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scifi_rat's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
3.75
Moderate: Body horror, Sexism, Sexual violence, Misogyny, Sexual assault, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Car accident, Death, Murder, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Kidnapping, and Rape
gasmasquerade's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Overview: Under the Skin is a provacative and challenging novel, beautifully written to capture both the majesty of it's serene setting and the complexity of undefinable emotions that simmer throughout the book. It is a great allegory for class struggle, gender inequality, and animal rights. Nothing like the movie but still very much worth the read.
PROS
• Beautiful writing - The descriptions of the environment are captivating and paint immaculate pictures, without being over the top or needlessly wordy. Same goes for descriptions of people's emotions and actions, beautifully written in a way you really could picture what people were feeling and thinking.
• Complex main character who oscillates between being sympathetic and abhorrent. Her struggle with her own sense of value in a world that does not value her is painfully relatable.
• Nailed the Human Experience - the descriptions of people's emotions and reactions were relatable, believable, and really captured the nuance of the human experience.
CONS
• Slow story - I think the slowness and the repetition capture the slow tedious experience of the protagonist, but at times I found myself wondering, "is this going anywhere?"
• Abrupt Ending - I don't HATE the ending, but I do feel a bit like the author didn't know how to end the story and so it rushes to a close quite quickly. It's the fastest part of the book and I left feeling it wasn't quite...done?
• Deliberate Obfuscation - a personal pet peeve of mine is when everyone in a book knows something but the author won't say it so you'll be sure to keep turning the page. Feels a wee bit manipulative.
Overall I really enjoyed this book. It's not pleasant, but it's beautiful, and its discussions about class, gender, and taking our environment for granted are relevant now more than ever. Highly recommend.
PROS
• Beautiful writing - The descriptions of the environment are captivating and paint immaculate pictures, without being over the top or needlessly wordy. Same goes for descriptions of people's emotions and actions, beautifully written in a way you really could picture what people were feeling and thinking.
• Complex main character who oscillates between being sympathetic and abhorrent. Her struggle with her own sense of value in a world that does not value her is painfully relatable.
• Nailed the Human Experience - the descriptions of people's emotions and reactions were relatable, believable, and really captured the nuance of the human experience.
CONS
• Slow story - I think the slowness and the repetition capture the slow tedious experience of the protagonist, but at times I found myself wondering, "is this going anywhere?"
• Abrupt Ending - I don't HATE the ending, but I do feel a bit like the author didn't know how to end the story and so it rushes to a close quite quickly. It's the fastest part of the book and I left feeling it wasn't quite...done?
• Deliberate Obfuscation - a personal pet peeve of mine is when everyone in a book knows something but the author won't say it so you'll be sure to keep turning the page. Feels a wee bit manipulative.
Overall I really enjoyed this book. It's not pleasant, but it's beautiful, and its discussions about class, gender, and taking our environment for granted are relevant now more than ever. Highly recommend.
Graphic: Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, and Sexism
ambero's review
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
Didn’t love it and wouldn’t necessarily recommend it but I’m glad I read it
Moderate: Drug use, Cursing, Sexual violence, and Sexism
quirpele's review
challenging
dark
funny
reflective
sad
tense
fast-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
5.0
Fantastic and devastating book. Deeply funny despite some quite gory sections. Recommend if you liked Animal Farm or The Sparrow. Not many male authors do a woman's POV this well.
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Body horror, Cannibalism, Confinement, Death, Excrement, Gore, Kidnapping, Medical content, Misogyny, Rape, Racism, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicide, Torture, Trafficking, Violence, and Vomit
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