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hieronymusbotched's review against another edition
4.0
4.arbitrary
A thunderclap of a novella and surprisingly complex given its small frame. Three timelines and arguably four protagonists. And all the while the language here sings. It's exceptionally difficult to maintain the level of poetry present on display past a few pages without watering down the content (or turning up the snooze), but it seems effortless on the page and elevates the action into a kind of Aesopian chorus.
5 pages longer, even 5 paragraphs, and it could have been a five. But maybe that's just me.
In any case, expect the book to end with you shivering.
A thunderclap of a novella and surprisingly complex given its small frame. Three timelines and arguably four protagonists. And all the while the language here sings. It's exceptionally difficult to maintain the level of poetry present on display past a few pages without watering down the content (or turning up the snooze), but it seems effortless on the page and elevates the action into a kind of Aesopian chorus.
5 pages longer, even 5 paragraphs, and it could have been a five. But maybe that's just me.
In any case, expect the book to end with you shivering.
audioandereadergrrly's review against another edition
5.0
This is a lyrically astounding novella. An alternative history combining two tragic topics, there are three stories being told simultaneously. My favorite parts were the sections from the elephants’ perspectives. The language of the elephants was absolutely beautiful. This book is definitely a new favorite of mine.
emilymit10's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
patchworkbunny's review against another edition
4.0
You may or may not be aware of Topsy the elephant and the real life Radium Girls but Brooke Bolander twists their stories together in an alternate history where elephants and humans have learned to communicate with each other via sign language. Topsy was an elephant, stolen from the wild and kept as an amusement at Luna Park on Coney Island. After killing a spectator, the real Topsy was sentenced to death, in this version of events she is sentenced to paint radium dials after the companies had to admit that the radium was dangerous.
If you don't know who the Radium Girls were, well read ,a href="http://www.curiositykilledthebookworm.net/2017/09/the-radium-girls.html">my review of the book then come back here (and maybe buy that book because it's amazing). Regan is an ex US Radium employee and is showing signs of poisoning. I think my feelings from reading about the real life women kept flooding back whenever she talked about it, so I am probably biased in my emotional reaction to this story.
It is a bit weird and won't be for everyone. It's split between a sort of folk tale from the elephants' point of view, Reagan and Topsy and a future scientist working on a way to make people remember about nuclear contamination. It plays on the idea that an elephant never forgets, with the folk tale suggesting that they pass on stories across generations, a sort of genetic memory. And because of the radium elephants, people in this alternate world associate elephants with radiation.
It is a very sudden ending, even though all the threads build up to that moment, it still felt a bit like I was missing a chapter. I'd have quite liked an epilogue in the very distant future. I'm glad I read it and would consider reading longer works from Brooke should she write them.
If you don't know who the Radium Girls were, well read ,a href="http://www.curiositykilledthebookworm.net/2017/09/the-radium-girls.html">my review of the book then come back here (and maybe buy that book because it's amazing). Regan is an ex US Radium employee and is showing signs of poisoning. I think my feelings from reading about the real life women kept flooding back whenever she talked about it, so I am probably biased in my emotional reaction to this story.
It is a bit weird and won't be for everyone. It's split between a sort of folk tale from the elephants' point of view, Reagan and Topsy and a future scientist working on a way to make people remember about nuclear contamination. It plays on the idea that an elephant never forgets, with the folk tale suggesting that they pass on stories across generations, a sort of genetic memory. And because of the radium elephants, people in this alternate world associate elephants with radiation.
It is a very sudden ending, even though all the threads build up to that moment, it still felt a bit like I was missing a chapter. I'd have quite liked an epilogue in the very distant future. I'm glad I read it and would consider reading longer works from Brooke should she write them.
themaggiemch's review
dark
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
This is one of those books that has been on my TBR for a very long time, and I'm glad I finally got around to reading it. There is an interesting idea here that I was 100% down for- radium girls crossed with sentient elephants sounds super fascinating. However, this was so confusing with the different POVs, especially since I was listening to the audiobook and the narrator had very little distinguishers between the voices. Once I figured it out, I enjoyed it more- however, there were some rather sickening descriptions of radiation poisoning, which wasn't super great. Personally, while there are some advantages that come with it being a shorter book, I would rather have had it be more fleshed out and longer, with more exploration of the themes it presents.
readingintheether's review against another edition
3.0
3.5
I'm so impressed by authors who can make me care about people in so few pages. This is a strange "what if" account of an alternate wartime US in which elephants are used for labor in radiation plants, and no one escapes the consequences. Reminded me a lot of The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones.
I'm so impressed by authors who can make me care about people in so few pages. This is a strange "what if" account of an alternate wartime US in which elephants are used for labor in radiation plants, and no one escapes the consequences. Reminded me a lot of The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones.
ruxandra_grr's review against another edition
4.0
This is a story about stories - my favorite kind of story, tbh. Since I'm not American, I did not know about any of the events that were weaved together here, but now I cannot unknow and I will definitely research more on the topic.
This has at least 3 POVs that are braided together to talk about what it means when you don't have control of your own narrative and how you're supposed to get it back. It's weird as hell (but weird is my favorite), but heartbreaking, clever and emotional. What's wonderful is that all of the POVs have their own voice & language, and none of them is plain English.
That's why it takes a bit to get used to the rhythms and the vocabulary, but once you do, it's all worth it. I am totally along for the ride for whatever Bollander comes up with next (and what she wrote previous to this!).
This has at least 3 POVs that are braided together to talk about what it means when you don't have control of your own narrative and how you're supposed to get it back. It's weird as hell (but weird is my favorite), but heartbreaking, clever and emotional. What's wonderful is that all of the POVs have their own voice & language, and none of them is plain English.
That's why it takes a bit to get used to the rhythms and the vocabulary, but once you do, it's all worth it. I am totally along for the ride for whatever Bollander comes up with next (and what she wrote previous to this!).