Reviews with content warning for Sexism - So Late in the Day: Stories of Women and Men

Reviews tagging 'Sexism'

So Late in the Day: Stories of Women and Men by Claire Keegan

9 reviews

sabrinahlkr's review against another edition

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emotional reflective sad fast-paced

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

4.0

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gillthequill's review against another edition

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dark sad fast-paced

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

2.75

"So Late in the Day" is a mixed offering. Of the three stories, the first two, the titular "So Late in the Day" and "The Long and Painful Death" were wonderful, thought-provoking reads. "So Late in the Day" the short story built a slow sense of dread as the reader tried to figure out what was truly going on that crescendos into an examination on toxic masculinity and a lack of growth. "The Long and Painful Death" was a quiet piece on expectations, societal roles, and the small victories women take to gain power. However, the last story, "Antarctica" just brought down the whole story collection. I thought, at first, it was a story akin to Kate Chopin's "A Pair of Silk Stockings" and was enjoying this small affair. However, with foreshadowing that seems obvious in hindsight, it ends, instead, with a cruel twist that just left a sour taste that soured the entire work. It felt like a cliché ending: woman sins and ends up in a fate worse than death. Frankly, if you do read this short story collection, just read the first two and skip the last one because of how much it brings down the work as a whole.

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kathshiroma's review against another edition

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4.0

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kiraa's review against another edition

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reflective medium-paced

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

2.5

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bughaw's review against another edition

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emotional reflective relaxing fast-paced

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

4.0

man turned into a girlypop

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bethsreading's review against another edition

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emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

3.0

I read Small Things Like These about a year ago and adored it. Claire Keegan’s writing is stunning and, to me, had a Joycean quality to it. So this year I wanted to read some more of her books.

The story follows Cathal over the course of an uneventful day while he reminisces on moments from his last relationship. Overall, I liked So Late in the Day. The main character is interesting as he is both somewhat sympathetic but also quite unlikeable. The story was paced well and kept me interested while maintaining it’s mellow tone. It does explore some interesting elements of misogyny that can easily be found yet disregarded in some heterosexual relationships; however, certain elements of this were a little unsubtle for my taste and I wish they had been explored in a more show and not tell way. For me, sadly, it was missing something that Small Things Like These had; it is something that I find hard to pinpoint but I think I could best describe it as the depth of earnestness.

I still love her writing style and it once again reminded me of the more tender, contemplative aspects of James Joyce’s writing. I’m looking forward to reading more of her work.

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booksjessreads's review against another edition

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dark mysterious fast-paced

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

4.25

Claire Keegan has become a favourite of mine. So Late in the Day completely hooked me. I was so desperate to get my hands on this, and it was worth it. I was absolutely not expecting the narrator to be how he was, and the way that Keegan wrote Cathal's deeply misogynistic character was just genius. She really highlights that men are rarely told to be reflective of their behaviour and look inwards and how they are surprised when women reject their misogyny. Furthermore, Cathal's misogynist behaviour is not just shown through his behaviour with Sabine, but his recall of memories with his mother demonstrated the broader treatment of Irish women in society.

I wish the story was longer though. I really did appreciate the way that Keegan can create such a story from just 50 pages, but I wanted to explore the characters more. However, I also appreciate that it does work as a story this short.

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michael_richter's review against another edition

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emotional reflective medium-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

4.25

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frankieclc's review against another edition

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4.0

As always with Keegan this book said so much with so little

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