Reviews

La donna che scompare by Ling Ma

pip_ramshev's review against another edition

challenging mysterious reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? N/A

4.0

ki_stars's review against another edition

5.0

This book has officially made me into a Ling Ma stan. The way she writes dystopian/magical worlds is so engaging.

capy's review against another edition

3.0

It is in the most surreal situations that a person feels the most present, the closest to reality.

interesting + weird collection; as someone who avoids blurbs, the title created a hopeful expectation for the book that i had to shake off — this is not a happy book!!! the stories are solid, never felt like a story needed more (maybe sometimes it needed less); 'peking duck' is definitely the highlight. ling ma feels like a trustworthy go-to author for a good weird time, will get to 'severance' as soon as i'm in the mood for a dystopian vibe

los angeles: ★★✰✰✰.5
oranges: ★★★✰✰.5
g: ★★★✰✰.5
yeti lovemaking: ★✰✰✰✰
returning: ★★★✰✰.5
office hours: ★★✰✰✰
peking duck: ★★★★✰ 
tomorrow: ★★★✰✰

A boy, at best, can adore his mother, but a girl can understand her. When the doctor told me it was a girl, I thought, Now I will be understood. 

huangt07's review against another edition

mysterious medium-paced

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

4.25

yegua_blanca's review against another edition

dark funny mysterious

4.25

upshawsg's review against another edition

challenging emotional funny medium-paced

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

4.5

hbvineyard's review against another edition

challenging medium-paced

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

4.0

Read this if you are looking for short stories that make you scratch your head in a good way. Not a passive listen in my opinion. 

lynn_x5452's review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character

3.5

emilybergonzi's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective medium-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? Yes

4.0

Strange but wonderful set of stories. Prose is excellent, would reread some of these. 

cowgirlcrybaby's review against another edition

4.0

Loooved these — a whimsical, head-scratching, and wildly inventive collection of short stories that exist in a world where Yetis smoke yellow American Spirits and limbs grow outside of wombs. Somehow found these very oddly relatable and at times even incredibly moving. Only one or two stories fell a little flat for me, but overall a very unique and transporting read (or listen in my case).