Reviews tagging 'Lesbophobia'

The Dangers of Smoking in Bed by Mariana Enríquez

11 reviews

nefarious_rat's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • 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

collection of short stories so character progression and such is difficult, but within each story the characters were distinct and never felt rushed, some of the stories were not to my taste but still very well written, favourites are, our lady of the quarry, the well, the lookout (particularly the characterisation of elina), where are you dear heart (grotesque and delicious my absolute favourite i keep re-reading it), and meat (a very close second favourite for the exact same reasons)

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lynxpardinus's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious

4.5


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snowiceblackfruit77's review against another edition

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dark informative mysterious sad tense 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

4.0


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sheshallbenamed's review against another edition

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3.0


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alreinwarth's review against another edition

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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

2.25


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introverted_reads's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? N/A
  • Loveable characters? N/A
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0


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merries's review

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challenging dark mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

Individual ratings:
Angelita Unearthed - 4 stars.
Our Lady of the Quarry - 4.5 stars.
The Cart - 3 stars.
The Well - 3.5 stars.
Rambla Triste - 3.5 stars.
The Lookout - 4 stars.
Where Are You, Dear Heart? - 5 stars.
Meat - 5 stars.
No Birthdays or Baptisms - 4 stars.
Kids Who Come Back - 4 stars.
The Dangers of Smoking in Bed - 5 stars.
Back When We Talked to the Dead - 4 stars.
Average Rating - 4 stars.

A series of stories I can only describe as grotesque. The writer’s use of selfishness and gain through self-gratification throughout is an interesting analysis point. My 5 star stories are stories I could truly describe as “perfect”, but the anthology as a whole was enjoyable throughout.

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mimithorp's review against another edition

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challenging dark funny mysterious tense medium-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? No

3.0

As with lots of short story collection, it's a real mixed bag. Some very good, some not so. A lot of unnecessary slurs which was a real bother. 

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akira_outofthegravity's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

I think this is a really interesting collection of short stories. They all have very common themes like female sexuality, witchcraft, smells (which I thought was particularly interesting), children/childhood, mass hysteria/fanaticism, and religion. 

While some stories are better than others, I think they’re all a good read! My top three are:
1. Where Are You, Dear Heart?
2. Meat
3. Kids Who Come Back
With a special mention to Angelita. 

I feel that perhaps a study guide of sorts would help understand the symbolism of the stories, but honestly they’re all really good and I enjoyed all of them to a degree. 

TRIGGER WARNING:
Be warned though: most stories contain some element of child abuse/pedophilia/forced incest/child prostitution/etc. 
“kids who come back” contains some transphobic and lesbophobic slurs/characteristics. 

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lasafica_reads's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0


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