Reviews tagging 'Transphobia'

A Dream of a Woman by Casey Plett

17 reviews

pizzasprite's review

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emotional inspiring reflective slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Plett is a master of creating intimate, personable characters revolving around both cozy and challenging situations. Her characters are deeply flawed, but also so lovable and sympathetic. If I have one criticism, it's that all the short stories began to blend together after a while. I think Plett's writing really shines when she carves out enough space for her characters to really flesh themselves out, such as in Little Fish. I really enjoyed the interspersed stories of Vera, and almost wish the whole book had been just that. 
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adriennne's review

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5.0

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liteartha's review against another edition

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emotional reflective
  • 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

this was a gem. casey plett's an absolute stunner at crafting intimate, personal, and organic stories. all focused on the lives of trans women across canada and several US states, each story felt so incredibly grounded in both setting and each character's personal voice.

on a structural level, i was a particular fan of the way this collection was pieced together with certain stories broken into parts that were interspersed throughout the book and others in succinct single doses. i'm not sure i've ever encountered that before but i'd be very happy to encounter it again. the audiobook, read by the author, was also great. plett is a talented reader and truly brings her characters and prose to life.

leaving off with a gorgeous quote i've done by best to transcribe (though admittedly may not have quite right, given the audio format)

vera could never tell another breathing creature how replete her bones were, how full of undirected forgiveness.

thank you to netgalley, arsenal pulp press, and bespeak audio editions for providing this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.
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wenwanzhao's review

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challenging emotional reflective tense medium-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

3.75

Interesting collection of short stories about trans women. Really opens your mind and makes you think. 
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spookieboogie's review against another edition

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emotional 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

4.0

Books read by their authors, especially an #OwnVoices take are such a treat.

What I love most about Casey Plett is that she writes her books, her trans characters, their trans experiences for trans readers. Her work has never read as watered down to be palatable to cis readers but has remained accessible enough to them.

When I first read A Safe Girl to Love, I hadn’t quite figured out my gender situation. I won’t say it helped me do that, but I can say it helped me feel comfortable being messy. Trans women (note: I’m not a trans woman, just a trans person) rarely get the chance to be seen as messy and flawed but respected, so stories like hers that highlight realistic trans experiences are so wonderful to see.

These short stories are emotional and I loved every single last one of them. At the end of the first story I thought to myself, wow this is going to be great. At the end of the second, this one is going to be my favorite. But as it went on, each new story became a favorite. The gem of the collection is Obsolution, which is told in pieces through the entire collection.

The audiobook is read by the author herself. I freaking love that. She did a fantastic job reading and voicing the characters. The conversations flowed so smoothly that I felt some of these women were my friends.

This was just such a fantastic experience. I highly recommend reading this book, but if you like audiobooks please listen to this one! The stories are engaging and digestible in pieces or in a binge like me.

Thanks so much to NetGalley, Bespeak Audio and Casey Plett! I received a free copy of the audiobook to review.

Content Warnings: ADBL & age play, alcohol abuse/addiction, drug abuse, explicit sex, homophobia/lesbophobia, rape, transphobia 
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boy_topics's review

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dark emotional hopeful reflective sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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abigailkokitus's review

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emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

As is the case with all short story collections, I liked some stories better than others, but they were all lovely and very well-written. Beautiful glimpses of love, sex, intimacy, grief and loss, growth, addiction, and hope. 
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