Reviews

Beautiful Mutants by Deborah Levy

qurratulain0's review against another edition

1.0

I love Deborah Levy, but not this book. If you want to know what you're getting into, there's a talking llama....

milasa's review against another edition

2.0

Some beautiful passages, but I had no idea what was going on.

unamericanspirits's review against another edition

5.0

There are like eight sentences in this relatively short book that have permanently altered my brain chemistry. Levy has an extremely beautiful and interesting style of prose.

octavia_cade's review against another edition

dark medium-paced

4.0

This is weird but fascinating! It's almost little interconnected pieces of prose poetry or short stories, making up this novella of alienation and archetype that ends in a horrible zoo conflagration. Small character sketches of disconnected people, of migrants and workers and - honestly - people who have lost the plot or fallen away from society in one way or another. I was all for giving it five stars for most of the book, but I do think that the storyline of the Banker (awful woman) fell over itself at the end. It became a bit too obvious, as if this was the place where the author decided to hammer the theme into readers' heads. Overdone, I think, is the right word for it.

But still, fascinating. Back to the library this goes, and it goes as well on my list of books to get my own copy of. 

dietoepfchenhexe's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny inspiring fast-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? Yes

4.0

Schöne Mutanten erzählt mal mehr mal weniger zusammenhängende Episoden aus dem Leben zahlreicher recht tragischer Figuren. Ich fand es nicht ganz leicht mich darin einzufinden, nachdem es mir gelungen war, wurde ich aber mit einem Puzzle aus tiefsinnigen Gedanken, Emotionen (unterhaltsam bis schmerzhaft) und unglaublichen Szenerien belohnt, die mich sehr inspiriert haben. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Eating disorder, Self harm, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail

Prostitution

ninabruinhof's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective fast-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

juli_mod's review

4.0

Dieser Roman sei sozialkritischer Surrealismus, sagt Levy über ihr erstes Buch, das ungestüm ist! Ein echtes Sturm-und-Drang-Debüt über den neoliberalen Raubtierkapitalismus der englischen 80er. Das Thema ist gleichzeitig vorder- und hintergründig, was ich meisterhaft komponiert finde. Dieser Trick funktioniert vor allem wegen der Figuren, die wie Commedia Dell Arte Zannis durch das Geschehen taumeln - immer bereit für lustvolle Purzelbäume, erotischen Schabernack oder destruktive Machtspiele. Sie verwandeln sich in Lachse, sprechen mit Lamas, erzählen von ihren Lieben und Freundschaften.
Ein herrlich sprachgewandter Roman, indem nichts und alles einen Sinn ergibt.

„Die Dichterin weigerte sich, zerstört zu werden.
Sie wartete, bis sich der Sturm in ihrem Inneren legte. Als es so weit war, pflanzte sie an die verwundeten Stellen Sonnenblumen.“

slothpaced's review against another edition

how many corpses have you got in your mouth then? 

jaq's review

challenging fast-paced

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

2.0

lizjig's review against another edition

challenging mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character

3.75