Reviews

A Manual for Cleaning Women: Selected Stories by Lucia Berlin

nachoaguirre's review against another edition

4.0

8

joanxmartins's review

emotional reflective medium-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? Yes

4.5

kickitupanotch7's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Addiction, Animal death, Blood, Cancer, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Death of parent, Racism, Sexual content, Pregnancy, Sexual assault, Abortion, Alcoholism, Gore, Medical content, Medical trauma, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Suicide attempt, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Police brutality, Rape, Sexual violence, and Terminal illness

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Classism, Ableism, Lesbophobia, and Abandonment

pained_creations's review

dark emotional sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

 This is only the second book of short stories I have read, and had recurring topics as a thread throughout (teachers, medical/death, alcoholism/drug abuse, etc). I really like her writing style, but the stories were very similar and began to blur together, and circle back to characters. Had a very autobiographical nature to her storytelling. Mostly sad stories, that left me wanting more and feeling like there was no resolution. 

lsparrow's review

4.0

a collection of stories that feel very real and autobiographical yet also feel like different characters. not usually a style of story that i get into but found myself loving the voice of the story teller and many of the themes of home, culture, family

trutrue's review

3.0

for class

laurahacck's review against another edition

4.0

Etenkin kieli ja rytmi saa multa kiitosta. Näitä novelleja oli mielenkiintoista lukea kielen tarkkuuden ja yllättävien tyylikeinojen vuoksi. Kaikki hahmot ja tarinat tuntuivat todella aidoilta, tää oli melkein dokumentaarinen kokemus.

Jotkut novellit jäi vähän etäisiksi, toiset taas herätti hyvin vahvoja tunteita. Erityismaininnan saa multa brutaalin rehelliset, mutta herkät ja empaattiset novellit alkoholisoituneesta äidistä, kauniit kuvaukset sukeltajista, humoristinen tarina vanhasta pariskunnasta ja heidän uudesta nuoresta ystävästä ja erikoisin hammaslääkärikertomus ikinä.

Suosittelen lämpimästi!

browardvanessa's review against another edition

2.0

Audio was hard for me to follow. Just when I would get into a story it would stop, go to another, and then come back.

chaifanatic18's review

challenging dark emotional reflective 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

3.75

eggandart's review

dark emotional funny inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

5.0