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katykelly's review against another edition
2.0
Not for me, sadly.
I managed to listen to the whole thing. There were moments when I thought this was excellent: erudite and beautifully worded. But then I found myself losing concentration and having no idea what was going on. It felt too clever for itself at times.
I loved the synopsis, hence choosing it. The start was so unusual: Death as a Black Woman. Though I have to say: I really dislike the title, the forced wordplay there.
But upon finishing, I couldn't actually tell you what had happened. I would normally stop reading/listening to a book that had this effect on me, but I persevered because I had so liked the sound of this. Yet it kept happening.
Other reviewers give this a very Marmite rating. Lots of people raving, lots very cool indeed, little in between.
I liked the voice of Mrs Death, the author's own voice. But the style of this is going to be 'love it or hate it', and for me, the audio version didn't do justice to the writer's efforts, it was too hard to follow. I wanted to savour the parts I was really enjoying and was not able to.
Maybe one to attempt again on paper.
With thanks to Nudge Books for providing a sample Audible copy.
I managed to listen to the whole thing. There were moments when I thought this was excellent: erudite and beautifully worded. But then I found myself losing concentration and having no idea what was going on. It felt too clever for itself at times.
I loved the synopsis, hence choosing it. The start was so unusual: Death as a Black Woman. Though I have to say: I really dislike the title, the forced wordplay there.
But upon finishing, I couldn't actually tell you what had happened. I would normally stop reading/listening to a book that had this effect on me, but I persevered because I had so liked the sound of this. Yet it kept happening.
Other reviewers give this a very Marmite rating. Lots of people raving, lots very cool indeed, little in between.
I liked the voice of Mrs Death, the author's own voice. But the style of this is going to be 'love it or hate it', and for me, the audio version didn't do justice to the writer's efforts, it was too hard to follow. I wanted to savour the parts I was really enjoying and was not able to.
Maybe one to attempt again on paper.
With thanks to Nudge Books for providing a sample Audible copy.
biancarose88's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
parkesj1's review against another edition
2.0
This book blue balled me, I was thinking this was a good story book by the cover but was a poetry book and I don’t have the brain power to understand the poems and the ending left me with more questions…
juneorgwen's review
dark
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
This book focuses more on prose than anything else. While there is some character and plot development the primary focus is the writing itself. Treat this more as a poetry book than a novel and you'll be okay.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Murder, Death, Death of parent, and Gore
Minor: Racism
dylant's review
dark
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
babs_reviews's review against another edition
2.0
There was some I did like (the poetry, the lyrical prose, the beauty in description) but there was a lot that was just, ramblings of repetitiveness. It was hard to finish, but I did it.
rouge_red's review against another edition
Wow I don't like that. It's rambling, so repetitive, features poetry that's repetitious. So far, we're just listing a bunch of ways a person can die. No.
motherofladybirds's review
2.0
I admired this rather than loved it, hence the 2 stars. I know the writing is deeply poetic and explores huge themes, but I related to this as a poetry collection, rather than an essay. The reveal of the family tree explained some of the strange tangents and juxtapositions, but I would have appreciated this more if it was at the beginning to refer to as I went along.