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lauraelizah's review against another edition
2.0
I wanted to like this as it’s a genre I always read but I couldn’t finish it as it was very jumpy and long
mermaird's review against another edition
2.0
Absolutely no idea what this book wants to prove. I loved the writing style when I first started reading it, but eventually I started to get bored of it. I didn't like that the whole book is descriptive, there were barely dialogues at all.
It had potential at first, but it just didn't reach me. Apart from Ces wanting to be a tattoo artist someday, there was literally no other reason for this book to have anything related to its title.
It had potential at first, but it just didn't reach me. Apart from Ces wanting to be a tattoo artist someday, there was literally no other reason for this book to have anything related to its title.
richkidcityfriends's review against another edition
4.0
ive never read two books by her that seemed at all by the same author
foggy_rosamund's review against another edition
4.0
Ces is desperately trying to keep her life together. She and her mother are living in a new town, after her mother's separation from Ces's father. Ces's mother is plunged into a deep depression, and Ces is desperately trying to keep the family afloat, by working as many hours as she can on top of school, and by keeping the house clean and making meals. From the beginning, Ces's family situation seems desperately unstable and Ces herself seems to be struggling, but the reader is not made aware of exactly what the situation is.
As the book develops, we gradually learn about Ces's abusive father, why Ces and her mother had to leave, and why they are both struggling to cope emotionally and mentally. Though marketed as a YA novel, Needlework does not read like a conventional YA narrative. Most YA novels have a defined arc, bringing the character from a difficult place to a some kind of resolution. "Needlework" is murkier -- things get better, they get worse, and when the story ends we are not left with a sense that everything will be better any time soon. However, it's not a book without hope: Ces is a vital, intelligent woman, and I was left with the sense that she will eventually find a place where she thrives.
This book is an excellent account of trauma. The author never shies away from describing the brutality of trauma, the arbitrary nature of abuse and the feeling of powerlessness that someone experiences when they are being abused. Ces is a very rounded character: her anger, her sense of injustice, her profound sense of loss, all ring very true. I commend the author for writing so bluntly about such a painful subject, and doing so with such tenderness. Ces never becomes a set of symptoms, she never feels like a textbook example of an abused person: she is always a whole and sympathetic character.
The narrative is interwoven with Ces's musings on tattoos and with her descriptions of tattoos. I really liked learning about tattoos, but at times I felt that the parts about tattoos and tattooing fitted a bit clumsily with the main narrative, and I think the author should not have written about them so much. However, this a small criticism of an otherwise excellent and necessary book. I recommend this book without reservation.
As the book develops, we gradually learn about Ces's abusive father, why Ces and her mother had to leave, and why they are both struggling to cope emotionally and mentally. Though marketed as a YA novel, Needlework does not read like a conventional YA narrative. Most YA novels have a defined arc, bringing the character from a difficult place to a some kind of resolution. "Needlework" is murkier -- things get better, they get worse, and when the story ends we are not left with a sense that everything will be better any time soon. However, it's not a book without hope: Ces is a vital, intelligent woman, and I was left with the sense that she will eventually find a place where she thrives.
This book is an excellent account of trauma. The author never shies away from describing the brutality of trauma, the arbitrary nature of abuse and the feeling of powerlessness that someone experiences when they are being abused. Ces is a very rounded character: her anger, her sense of injustice, her profound sense of loss, all ring very true. I commend the author for writing so bluntly about such a painful subject, and doing so with such tenderness. Ces never becomes a set of symptoms, she never feels like a textbook example of an abused person: she is always a whole and sympathetic character.
The narrative is interwoven with Ces's musings on tattoos and with her descriptions of tattoos. I really liked learning about tattoos, but at times I felt that the parts about tattoos and tattooing fitted a bit clumsily with the main narrative, and I think the author should not have written about them so much. However, this a small criticism of an otherwise excellent and necessary book. I recommend this book without reservation.
readsbyross's review against another edition
3.0
I didn't enjoy this as much as I thought I would...it dragged on for most of it tbh.
UPDATE** : I am definitely re-reading this after meeting the lovely author because I think I rushed through it and didn't give it the time it needed to be enjoyed & loved.
UPDATE** : I am definitely re-reading this after meeting the lovely author because I think I rushed through it and didn't give it the time it needed to be enjoyed & loved.
yellowhighwaylines's review against another edition
3.0
An obviously painful read, Needle Work is another important addition to the bank of stories which examine rape and victim blame culture.
ciarajonah's review against another edition
4.0
fantastic read, extremely difficult subject handled with grace and without shying away from what needed to be said. I did find the style jarring from time to time, but the almost lofty, poetic tone did suit the narrators age.
ali1311's review against another edition
2.0
TW: mention of sexual abuse
I really liked the premise of this book, but was a bit disappointed by the end product. Maybe it's because I have a hard time reading sad things since the pandemic started, but I thought I'd be able to read this book quickly, and it ended up taking me awhile because I found it difficult to want to pick it up. While I think it tells a really important narrative about sexual abuse, I found it difficult to be interested in the character and her story. That may be because of the style of writing: the book had very little dialogue and read as an elongated monologue, which I quickly realized wasn't really for me. More than just not including much dialogue, however, there was also little action. It was definitely interesting to spend so much time in Ces's head, but I found myself wishing we could get out of it a lot. Maybe that was the point of the story, but I still was craving that action or dialogue throughout my read. All in all, I think this book maybe just was a style that I was not used to, and I've realized it's not a style I'm particularly drawn to, but that's okay! The story and narrative were compelling, and the book definitely provides insight into an aspect of many girls' lives that don't get discussed a lot, which I believe to be important despite my not being drawn in very much.
I really liked the premise of this book, but was a bit disappointed by the end product. Maybe it's because I have a hard time reading sad things since the pandemic started, but I thought I'd be able to read this book quickly, and it ended up taking me awhile because I found it difficult to want to pick it up. While I think it tells a really important narrative about sexual abuse, I found it difficult to be interested in the character and her story. That may be because of the style of writing: the book had very little dialogue and read as an elongated monologue, which I quickly realized wasn't really for me. More than just not including much dialogue, however, there was also little action. It was definitely interesting to spend so much time in Ces's head, but I found myself wishing we could get out of it a lot. Maybe that was the point of the story, but I still was craving that action or dialogue throughout my read. All in all, I think this book maybe just was a style that I was not used to, and I've realized it's not a style I'm particularly drawn to, but that's okay! The story and narrative were compelling, and the book definitely provides insight into an aspect of many girls' lives that don't get discussed a lot, which I believe to be important despite my not being drawn in very much.
meabh_ogrady's review
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
4.75