Reviews tagging 'Murder'

Her Body and Other Parties by Carmen Maria Machado

37 reviews

tillydaisym's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional medium-paced

3.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Rape, Eating disorder, and Murder

taylorsevalia's review against another edition

dark slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cursing, Eating disorder, and Sexual content

Moderate: Blood, Rape, Alcohol, Pregnancy, and Eating disorder

Minor: Gun violence, Murder, Fatphobia, Vomit, and Self harm

booksnbones13's review against another edition

challenging dark tense 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? It's complicated

4.0

a great collection of stories that stick with you. well written and mysterious and creepy, but also sad and at times endearing

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Grief, Dysphoria, Toxic relationship, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Eating disorder

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Sexual violence, Rape, Misogyny, Lesbophobia, Body horror, Child death, Confinement, Death, Fatphobia, Gaslighting, and Murder

sabrinames's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Suicidal thoughts, and Rape

Moderate: Sexual assault

earthsigil's review against another edition

dark emotional medium-paced

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

4.0

Very good writing and overall I enjoyed it but there's a lot that can be difficult to get through depending on your personal experiences. There's a good variety of content between stories while still encompassing the same or similar themes. I wish I were smarter to write a better review because it gloriously captures the female experience but alas. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, Death, Fatphobia, Grief, Murder, Pregnancy, Eating disorder, Medical content, and Sexual content

Moderate: Body shaming, Sexism, Misogyny, Sexual assault, and Rape

Minor: Animal death, Alcohol, and Toxic friendship

travelseatsreads's review

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

5.0

It's hard to put into words just how striking Carmen Maria Machado's writing is. I read In The Dream House at the start of the year & was left bereft yet craving more. I wanted to immediately dive into Her Body & Other Parties but waited a few months as I wanted to appreciate it in its own right & in its entirety. 

 

What I found in the pages behind the striking cover was another world of brilliance which captured my imagination fully & left me wondering with every carefully chosen word. 

 

As with any collection of short stories some will have more resonance than others with every reader but overall I found that even if I didn't necessarily 'enjoy' each short story while reading, every single one left me pondering for quite some time after. The perfect example of this was Especially Heinous which felt almost a little bit tedious at times as I was going through the individual episodes, but eventually unfurled into a creepy & oppressive portrayal of the indeed tedious, relentless & pervasive acts of violence against women. 

 

In all honesty there isn’t a story within the collection that didn’t leave some kind of a mark on me or didn’t leave me sitting struck & deep in thought but some of my favourites which really struck a chord with their brutality & honesty were The Husband Stitch, Inventory, Real Women Have Bodies, The Resident & Difficult At Parties. 

 

The whole book is bursting full of so many moments and quotes to relish, digest and just linger on that I’ll definitely be buying a physical copy to reread and devour again and again. I rarely buy books due to fortunately receiving ARCs & having the use of a fantastic library system but I need, not even just want, to have a copy of Her Body & Other Parties on my shelf to return to. 

 

Carmen Maria Machado is a writer like no other & Her Body & Other Parties conveys her innate ability to write pieces which are visceral, haunting, brutal & deeply thought-provoking. 

 

Powerful, surreal and simply stunning. 

 

(It is a book I want to recommend to everyone but due to its dark thematic nature & at times perplexing story arcs I can admit it may not be for everyone so I’ve included TW in comments & happy to chat about these if you’re considering reading it.) 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Blood, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Body shaming, Death, Dysphoria, Fatphobia, Gore, Grief, Infidelity, Toxic relationship, Violence, Mental illness, Misogyny, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, and Sexual harassment

sydneybenjamin's review against another edition

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, Rape, Death, and Murder

ruthbreakher's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

The book is confusing at times, but maybe I just need to read this like I'm a engl 302 teacher

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content, Body horror, Blood, Gore, Eating disorder, Death, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Fatphobia, Panic attacks/disorders, and Medical content

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Vomit, Bullying, Sexual harassment, Rape, Pregnancy, Child abuse, Murder, Medical content, Grief, Emotional abuse, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Chronic illness, Death, Toxic relationship, and Suicidal thoughts

mirireads's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional medium-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Murder, Sexual content, Rape, and Body horror

marleyshaddox's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Whew this was a doozy! A short story collection where the writing is so engaging and well done that I kept reading even when the content made me so so so  uncomfortable. A truly unsettling read, a collection of horror stories from the fantastical to the everyday horrors women face in a patriarchal society. Heavy subjects, dark humor, bizarre and intriguing.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Body shaming, Sexism, and Sexual content

Minor: Murder and Rape