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eriynali's review against another edition
3.0
It was a book whose subject matter was more serious than the writing style, but it was fun to read. I especially LOVED the picture on the cover.
leleroulant's review
4.0
This story is told with a very interesting third person voice who even tells us what the flies, snakes and spiders are thinking. At first that part of the book really turned me off. I thought it too bizarre. But as the story unfolds and I became emotionally involved with Clarissa Burden, those bizarre bits only added to a very well-told story.
hillarybeth's review against another edition
2.0
I want to give this book 2.5 stars, actually. I like the main character and wanted to see good things happen for her, but the ghost family (and especially the ghost fly) along with the sudden dwarf carnie character developments at the very end of the novel really brought the story down for me - they were completely unnecessary. Without them I may have given a 4 star rating, just because I liked Clarissa so much; I liked being inside her mind for an entire day.
chaotic_ramblings's review against another edition
5.0
At first I was a little miffed that there weren't any "real" chapters, but once I noticed how well the flow went with Clarissa's day I relaxed and enjoyed the book.
I felt myself grow just a little right along with Clarissa. I disliked "Iggy" from the get go, and was fantasizing his death right along with Clarissa.
I laughed and cried throughout most of the book and my heart stopped a few times. Overall I will have to keep this one on the shelf to come back to time and again.
~I was provided a copy of this book from Hachette Books for my review.~
I felt myself grow just a little right along with Clarissa. I disliked "Iggy" from the get go, and was fantasizing his death right along with Clarissa.
I laughed and cried throughout most of the book and my heart stopped a few times. Overall I will have to keep this one on the shelf to come back to time and again.
~I was provided a copy of this book from Hachette Books for my review.~
virtuallori's review against another edition
4.0
9/10
I loved this. It's quirky and emotional and a bit mystical. There are passages written from the perspective of a literal fly on the wall. A one-armed provisional angel with ant-infested dreadlocks. Dwarves. Lifesaving ghosts. Worm grunting. Revenge fantasies.
While there are lots of ways Clarissa and I are quite different, I can relate to her in others (e.g., that terrifying intersection of raging anger and fear of change and hope and the waffling and missteps that occur there; the [in my case former — don't worry] tendency to stick with terrible relationships out of inertia and the sense that this is as good as it gets or as good as we deserve).
It's not a book for everyone — I can see how some readers would be frustrated with Clarissa's doormat tendencies, and you have to have a high tolerance for stretching the boundaries between the real world and others to really enjoy this — but I adored it.
I loved this. It's quirky and emotional and a bit mystical. There are passages written from the perspective of a literal fly on the wall. A one-armed provisional angel with ant-infested dreadlocks. Dwarves. Lifesaving ghosts. Worm grunting. Revenge fantasies.
While there are lots of ways Clarissa and I are quite different, I can relate to her in others (e.g., that terrifying intersection of raging anger and fear of change and hope and the waffling and missteps that occur there; the [in my case former — don't worry] tendency to stick with terrible relationships out of inertia and the sense that this is as good as it gets or as good as we deserve).
It's not a book for everyone — I can see how some readers would be frustrated with Clarissa's doormat tendencies, and you have to have a high tolerance for stretching the boundaries between the real world and others to really enjoy this — but I adored it.
enolarayne's review
1.0
It is rare that I cannot finish a book. I can find something redeeming in nearly any book, so I just keep plowing through. This book? I actually snapped it closed and gave it away (with a warning about my inability to finish it). I couldn't connect with a single character, and I'm still not sure what the book was actually about.
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