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gondorgirl's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
Moderate: Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Mental illness, Body horror, Infidelity, and Sexual content
beepsies's review
dark
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.25
Really not my thing. I liked the way the author wrote — I felt like the prose was really flavorful! But the flavor was one I didn't much care for, and the stories themselves weren’t really to my taste. I found them to be unpleasantly gooey (a matter of preference), and found myself getting annoyed every time one of the protagonists was self conscious of her size.
Not that it’s not a nigh universal experience, or that a sapphic’s relationship to her body is endlessly complicated, or that there isn’t interesting or illuminating or meaningful story to be told about it, but in a bunch of short stories where words are at a premium, I did get tired of the repetition of it.
My favorite story was “Fiddler, Fool Pair.” I was intrigued by the setup and was gripped by the escalation. There was some unpleasant body stuff in it, but it felt fitting to me. I really liked the way it ended, too. I felt like a lot of the stories were very bleak, and I felt like this one was more hopeful and had more positive to say about human connection.
I read this for a book club, and while it wasn't really an enjoyable experience for me, it was interesting to read something that just did not gel with my taste at all.
Not that it’s not a nigh universal experience, or that a sapphic’s relationship to her body is endlessly complicated, or that there isn’t interesting or illuminating or meaningful story to be told about it, but in a bunch of short stories where words are at a premium, I did get tired of the repetition of it.
My favorite story was “Fiddler, Fool Pair.” I was intrigued by the setup and was gripped by the escalation. There was some unpleasant body stuff in it, but it felt fitting to me. I really liked the way it ended, too. I felt like a lot of the stories were very bleak, and I felt like this one was more hopeful and had more positive to say about human connection.
I read this for a book club, and while it wasn't really an enjoyable experience for me, it was interesting to read something that just did not gel with my taste at all.
Graphic: Body horror and Murder
Moderate: Self harm, Gore, and Medical content
Minor: Child abuse, Pregnancy, Suicide attempt, Kidnapping, Emotional abuse, Blood, Miscarriage, and Infertility
skillwithaquill's review
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
An absolute hidden gem. Every story in this collection packed a punch, but Fiddler and Fruiting Bodies rocked my world.
The gambling concept was wild and I can only imagine how that would play out in a full length novel.
Fruiting Bodies, the story, was far more romantic than it had any right to be. It’s a beautifully gothic twist on idyllic, sapphic cottagecore. Mushrooms that grow from a lover’s body that can both feed and poison. ♥️
The gambling concept was wild and I can only imagine how that would play out in a full length novel.
Fruiting Bodies, the story, was far more romantic than it had any right to be. It’s a beautifully gothic twist on idyllic, sapphic cottagecore. Mushrooms that grow from a lover’s body that can both feed and poison. ♥️
Graphic: Blood, Animal death, Infertility, Addiction, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Death of parent, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Murder, and Gore
Minor: Classism
Other possible triggers in various stories: a snake, an infant in peril, amputation of multiple limbs, gambling, gambling addiction, graphic description of ingesting animal blood/fat.
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