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3.69 AVERAGE
3.69 AVERAGE
challenging
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
N/A
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
informative
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:
Complicated
Only complaint is that is introduced soooo many historical characters that is hard to keep track of them. Loved learning about Lena though!
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This was weird. I didn't hate it, but I didn't altogether get it either. Parts were fantastic, others were plodding. It has compelled me to look into some of the women referenced throughout, though. And it is unique, certainly.
Some quotes:
"What did we want? To begin with, we wanted what half the population had got just by being born, and then we wanted to change how it had got that way. We wanted lives that did not lead us so directly to laudanum and asylums and puerperal fevers. As Sibilla Aleramo wrote in her article, We want women to become human beings: to be at last as free, autonomous, and fully alive as we have until now been subjugated, oppressed, and kept quiet."
"Of course women wanted to be human beings instead of little dolls who danced for the pleasure of their husbands, dutifully bore children, and annihilated themselves. Who would not want what half the population had got just by being born"
"Parallax is a phenomenon of viewing the same thing from different angles. From the perspective of a man concerned with civilization and its discontents, for example, a woman unresponsive to the sexual attentions of men is a source of great mystery. The curtain rustles; such a man sees himself behind it, furtive and important. Volumes of poetry and analysis thereby issue forth from him. From the perspective of the woman in question, this is tiresome. Why must we always talk of the dreams of great men?"
Some quotes:
"What did we want? To begin with, we wanted what half the population had got just by being born, and then we wanted to change how it had got that way. We wanted lives that did not lead us so directly to laudanum and asylums and puerperal fevers. As Sibilla Aleramo wrote in her article, We want women to become human beings: to be at last as free, autonomous, and fully alive as we have until now been subjugated, oppressed, and kept quiet."
"Of course women wanted to be human beings instead of little dolls who danced for the pleasure of their husbands, dutifully bore children, and annihilated themselves. Who would not want what half the population had got just by being born"
"Parallax is a phenomenon of viewing the same thing from different angles. From the perspective of a man concerned with civilization and its discontents, for example, a woman unresponsive to the sexual attentions of men is a source of great mystery. The curtain rustles; such a man sees himself behind it, furtive and important. Volumes of poetry and analysis thereby issue forth from him. From the perspective of the woman in question, this is tiresome. Why must we always talk of the dreams of great men?"
DNF'ing at 18%.
Although I was very excited to read this book, it demands much more brain power than my current self can provide at the moment.
Although I was very excited to read this book, it demands much more brain power than my current self can provide at the moment.
challenging
reflective
slow-paced
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
emotional
informative
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
One of my favorite writing styles I’ve encountered, but be prepared for a slow pace. I recommend taking your time with it and creating an L Word style chart of the characters as you go
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Rape
Finishing this book felt like being on mile 20 of a marathon for 90 pages.
It’s impossible to form any memory of, let alone connection to, any character. Even the ones I remembered details about from chapter to chapter were not ones I looked forward to seeing again, it just felt good to feel like I’d been allowed to retain anything.
The saving grace here is kind of also the downfall. Yes, there are lines in here that make you go, “ahh.” “I see.” “Oh, that’s special.” But they never move us forward or Matter in any way bigger than feeling like all the author wanted me to do was underline it.
I don’t want to read 240 pages on the off chance that 20 or 30 of them will contain a line I think is good enough to underline.
So yeah, tldr the format does not work. This is not a novel and it is not a cheeky little genre play. It’s not clever and it’s not doing what it thinks. And I’m not the problem for failing to get it.
The point of Sappho’s fragments is not that we should all be writing Swiss-cheese fragments of stories ourselves.
It’s impossible to form any memory of, let alone connection to, any character. Even the ones I remembered details about from chapter to chapter were not ones I looked forward to seeing again, it just felt good to feel like I’d been allowed to retain anything.
The saving grace here is kind of also the downfall. Yes, there are lines in here that make you go, “ahh.” “I see.” “Oh, that’s special.” But they never move us forward or Matter in any way bigger than feeling like all the author wanted me to do was underline it.
I don’t want to read 240 pages on the off chance that 20 or 30 of them will contain a line I think is good enough to underline.
So yeah, tldr the format does not work. This is not a novel and it is not a cheeky little genre play. It’s not clever and it’s not doing what it thinks. And I’m not the problem for failing to get it.
The point of Sappho’s fragments is not that we should all be writing Swiss-cheese fragments of stories ourselves.
emotional
informative
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No