Reviews with content warning for Transphobia - A Dream of a Woman

Reviews tagging 'Transphobia'

A Dream of a Woman by Casey Plett

17 reviews

lrgluck's review

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emotional reflective fast-paced

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

5.0

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booksjessreads's review against another edition

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challenging dark inspiring medium-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? It's complicated

4.0

A Dream of a Woman is a short-story collection, largely about trans women trying to live their best adult lives, navigating complicated friendships, relationships, identity and the idea of home. I really enjoyed the way that Absolution was a longer story and intertwined throughout. For me, this was an incredible coming-of-gender story with great character arcs and developments and multi-dimensional, believable characters.

I thought Plett told her stories so vividly and the imagery used to convey thoughts, feelings and behaviours was so striking, graphic and raw. Plett does not hold back on anything - so do bear in mind that there is graphic love/sex, transphobia etc. so do check out the content warnings. In places, I also thought the audio did some of the stories incredible justice - listening to these made it even more immersive. There is absolutely no doubt that Plett is a really talented writer and writes very evocatively.

I think the thing that most let me down was the format with which I listened. Despite the audio working really well in places, I felt really disjointed between all the stories at times and I only really followed what happened with Absolution and the first story or two. Towards the end, I definitely lost the flow of the book and felt a print book would have afforded more clarity to me, personally. I think I would like to re-read this in a different format to see if my thoughts are still the same.

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booksthatburn's review against another edition

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emotional reflective medium-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? It's complicated

5.0

I am familiar with framing devices in short story collections, but the second time "Absolution" appeared I was surprised because I thought it had been a one-off story of a person navigating a relationship and the possibility that it wasn’t quite what he wanted. Then, a couple of stories later, "Absolution" appeared again with the next chapter of his life. It formed a refrain, a transformational core, running through the heart of this collection, allowing for a slow unfolding and twisting of story in a single character. I let each of the various segments of what eventually is her life get to stand alone, having room to breathe, allowing for a transformation across decades in a way that would normally be harder to get across in a short story. There are many ways of being trans, and of being a trans woman. Most of these stories focus on trans women navigating relationships and interpersonal interactions in a way that’s very focused on their underlying thoughts and feelings to whatever degree they’re able to process or express them. Some stories take place over years or even decades, and others occur in just a few days.

Some of the stories convey the shifting weirdness of existing in a body that changes in ways which other people aren’t expecting, and the range of reactions to that reality. People living lives that are shaped by this thing that they have in common, told in a manner that allows for meandering meandering and blurriness around the edges. This is an absorbing and fascinating collection, and I highly recommend it.

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thewoodlandbookshelf's review

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emotional reflective medium-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

4.25

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jayisreading's review against another edition

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emotional reflective medium-paced

4.5

An intimate novel that explores the messiness of gender identity, I really appreciated how Plett depicted the lives of trans women in her short stories with such care and nuance. It’s as much a celebration of being trans as it is a recognition of the struggles that come with it.

I was particularly taken to the short story, “Obsolution,” which was actually broken up into parts and told between other stories, following the protagonist’s arduous journey towards discovering herself. It was a complicated story, too, that didn’t shy away from complicated topics and how this particularly impacts trans women, ranging from gender dysphoria to toxic relationships (platonic and romantic).

Something that needs to be highlighted is that this collection is very heavy on sex content, though it’s not smut. I read all these scenes more like Plett wanting the readers (especially cis readers) to get over the discomfort of trans women having sex and that it’s as much a part of their lives as it is for others. It’s not an educational moment; it’s more a coming-to-terms moment.

Much to think about in this collection, but it’s definitely an impactful one.

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abbie_'s review against another edition

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emotional reflective medium-paced

4.5

I read Little Fish by Plett last year and this collection is just as good if not better. A Dream of a Woman centres stories of trans women, often trans women loving other trans women, and it’s just glorious how Plett depicts every possible emotion with such heart. I’m always in awe of a short story collection that can make you feel connected to its characters within just a few pages.

There’s a novella told in vignettes running through this collection, Obsolution, which I loved. You’re immersed in Vera’s story from literal start to finish, grow with her, feel every ugly emotion that we can’t admit to anyone but ourselves. Plett writes so thoughtfully about gender identity, and there’s also an angle of domestic abuse explored which is not often talked about.

I’ll be diving into Plett’s other collection, A Safe Girl to Love, soon, and implore you all to check out her work!

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atuin's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional hopeful 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

5.0

This book had some of the best dialogue and most human characters I've ever had the pleasure of encountering. The writing style had me hooked from start to finish, and you will empathize with flawed people trying to live their lives the best they can.

Content Warnings