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kylehepp4267's review
challenging
dark
mysterious
slow-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
Best book I’ve read so far this year. It has that Isabel Allende-esque surrealism turned Southern Gothic, with a main character who contains multitudes and brings you into her world so completely she makes you believe her ghosts are real. This book was the continual heart break of a life in poverty but the struggle was not the story, it was the background that informed Magnolia and her choices, or a secondary character, there waiting in the wings to pounce.
Anyway, phenomenal writing. One of those books that blows my mind because I can’t believe something this creative and beautiful lived inside somebody’s head!
Anyway, phenomenal writing. One of those books that blows my mind because I can’t believe something this creative and beautiful lived inside somebody’s head!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Child abuse, Drug abuse, and Sexual assault
randareads's review
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abortion, Addiction, Drug abuse, Racism, Sexual violence, Domestic abuse, Sexual content, Physical abuse, Vomit, Abandonment, Alcoholism, Adult/minor relationship, Rape, Sexual assault, Alcohol, Child abuse, Drug use, Death, and Death of parent
holleysings's review against another edition
challenging
dark
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Child abuse, Classism, Sexual content, Abortion, Abandonment, Self harm, Sexual assault, Alcoholism, Drug use, Sexual harassment, Child death, Death, Sexual violence, and Drug abuse
ecn's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
The technical writing was really beautiful and great overall. However, the story itself was majorly lacking. I will say, this is definitely not a book for me since I cannot stand unlikeable characters, but there wasn’t a single thing to grab onto to enjoy the story.
The concept was intriguing but the shitty characters, bad sex, stupid decisions, and rushed ending take away from every good aspect. It felt like, between the last major event the and the final 3 chapters, there was a HUGE missing chapter. I needed something to bridge that gap bc I genuinely do not think it was properly finished and I could not tell you *at all* how this story actually ended or what happened? Maybe if I were to physically read the book (I listened to the audio) it would have made more sense but I highly doubt it. It was just really lackluster :/
Also wtf was going on with the grandmother and her absolute NEED for the MC to see/talk with her aborted fetus??? I cannot tell if this is supposed to be pro-life or not and I have no idea why ANY aspect of that storyline needed to be included? Unless I missed something huge but???? .
The concept was intriguing but the shitty characters, bad sex, stupid decisions, and rushed ending take away from every good aspect. It felt like, between the last major event the and the final 3 chapters, there was a HUGE missing chapter. I needed something to bridge that gap bc I genuinely do not think it was properly finished and I could not tell you *at all* how this story actually ended or what happened? Maybe if I were to physically read the book (I listened to the audio) it would have made more sense but I highly doubt it. It was just really lackluster :/
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Drug abuse, Drug use, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Alcoholism, Classism, Medical content, Racism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Alcohol, Medical trauma, Rape, Trafficking, Violence, Ableism, Death, Death of parent, Dementia, Toxic relationship, Body horror, Pregnancy, Addiction, and Abortion
jade_0222's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
The writing style of this novel is poetic, I was arrested by the rhythm and movement of the narrative, it's not something I've come across before. The author truly has a lyrical way of telling a story. The modernity of it, mingled with magical realism is an added plus. My only issue with the book, is that it feels like there were still loose ends of the story to tie up. When I finished the book, there were still questions I had regarding the main characters actions after "dealing with her demons" so to speak. It all seemed to dive in a sprint to the end.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Domestic abuse, Abandonment, Death, Dementia, Pedophilia, Sexual content, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Rape, Toxic relationship, and Abortion
Moderate: Drug use
martinj's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Classism, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Blood, Grief, Death, and Drug abuse
Moderate: Addiction and Sexual assault
y0sh1's review
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
maybe this book wasn’t written for me, but i found it difficult. i read it quickly, waiting for the suspense to burst, but nothing happened. the sex scenes were uncomfortable (i’m not a prude; i have no issues with graphic stuff) and didn’t add much to the book. it had an interesting premise that i personally feel did not live up to what it could have been.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Rape, and Sexual content
Moderate: Addiction, Sexual assault, Abortion, Racism, Abandonment, and Child abuse
laurenbookwitchbitch's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
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
4.0
A chilling, absorbing, mysterious haint of a novel set against the backdrop of a Tennessee mountain storm. Okay that's a bit of a florid description, but that's what comes to mind when I think of this story. Magnolia is working a dead-end job, she might be pregnant and she just lost her grandmother, Mama Brown who's wisdom and secrets know no bounds. When a strange man named Mr. Cotton shows up at her cash register one day he slips her his card, offering for her a modeling gig. A modeling gig at his funeral home. Skeptical but intrigued, Magnolia accepts. She soon realizes the true scope of Mr. Cotton's eccentricities and must reckon with the ghosts of her own past. Dark, emotional and utterly engrossing, Monica Brashears prose is every bit as sweet and enticing as the landscape she conjures. "House of Cotton," is a southern gothic tale that is one-part ghost story, one-part commentary on poverty, race and sex in a society that is as terrified of it's past as it is brash in its bigotry.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Abortion, Addiction, Racism, Abandonment, Toxic relationship, and Sexual harassment
bandysbooks's review
challenging
dark
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
I recently listened to House of Cotton on audiobook. I didn't know much about the book going into it, but the summary sounded amazing and the cover was really calling my attention. Maybe I should've done a bit more research because this was quite the surprise.
