Scan barcode
sleepytiredgirl's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
3.75
vatodd's review
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
It is a snap shot novel. You are following a 20 something Paul through a year-ish of his life in the early to mid 90s. Not much plot mostly just listening to his internal narrative as he floats around. Enjoyable, easy read. Some of the queer cultural references went over my head but I don't think you need to be a queer music scholar to get the gist of those. For a young person who didn't live through this time I liked it as it wasn't wholly focused on the AIDS crisis but it is sprinkled in so it isn't an all consuming bummer but like I think a lot of queer media set in that time can be. It felt very realistic to a 20 something coming of an age story without it being too "a very special episode" cheesy except for the end. I think honestly the last page felt very out of place in my opinion but overall very good. One of my first magical realism books and was fun. It doesn't dive deep into his powers which makes sense as it's not a fantasy element but a metaphor so if you are hoping to dive deep into that aspect of the plot sorry it doesn't really go anywhere.
lolmellor_'s review against another edition
adventurous
inspiring
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
howdyhoward's review
Put it down a few days ago and don't feel like picking it back up
maisierp_'s review against another edition
hopeful
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- 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
3.5
scully362's review
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
luhos's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
I really wanted to like this but in the end, I didn't.
In Paul Takes the Form of a Mortal Girl we follow Paul who has the ability to change his body at will. Paul is finding himself and a bit of a mess, and we follow him as he moves between cities and between lovers.
I felt like so many characters were unresolved, including Paul. The beginning two thirds especially felt incredibly fragmented and the whole thing felt burdened by queer cultural references. I did enjoy the latter third of the book a bit more, but still, it seemed to go on a bit much with not a lot of plot or character development.
Paul's shapeshifting quality felt almost pointless to me - I ask myself, would this book be any/much different without that? and I think that no, it wouldn't. I was excited by the premise but ultimately disappointed by the execution.
And one more thing that grinded my gears with this one - why the hell are the chapters so disparate in length? The penultimate chapter is 10 pages, and the final chapter is almost half the book. This is so inconsequential but it still really annoyed me, especially because I don't like to break in the middle of a chapter.
In Paul Takes the Form of a Mortal Girl we follow Paul who has the ability to change his body at will. Paul is finding himself and a bit of a mess, and we follow him as he moves between cities and between lovers.
I felt like so many characters were unresolved, including Paul. The beginning two thirds especially felt incredibly fragmented and the whole thing felt burdened by queer cultural references. I did enjoy the latter third of the book a bit more, but still, it seemed to go on a bit much with not a lot of plot or character development.
Paul's shapeshifting quality felt almost pointless to me - I ask myself, would this book be any/much different without that? and I think that no, it wouldn't. I was excited by the premise but ultimately disappointed by the execution.
And one more thing that grinded my gears with this one - why the hell are the chapters so disparate in length? The penultimate chapter is 10 pages, and the final chapter is almost half the book. This is so inconsequential but it still really annoyed me, especially because I don't like to break in the middle of a chapter.
anneisontime's review against another edition
adventurous
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
4.5
kpur's review against another edition
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- 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