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kaiyear's review against another edition
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
savvylit's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
3.5
Grudova utilizes repetition to paint a portrait of a grotesque parallel world. Sewing machines, dolls, pregnancy, women's labor juxtaposed by men's academia, tins of food, stickiness... Each story makes a statement about direct and passive violence within an extreme patriarchy.
Ultimately, these stories were often too immersive! I left The Doll's Alphabet feeling like I'd narrowly escaped the oppressive and claustrophobic circumstances of Grudova's world.
Ultimately, these stories were often too immersive! I left The Doll's Alphabet feeling like I'd narrowly escaped the oppressive and claustrophobic circumstances of Grudova's world.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Sexual violence, Violence, and Pregnancy
arden_time's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
prey4thefemale's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
bookies_withanja's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
savaging's review against another edition
4.0
This was a book about odd little knick-knacks, breathing life into inanimate objects. It was also one of the more brutal books I've read recently. It has the sort of casual violence of old undisneyfied fairy tales, or the kind children enact with their toys when they think no one's watching.
Follow-up question: is Kafka's "In the Penal Colony" just about his anxiety over sewing machines? This book led me to believe I should be more fascinated by and worried about sewing machines.
Follow-up question: is Kafka's "In the Penal Colony" just about his anxiety over sewing machines? This book led me to believe I should be more fascinated by and worried about sewing machines.
jessicarosee's review against another edition
4.0
4.5. Camilla Grudova suceeds in creating twelve short (spanning at times only a single page) stories that capture grotesquely feminine experiences that are both infinitely imaginative and disgusting. (aka my fav literary genre) Recurring motifs and themes, such as sewing machines, bodily deformities, gelatinous substances ranging from the sticky residue on infant fingers after handling old fruit jam to the sickly-sweetness of golden syrup, insects, Uncommon sex, and the contrasting naïvety and eroticism of the Feminine, form throughlines across The Doll’s Alphabet. I enjoyed most of the stories, only one or two not resonating with myself. Surprisingly, I enjoyed this more the Grudova’s novel I read earlier this year, Children of Paradise, which I rated three stars. I think, however, upon a reread I could now more fully appreciate the influences in her later work. My favourite stories were Waxy, Agata’s Machine, and The Mouse Queen.
isobelflindall's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
really weird /pos!!!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual assault