt, Emotional abuse, Abandonment, Confinement, Toxic relationship, Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Mental illness, Infidelity, and Grief
mia_a's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-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
5.0
Book consists of 3 stories.
1. Story about an older college professor who first had her world turn upside down when her son throws away all of the values she tried to bestow upon him. She sees this as an ultimate betrayal and is cutting off every sort of communication with him. Unfortunately, her husband, who she finds pessimistic and a downer, disagrees with her and tries to have a rational conversations, that she perceives as another attack. She then goes on to overanalyze everything - her connections, aging, job, legacy, parenting.
2. Story is Miriel's very neurotic stream of consciousness where she blames everyone and rationalizes all the bad things that happened to her. She is completely dependant on men in her life and has no real freedom. She thinks about how her mother is very abusive, her ex husband was not her support and even her current (soon to be ex) husband left her saying she would drain life out of her. Also, she thinks about her teenage daughter who committed suicide, and how they also had conflicted relationship upto a point where a lot of people blame her as a mother.
3. Story is about a housewife who stopped her medical studies to get married after unexpected pregnancy. Now, at the age of 44 she finds out that her husband is cheating on her, and it changes every aspect of her life. She questions everyone around her about the mistress, what she did wrong and what is she supposed to do now. Her husband, through a lot of gaslighting and manipulation, tries to sit on two chairs.
All of these stories have some universal experiances that can creep up to all of us at any moment. That's what makes this book so relevant today, and also very scary. Keep your eyes open.
1. Story about an older college professor who first had her world turn upside down when her son throws away all of the values she tried to bestow upon him. She sees this as an ultimate betrayal and is cutting off every sort of communication with him. Unfortunately, her husband, who she finds pessimistic and a downer, disagrees with her and tries to have a rational conversations, that she perceives as another attack. She then goes on to overanalyze everything - her connections, aging, job, legacy, parenting.
2. Story is Miriel's very neurotic stream of consciousness where she blames everyone and rationalizes all the bad things that happened to her. She is completely dependant on men in her life and has no real freedom. She thinks about how her mother is very abusive, her ex husband was not her support and even her current (soon to be ex) husband left her saying she would drain life out of her. Also, she thinks about her teenage daughter who committed suicide, and how they also had conflicted relationship upto a point where a lot of people blame her as a mother.
3. Story is about a housewife who stopped her medical studies to get married after unexpected pregnancy. Now, at the age of 44 she finds out that her husband is cheating on her, and it changes every aspect of her life. She questions everyone around her about the mistress, what she did wrong and what is she supposed to do now. Her husband, through a lot of gaslighting and manipulation, tries to sit on two chairs.
All of these stories have some universal experiances that can creep up to all of us at any moment. That's what makes this book so relevant today, and also very scary. Keep your eyes open.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicide
Minor: Classism
nabila99's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
my first experience with de Beauvoir was reading the second sex for gender theory class at university. if only i knew she was so talented a fiction writer as well!
this book is absolutely heart-wrenching, so much so that i had to start reading another book in the middle of it, even though i was really enjoying it, because it is so heavy....i've read novels with much darker and sadder subject material, but the way de Beauvoir writes about pain, loss of identity, desperation, resentment, hope, and despair is so visceral i cried multiple times, especially in the last eponymous short story. she captures women's suffering like no other.
i only took off a half star because the writing style in the second short story, the monologue, is so difficult to follow (even though it's genius and i admire the technique and contrast in narrative voices), and some of the side characters could have been more fleshed out.
cannot wait to read more of de Beauvoir's work!
this book is absolutely heart-wrenching, so much so that i had to start reading another book in the middle of it, even though i was really enjoying it, because it is so heavy....i've read novels with much darker and sadder subject material, but the way de Beauvoir writes about pain, loss of identity, desperation, resentment, hope, and despair is so visceral i cried multiple times, especially in the last eponymous short story. she captures women's suffering like no other.
i only took off a half star because the writing style in the second short story, the monologue, is so difficult to follow (even though it's genius and i admire the technique and contrast in narrative voices), and some of the side characters could have been more fleshed out.
cannot wait to read more of de Beauvoir's work!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Grief, Stalking, Drug abuse, Child death, Infidelity, Emotional abuse, Body shaming, Alcohol, Misogyny, Death, Mental illness, Gaslighting, and Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Eating disorder, Suicide, Abandonment, and Toxic friendship
Minor: Blood, Abortion, Homophobia, Lesbophobia, Racism, and Sexual content
bipodial's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
I like Simone's writing and some of her reflections. The main characters of the first and third story remind me of women I know in real life and it was nice seeing their anxieties and ways of thinking represented. In my experience, I haven't read a lot of stories portraying the anxieties of growing old and the struggle of defining your self-image when dedicating so much to the happiness of others, quite like this. In all honesty, I haven't read a lot about the struggles of middle aged women in general.
However, I have to point out that I skipped the second story because I found the monologue unreadable after a while. The tangents were too much for me and I wasn't enjoying it. Also, while like I said, I enjoyed the main character's struggle with her self-image, in the third story, I found her approach to her husband cheating on her infuriating a lot of the times. I understand that that was part of her character and how devoted she is to her family's happiness, but after a while it got ridiculous and I just couldn't stand the way her husband was treating her, or how the people around her seemed to be praising/excusing her husband's actions, while essentially, shitting on her. It drove me crazy and I found myself constantly writing on the margins in all caps for her to just.....leave. I'm still not quite happy with the ending, because by that point I was so angry at the husband that I just wanted for both Monique and Noellie to dumb his ass, in the most aggressive and disrespectful way possible. Characterization be damned!!
All in all, a nice short read that I'd suggest you give a try, if you want to read more about the struggles of married middle aged women through an existential lens.
However, I have to point out that I skipped the second story because I found the monologue unreadable after a while. The tangents were too much for me and I wasn't enjoying it. Also, while like I said, I enjoyed the main character's struggle with her self-image, in the third story,
All in all, a nice short read that I'd suggest you give a try, if you want to read more about the struggles of married middle aged women through an existential lens.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicide
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