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jadeeby's review against another edition
3.0
Originally published at my blog Chasing Empty Pavements
This cover is absurd yet crazy awesome. It’s what initially made me want to read this novel. But the words within the story is what kept me reading. The blurb is pretty amazing too. This book is basically made up of “freaks” with stories to tell.
The Good: What I didn’t expect to find in this novel was such great writing. It was beautifully written but it had this strange, lyrical feel to it. The thing I loved about this novel was that even though each of the short stories contained a “freak” per se, their emotions and feelings of being different were relatable, tangible and so very real. These stories aren’t so much tales of being a Cyclops or having a beard… they are stories about people who are different and who are trying to come to terms with the reality of the outside world looking into their lives. They want to be recognized for who they are on the inside, but that’s not always possible and this novel attempts to explain why. I loved that the novel was comprised of short stories. It felt like it made the novel go by really fast. I also loved getting more than one POV from a “freak.” It was interesting the way the author was able to seamlessly move from story to story.
The Bad: There were some stories that seemed to linger a bit longer than necessary and didn’t hold my interest as much as I would have hoped. There were some stories didn’t end to my liking but that could be because I wanted more story or I wanted solid conclusion.
Overall, this book is a wonderful and touching look at what it means to be different. I give this book a B+ and recommend it for anyone looking for a strange, new book.
**I received this book free from the publisher through www.netgalley.com. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.
This cover is absurd yet crazy awesome. It’s what initially made me want to read this novel. But the words within the story is what kept me reading. The blurb is pretty amazing too. This book is basically made up of “freaks” with stories to tell.
The Good: What I didn’t expect to find in this novel was such great writing. It was beautifully written but it had this strange, lyrical feel to it. The thing I loved about this novel was that even though each of the short stories contained a “freak” per se, their emotions and feelings of being different were relatable, tangible and so very real. These stories aren’t so much tales of being a Cyclops or having a beard… they are stories about people who are different and who are trying to come to terms with the reality of the outside world looking into their lives. They want to be recognized for who they are on the inside, but that’s not always possible and this novel attempts to explain why. I loved that the novel was comprised of short stories. It felt like it made the novel go by really fast. I also loved getting more than one POV from a “freak.” It was interesting the way the author was able to seamlessly move from story to story.
The Bad: There were some stories that seemed to linger a bit longer than necessary and didn’t hold my interest as much as I would have hoped. There were some stories didn’t end to my liking but that could be because I wanted more story or I wanted solid conclusion.
Overall, this book is a wonderful and touching look at what it means to be different. I give this book a B+ and recommend it for anyone looking for a strange, new book.
**I received this book free from the publisher through www.netgalley.com. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.
tregina's review against another edition
5.0
I started out worried that this collection was going to be at least a little exploitative or dehumanizing, based on the title and theme, but it wasn't that at all. It was the opposite of that. I never anticipated how moved I was going to be. The stories all explore the body and identity in different ways, some bodies falling within the breadth of human variation (conjoined twins, gigantism, ichthyosis) and a few not (cyclops, medusa). In all of them we explore the person, the way they negotiate their life and the way they relate to other people and to themselves, the way they confront the varied and mundane challenges of the everyday.
The more I read of this, the more I loved it.
The more I read of this, the more I loved it.
jennybento's review against another edition
5.0
This book was great! Lots of short stories in current time of "freaks" getting by. Genius. Couldn't put it down. I do wish some of the stories would have been longer or resolved more, but it was great little sneak peeks. The first story is probably my favorite.
melodyseestrees's review
3.0
This book was not what I thought it would be. It wasn't bad but it wasn't phenomenal either. You're presented with several short stories focusing on varied individuals and a small portion of their lives or the people around them. The reason this book is only 3 stars to me is that there is little reason to care about any of these stories. They're the "average joes" with some "weird" stapled on. I feel all of the stories could've benefited from several paragraphs to several pages more. There would've been time to develop a reason to care about these characters that are relatively unremarkable. "The three legged man" didn't even get a name in his story, despite the main emphasis being that he was a normal sight for the people in the town.
In essence the book is as unremarkable as the characters in it, which could very well be the point. It wasn't good, it wasn't bad. It was just it. Some people may find it boring as there is more 'telling' than 'showing' in some of the stories.
In essence the book is as unremarkable as the characters in it, which could very well be the point. It wasn't good, it wasn't bad. It was just it. Some people may find it boring as there is more 'telling' than 'showing' in some of the stories.
tregina's review
5.0
I started out worried that this collection was going to be at least a little exploitative or dehumanizing, based on the title and theme, but it wasn't that at all. It was the opposite of that. I never anticipated how moved I was going to be. The stories all explore the body and identity in different ways, some bodies falling within the breadth of human variation (conjoined twins, gigantism, ichthyosis) and a few not (cyclops, medusa). In all of them we explore the person, the way they negotiate their life and the way they relate to other people and to themselves, the way they confront the varied and mundane challenges of the everyday.
The more I read of this, the more I loved it.
The more I read of this, the more I loved it.
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