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stories's review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
2.5
Interesting but very sweary: not for the primary classroom.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Physical abuse, Cursing, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Death, Drug use, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Sexual violence
poisonenvy's review
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
This book isn't quite five-stars, but it's near enough to not really matter.
This is an incredibly short novel, clocking in at about 150 pages, which follows the story of Tetley, from when she was a girl to when she grows to be a woman.
Long after the iceburgs have melted and the level of the sea has risen to the point where no more land exists, people continue living on. Tetley lives on Garbagetown, a floating city of garbage (and, in fact, this floating Texas-sized mound of garbage floating around the ocean actually does exist). Tetley is also the most hated woman of Garbagetown, having done something in the past where everyone in Garbagetown is permitted to instruct her however they want, with her thanks.
More than something with a solid plot, this is a look at Tetley's life, and a view into a version of the world that isn't too hard to imagine coming to fruition at some point in the near future.
It took me a moment to get into this book, but once I did I tore through it. Tetley looks at the world with a Candide-like optimism, and yet I would argue she sees the world more clearly than most of the others who live on Garbagetown. Valente has an excellent way of writing where she'll feed you some information that only leads to more questions, and the will feed you the answers piecemeal, so an image of the whole begins to form, like a paint-by-numbers.
There were several parts that I'd consider POV slips, comparisons and analogies that I don't actually believe Tetley would have made, but this book is emotional and thought-provoking, and I loved it a lot.
This is an incredibly short novel, clocking in at about 150 pages, which follows the story of Tetley, from when she was a girl to when she grows to be a woman.
Long after the iceburgs have melted and the level of the sea has risen to the point where no more land exists, people continue living on. Tetley lives on Garbagetown, a floating city of garbage (and, in fact, this floating Texas-sized mound of garbage floating around the ocean actually does exist). Tetley is also the most hated woman of Garbagetown, having done something in the past where everyone in Garbagetown is permitted to instruct her however they want, with her thanks.
More than something with a solid plot, this is a look at Tetley's life, and a view into a version of the world that isn't too hard to imagine coming to fruition at some point in the near future.
It took me a moment to get into this book, but once I did I tore through it. Tetley looks at the world with a Candide-like optimism, and yet I would argue she sees the world more clearly than most of the others who live on Garbagetown. Valente has an excellent way of writing where she'll feed you some information that only leads to more questions, and the will feed you the answers piecemeal, so an image of the whole begins to form, like a paint-by-numbers.
There were several parts that I'd consider POV slips, comparisons and analogies that I don't actually believe Tetley would have made, but this book is emotional and thought-provoking, and I loved it a lot.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Emotional abuse, and Physical abuse
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury
triley's review
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing
Moderate: Blood, Drug use, Violence, Animal death, Death, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Grief, Cancer, and Fire/Fire injury
jacquelynjoan's review
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Catherynne Valente may be my number one favorite author, however I do not like dystopias and I just read Parable of the Sower and saw news stories about climate change affecting ocean currents and so I did not exactly love this because it's too real. I am scared. The book had a light tone and the protagonist was adapting to the new world which was her only world and it's a funny, tongue-in-cheek short book about how we "f***wits" f***ed it all up, but humans are resilient and adaptable and will still find beauty and tell stories and fall in love no matter what.
Content Warnings
Minor: Physical abuse, Violence, and Fire/Fire injury
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