Reviews

Girl, Woman, Other by Bernardine Evaristo

sweetling's review against another edition

2.5

Ooh I really couldn't get into it. This kind of read like an anthology with multiple essays, even though they were connected. There were many characters I didn't care for and I skipped the last chapter as I just didn't care what happened.

ymeyc's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective sad 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

4.25

disabledreamer's review against another edition

emotional slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• 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

3.5

I didnt connect to this story but i think its more so because its not written for me as a white afab person,so thats fine it gave me a window into another world

jess_mango's review against another edition

5.0

4.5 stars.

Booker Prize Winner!

This one is also on the longlist for this year's Women's Fiction Prize.

The accolades are well-deserved for this collection of 12 linked short stories. Each story focuses on a different black British woman. The book is so well-written with a unique voice & writing style. I truly found it refreshing. There were some darker topics like rape and racism but overall the book left me feeling joyful. Highly recommend!

fflur_jones's review against another edition

5.0

This book is a beautiful, poetic exploration of what it means to be Black in Britain, both now and in the past. The author skillfully weaves the various stories of seemingly unrelated characters together to create a vibrant tapestry of the society in which they live. Thoroughly enjoyed the book and left it behind with a million thoughts buzzing in my head.

tildahlia's review against another edition

4.0

An eminently readable book telling the stories of a diverse range of women. It reminded me a bit of Alice Munro in its ability to capture womens' experiences in all their mess and complexity and beauty. Some definite eyebrow raising moments too, which kept things fun. I loved the subtle links between stories, which added to it but weren't strictly necessary as the standalone stories were already so powerful. An excellent page-turning read.

zoecgreen's review against another edition

emotional inspiring 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

4.25

“What matters most to me, is that I know how I feel, and the rest of the world might catch up one day, even if it’ll be a quiet revolution over longer than my lifetime, if it happens at all.”

fantasynovel's review against another edition

5.0

the prose in this book is the type that can be written only by a poet, each sentence the perfect mix of loose and controlled. at first i was put off by the experimental formatting, but that was so boring of me. this book needed to be written like that. it truly feels like poetry. i ended up deciding to buy the book bc of a sentence i saw when i opened it to the middle: "she's tied her amazingly wild, energetic, strong and voluminous afro back because the people sitting behind her in venues complain they can't see the stage." the cadence of that language, the patter of stressed syllables, is so beautiful. positioning the word "back" at the end of the list instead of after the word "tied" creates a naturally held breath, a stutter in the sentence that emphasizes the act of tying back her hair. i just love it. i love it so much.

and the characters are all so fully realized. i loved every single one of them because every single one of them feels like a full person. even tho none of the characters has more than double digit pages inside their head, i empathized with each and every one.

cillafindssanity's review against another edition

inspiring 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

4.5

lilybilly8's review against another edition

emotional inspiring reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.5