This book follows a young woman who is struggling to get by and is approached by the eccentric owner of a mortuary who offers her a job modeling. While she initially assumes that it will be a standard modeling job, she finds that it requires quite a bit more than she bargained for. As she works for him, things get stranger and stranger and soon she is imitating dead people.
I don't really know where exactly to start with this review. The summary does not really adequately prepare the reader for what is going to happen. This book touches on a lot of difficult topics. Some parts felt like sharp social critique and other parts felt like they were added in just for shock value. Perhaps some of it went over my head, but I felt like some of the messaging might've been lost within the graphic and uncomfortable content.
Our main character is a tough character. She's clearly lived a hard life and seen some of the worst that society has to offer. No one has ever given her anything and she's really had to struggle to survive. That said, I'm not sure how I feel about her. I understand some of the choices she makes. The weird things she's being asked to do offer her a semblance of financial freedom, but they come with some pretty heavy strings attached.. It was also pretty hard reading about the way she approaches sex. Ultimately, I don't dislike her character, but I don't exactly like her either. I felt sad for her and angry for her too, but she was just not an easy character to read.
One thing that I did really appreciate about this story was the beautiful description. The author really did an excellent job of setting the scene. I could easily imagine what was going on and where it was happening which is part of what made this book so visceral and uncomfortable at times.
I will say that overall I found this book to be a very confusing experience. In some ways, I think that that might be intentional, but in other ways I wonder if the message would've been better understood had the story been a bit more tightly woven. The flashes between reality and dreams or hallucinations were sometimes hard to follow and all of the chaos made for a disorienting experience.
All in all, I'm not sure who to recommend this book to, but if you decide to read it, make sure you read the trigger warnings as there is a lot of dark stuff in this book.
As for the audiobook, I felt that the narrator did a good job. I was able to understand her and I felt she suited the story. It was easy to tell who the different characters were and I thought her pace worked well.
TW: Rape, Sexual Content, Illusions to Necrophilia, Drugs, Racism, Homelessness, False Imprisonment
This book follows a young woman who is struggling to get by and is approached by the eccentric owner of a mortuary who offers her a job modeling. While she initially assumes that it will be a standard modeling job, she finds that it requires quite a bit more than she bargained for. As she works for him, things get stranger and stranger and soon she is imitating dead people.
I don't really know where exactly to start with this review. The summary does not really adequately prepare the reader for what is going to happen. This book touches on a lot of difficult topics. Some parts felt like sharp social critique and other parts felt like they were added in just for shock value. Perhaps some of it went over my head, but I felt like some of the messaging might've been lost within the graphic and uncomfortable content.
Our main character is a tough character. She's clearly lived a hard life and seen some of the worst that society has to offer. No one has ever given her anything and she's really had to struggle to survive. That said, I'm not sure how I feel about her. I understand some of the choices she makes. The weird things she's being asked to do offer her a semblance of financial freedom, but they come with some pretty heavy strings attached.. It was also pretty hard reading about the way she approaches sex. Ultimately, I don't dislike her character, but I don't exactly like her either. I felt sad for her and angry for her too, but she was just not an easy character to read.
One thing that I did really appreciate about this story was the beautiful description. The author really did an excellent job of setting the scene. I could easily imagine what was going on and where it was happening which is part of what made this book so visceral and uncomfortable at times.
I will say that overall I found this book to be a very confusing experience. In some ways, I think that that might be intentional, but in other ways I wonder if the message would've been better understood had the story been a bit more tightly woven. The flashes between reality and dreams or hallucinations were sometimes hard to follow and all of the chaos made for a disorienting experience.
All in all, I'm not sure who to recommend this book to, but if you decide to read it, make sure you read the trigger warnings as there is a lot of dark stuff in this book.
As for the audiobook, I felt that the narrator did a good job. I was able to understand her and I felt she suited the story. It was easy to tell who the different characters were and I thought her pace worked well.
TW: Rape, Sexual Content, Illusions to Necrophilia, Drugs, Racism, Homelessness, False Imprisonment
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Death, Drug use, Grief, Panic attacks/disorders, Classism, Self harm, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Abandonment, Abortion, Rape, and Alcohol
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