Reviews with content warning for Vomit - Notes of a Crocodile

Reviews tagging 'Vomit'

Notes of a Crocodile by Qiu Miaojin

11 reviews

emmab14's review

challenging dark funny slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

An exploration into gender, sexuality, and the constraints of society in Taiwan through the view of a conflict riddled narrator and their tormented relationships

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lizzie_r's review

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dark emotional inspiring reflective 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? It's complicated

5.0

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toffishay's review

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challenging dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
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

3.75

This is a coming of age story about a woman going through college and trying to understand herself and her sexuality. It is organized by several notebooks where the narrator goes through this phase in her life and her relationships and her understanding of herself. It is a very honest depiction of a woman at times embracing and at other times rejecting her sexuality and gender identity. The narrator also goes through intense bouts of depression and puts all of her stock in her romantic relationships, which are doomed to fail. The structure and pacing are good, and the metaphors will challenge you as a reader. The biggest hangup for me is that things got cyclical at one point. The narrator is going through the same patterns for most of the book.

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robinks's review

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dark emotional sad medium-paced

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

4.75

This story was definitely a bit chaotic at the beginning, and I had a hard time keeping track of when the events of each notebook took place relative to each other. This is also the first time I’ve read something translated from Chinese, and I think some of the cultural differences end up very visible in the syntax and situations our characters find themselves in. I really enjoyed the crocodile chapters and would love to see them reassembled on their own or expanded.

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k_aro's review

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challenging dark reflective sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I'm not really sure what to make of this book. It's obviously very historically interesting, but there's something about this book that has now become... banal? Something about these themes of corruption reminds me of The Picture of Dorian Gray, which itself has its own host of queer undertones. Obviously Miaojin's writing (and the translation of it) is deeply affective in lots of moments, and hilariously enough because this was a darling for a friend of mine it has given me deeper insights into their psyche.

It's just not mindblowing to me - though, considering the books I have read, probably shouldn't be that much of a shock.

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thewordsdevourer's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional reflective slow-paced

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

3.25

dense, visceral, contemplative, though a lil too eclectic story-wise for my taste, it's undeniably apparent why notes of a crocodile is a queer classic.

my rating merely reflects my own personal liking for the book, and is in no way indicative of the novel's actual great quality. it's wonderfully written, provocative, and unapologetically queer. never have i read a book that so masterfully captures the deep longing, passion, and self-loathing of a lesbian; sometimes it's like qiu reaches into the depths of my inner self that are unknown even to me, seizes whatever that thing is, and just tosses it right out.

the characters are also imbued w/ depth and complexity, and i find their personal rationale fascinating, even if they're oft warped. the pendulum-like swings of lazi's alternately reclusive and wildly busy periods in college are weirdly familiar, as are the musings on college life and growing up that are relatable and quite nosgalgic.

this isnt a book i would ever reread, however, as it's too emotionally exhausting. like, none of the romantic relationships in this book are happy or non-toxic/problematic; thats so sad/depressing. the novel ventures into the slice-of-life (or in this case, sh!ttyness-of-queer-life) territory too far for me. like this is def some good - hell, undeniably classic - stuff, but not so good for the heart.

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