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dobermaier's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
One of my favorite things I’ve read this year. Even made me crack open my childhood copy of Scary Stories. Everything feels like a nightmare - you can’t quite understand what’s wrong, but you know it’s all wrong. Incredible stuff.
mackenzieduric's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
medium-paced
4.0
thisiskartrying's review against another edition
4.0
4.5 (aquí su servidora calificó cuento por cuento y sacó un promedio, claro que sí JAJA)
Encontré este libro en una lista de recomendaciones para la spooky season lol, vi que era cuentos y dije "a ver
Encontré este libro en una lista de recomendaciones para la spooky season lol, vi que era cuentos y dije "a ver
saltysapphic's review against another edition
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
4.0
I thoroughly enjoyed all of the stories, particularly the first one and the SVU centered ones. Machado has a way of writing that causes me to reflect on what I’m doing with my life and how I interact with the world.
However, and this might have just been me reading the vibes wrong, not as horrorfilled as I thought it would be. Still a great read!
However, and this might have just been me reading the vibes wrong, not as horrorfilled as I thought it would be. Still a great read!
ateurh3art's review against another edition
3.75
the resident was my favourite story in the collection! i really enjoyed these short stories, my overall rating is the average of all my ratings for each story!
midici's review against another edition
3.0
You have heard this story before. It's about a woman, who has a bright green ribbon wrapped around her throat. She has a happy life, a husband and son she adores, and she is content. Her husband would be too, if only he could ignore the mystery of the ribbon. Maybe you remember how this story goes. Or maybe you don't.
I really liked the little asides, where the narrator offers up other stories in between hers, or gives instructions on how to make certain noises or voices. These are separate stories, except not really. They're horror stories, or folk tales, or urban legends. They're warnings.
The husband is a good man. She loves him. She shares everything with him: her life, her desires, her hopes and dreams. But he wants the ribbon. Because it's the only thing she ever says 'no' about, so he keeps trying. When she's sleeping, or they're relaxing, or they're fucking - he tries again and again. And finally, when she's tired of fighting him she says, "do what you want." And so he does.
It's available here: https://granta.com/the-husband-stitch/
I really liked the little asides, where the narrator offers up other stories in between hers, or gives instructions on how to make certain noises or voices. These are separate stories, except not really. They're horror stories, or folk tales, or urban legends. They're warnings.
The husband is a good man. She loves him. She shares everything with him: her life, her desires, her hopes and dreams. But he wants the ribbon. Because it's the only thing she ever says 'no' about, so he keeps trying. When she's sleeping, or they're relaxing, or they're fucking - he tries again and again. And finally, when she's tired of fighting him she says, "do what you want." And so he does.
It's available here: https://granta.com/the-husband-stitch/
dembury's review against another edition
2.0
I’ve heard so many people raving about this lately that I was excepting to love it- but very honestly this just wasn’t for me, almost in any way. To be blunt: I actually felt nauseous reading some of the stories. Not because of any particular graphic content, but because I genuinely could NOT understand what I was reading, or because I felt like I was losing my mind and reading the same story over and over again. While there are smatterings here and there of originality (like the twist of the classic ribbon story, or the women fading and becoming parts of garments) I was vastly underwhelmed by the plots, and at other times felt as if Machado had written down bizarre dream she had had and then edited nothing- “Mothers” and “Especially Heinous” felt like outright fever dreams to me.
I think how much a reader enjoys this book is going to be a hugely personal experience and going to lean heavily on personal tastes and aesthetics. I know, I know, that’s the case with like, ALL books, but this is just a very specific sort of book. While the overall premise of “stories that map the realities of women’s lives and the violence visited upon their body” sort of hints at something many women will be able to relate to, there is obviously no one singular and universal experience of being a woman, so in turn there are clearly readers who won’t jive with this (myself included).
So while I admire the risks taken in “Her Body”, it’s not a book I can say I liked, or would feel comfortable recommending to many people.
I think how much a reader enjoys this book is going to be a hugely personal experience and going to lean heavily on personal tastes and aesthetics. I know, I know, that’s the case with like, ALL books, but this is just a very specific sort of book. While the overall premise of “stories that map the realities of women’s lives and the violence visited upon their body” sort of hints at something many women will be able to relate to, there is obviously no one singular and universal experience of being a woman, so in turn there are clearly readers who won’t jive with this (myself included).
So while I admire the risks taken in “Her Body”, it’s not a book I can say I liked, or would feel comfortable recommending to many people.
lindseylaws's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- 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
3.0
lbrandes's review against another edition
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0