Reviews

Mammoth by Eva Baltasar

buggirl48's review against another edition

5.0

first eva and i tore through it! such a unique, bold queer voice really havent read anything quite like it. very strange, very visceral, and very cathartic? will definitely be tapping into the backlist. also b2b fantastic julia sanches translations what a treat!

mollybs's review

dark emotional reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

4.0

ramreadsagain's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark reflective tense 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

4.25

My first Eva Baltasar and definitely not my last, thank you so much And Other Stories for sending me this! 

This was a short, intoxicating read about a young lesbian who flees the rotting zoo of modern life to eke out a simpler existence in the remote mountains, all the while desperate to get pregnant. As the title suggests, our protagonist slips easily into the primordial and often savage lifestyle as if she were made for it. I loved the writing style, straightforward but poetic at times, short sentences that make you speed across the page. I was desperate to keep reading about what happened to her. 

On the "gross" scale it's not quite Lapvona but definitely not for the fainthearted, as she deals with the realities of rural life in a brutal and matter of fact way. 

I did want a bit more from this book particularly towards the end. It felt like the book kept getting close to exploring the human-animal-nature relationship after stripping away modern life, but in the end left me feeling like there could have been a bit more substance here. 

Overall though I enjoyed this massively and can't wait to get to Eva's backlist. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death and Sexual content

Moderate: Pregnancy and Sexual violence

johnwwyatt's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

3.0

yaela_sans's review against another edition

reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

akilatalkutub's review

dark mysterious

• Plot- or character-driven? Character

5.0

Mammoth by Eva Baltasar as translated by Julia Sanches is a strange, quick read that absolutely drew me in. 

pau_coe's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

3.75

sulicia's review against another edition

dark emotional medium-paced

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

3.0

taradelbay's review

dark funny mysterious fast-paced

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

4.5

labyrinth_lit's review

adventurous emotional fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

4.0

I loved this book. My only quibble is that it was too short, as I wanted to see what happened next with the character. Original, interesting, and well-written.