Reviews

Cleopatra and Frankenstein by Coco Mellors

Only show reviews with written explanations

mkrasnopero's review

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emotional reflective medium-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

4.75

victoriarad's review against another edition

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dark emotional 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

3.0

Oh the joys of a cozy rainy weekend in where I get to speed read this odd book!

*Check trigger warnings!!*

Not what I was expecting, not in the slightest. I totally thought it was going to be a lot more romance than literary fiction but I still enjoyed it. Though I think I would've hated it if I didn't binge read it.

The 3rd person omniscient perspective was a masterclass in how to write it well and still distinctive to each character we're following without feeling muddy or jarring. I think I actually liked Eleanor's the most surprisingly.

The vibes reminded me of "Luster" by Raven Leilani but I liked that one better. Mainly I didn't enjoy all the drugs, self harm, suicide, orgies, psych ward - yeah not my cup of tea. Just very broken and very sad and I'd rather not go into that very real but very depressing world.

Beautiful ending though.

I liked the writing, though it wasn't a favorite of mine. I liked the endless ramblings of "Luster" better because it fit the narrator because it was in her mind the whole time so it fit the overall story better.

I'm a little bummed it wasn't more romantic, but that seems more like false advertising. Overall, good, but I wouldn't recommend it. But I'd definitely recommend it to my art school friends ;)

Content Warnings

quel's review

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dark emotional reflective slow-paced

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

2.25

evesreadingcorner's review

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emotional reflective medium-paced

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

4.0

I remember picking this up when it first came out, and putting it down probably not even two chapters in. This time I tried to really sit and take my time with this it, and I genuinely really enjoyed. Every single one of these characters is flawed and messy and so painfully human and getting to watch them go through life was fun, frustrating and so incredibly interesting all at the same time. Coco Mellors has this way of making New York feel like a character of its own, which I love. So glad I came back to it.

beckydr's review

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2.0

I didn't resonate with any characters until towards the end, and in fact I found many of them quite vapid and tiring to be around. Honestly if this hadn't been on Libby and I didn't fear not being able to pick it up again on my own timeline I would have quit early I think. Those days ticking down are a great motivator.