Reviews

Soñar con la superficie by Louise O'Neill

nadiaescritora's review against another edition

1.0

Hasta donde tenía entendido, el feminismo busca la igualdad de condiciones y derechos entre el hombre y la mujer.

El mensaje que me dejó este libro es que todos los hombres son desagradables y que la manera de enfrentarse a eso, es matándolos. Really?

eliza_k's review against another edition

adventurous

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No

2.5

I liked the message that the author was trying to get across, but it just wasn't done well. The situation that Gaia was in under the sea was terrible, and I would have tried to escape, too, but I just couldn't wrap my head around the fact that she would do everything she did just for a boy that she'd seen once, because she thought she was in love with him. Not to mention the fact that she's 15, and he's 21. She went through a lot but she still seemed super shallow and helpless until the very end when

she suddenly became all-powerful and had all these crazy powers with no practice and no explanation

. Overall, good idea, but poor pacing and execution.

fesd5's review against another edition

dark fast-paced

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

3.0

Really liked the storyline, if a bit on the nose. Definitely the best little mermaid retelling I've read. Don't know if I agree with the reviews describing it as "feminist". Talking about the problems attributed with the patriarchy, but making little to no effort to combat them until the last chapter/off screen, is not what I generally expect from feminist literature. 

hauntedburgerplant's review against another edition

3.0

I think I'm too old to be the target audience. I probably would've rated it 4/5 had I been a little younger.

mmaddieprice's review against another edition

3.0

It was a feminist novel. It had many quotable lines in between the main character obsessing over men. It’s ironic how a feminist tale centers so much around men. Anyways, it was a fine, quick read. The ending was a little rushed, and it left me with a lot of questions. What happens to Oliver? Does Eleanor ever get justice? It felt a little incomplete.

howdoyouhannah's review against another edition

medium-paced

3.0

Louise O’Neill is one of my favourite authors and I was so excited to read this book but was unfortunately disappointed. I love her writing style, themes, an amazing ability to write an unlikable narrator but this book fell flat slightly for me.

Spoilers from here:

I liked the themes she was trying to present such as 

1. Beauty standards/body image (being a slim mermaid, changing her body into a human which the man she likes will find attractive)
2. Societal standards for women (being the daughter of the sea king and how she presents herself this way and sets an example for the ‘ideal woman’)
3. Heteronormativity (Nia’s sexuality)
4. Patriarcal households (The sea kings terror based ruling of the household and Oliver’s treatment of his mother)
5. Projecting idealisations onto men (Escaping Zale and giving up so much for a man she’s never met)

Though to me the retelling of the little mermaid wasn’t the best way to explore them, or maybe it is and I didn’t like the way she explored them. It felt a bit like exploring too many themes at once on quite a surface level (excuse the pun).

Ultimately, this was still an okay read but I have high expectations for O’Neill based on my previous reading so it felt lacklustre.

mayasowerby's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

tillywood's review against another edition

5.0

Couldn’t really put this book down.
Gets much better once she’s out of the water, some of the mermaid world building is a bit heavy handed but overall really enjoyed

lottie1803's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious reflective tense

3.5

georgia_lauren's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark mysterious tense fast-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? It's complicated

3.0