Scan barcode
cheese_11's review
dark
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug use and Child abuse
Moderate: Violence
in_dee_d's review
5.0
Beneath the layers and layers of grime, violence, and drug abuse is a story of pure desolation with a main character that I couldn’t help but want to make it out.
lisawhelpley's review
4.0
I'd give this 4.5 out of 5. Dark. I couldn't put it down. It's odd and heartbreaking, filled with terrible people doing disgusting things but written so well.
fracturing's review
4.0
I first read this around 2004 and remembered it as a 5-star book.
I recently re-read it in small chunks when I was between other books, and I seeing most of the tricks for what they are, but still really enjoyed it. It's gritty and weird and introduced SHIT AND GODDAMN into my lexicon as a great cuss.
I recently re-read it in small chunks when I was between other books, and I seeing most of the tricks for what they are, but still really enjoyed it. It's gritty and weird and introduced SHIT AND GODDAMN into my lexicon as a great cuss.
ericfheiman's review
4.0
My image of Lynda Barry was always of a quirky comic artist with a knack for capturing the nuance of adolescent angst, and then, later, as a motivational speaker for creatives through books like What It Is. Cruddy, though, is something else entirely. Sure, this illustrated novel starts out as a tale of teenage alienation, but quickly morphs into an unholy union of Flannery O'Connor and No Country For Old Men. The world Barry conjures in this tale is grotesque to the point of feeling wholly divorced from any familiar human experience (at least to me). The book would wear out its welcome quickly if the eponymous lead character's voice wasn't so unique and well-realized. Not for the faint of the heart, but fairly unforgettable if one chooses to take it on.
booksaremyfavorite's review
5.0
I still think about this book and it might be one of my favorite books of all time.
colorfulleo92's review
4.0
I didn't quite read the blurb to clearly before going into it. I thought it was more of a YA and it's definitely not. Would been extremely freaked out if I had read it in my teen years. Not sure why I liked it so much. A very strange book but yet an very interesting read
emjay24's review
3.0
there are pictures in this book! graphic novel-esque drawings i loved that... only no its not a graphic novel. but still. this is about a girl who is relating her messed up adventure with her dad and her family, it's full of drugs, alcohol, killing, the works, and the first part was when she was only 11. basically when she says her life was cruddy, it was. this is not a book for a happy person. but i liked it.
gonzorama's review
4.0
This novel was beyond disturbing and I don't think I ever need to read it again. That said, Barry is a masterful writer. I couldn't put this book down and when I finished it I couldn't stop thinking about it.