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vermilionred's review
3.0
I liked this book. Interesting choice of narrator. I think that most authors would have chosen Chaz. I liked that the ending brought it back around to the Matchstick/Radium/lead workers/mines. When I first finished it, I thought that I wanted more of a HEA, but felt better. The way it handled her mother also felt very right.
Spoiler
giving her a job surrounding that insteadbriarfairchild's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
fast-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
5.0
rakoerose's review against another edition
4.0
A poet is in love with the world. She is like a virus born of love; she must travel to live, and her vehicle is poetry. Was it any wonder a poet is the preferred candidate for travel between the worlds?
Cooney weaves a fabulous web of intricate language and beautiful world building alongside an interesting set of characters. Desdemona’s growth over the period of this novella is joyous to observe and experience. LGBT+ representation in a natural way made my heart sing with happiness. The worlds of this story are fascinating and I’d be tempted to read a whole series of novellas on them with the same scope of fairy tales for an adult audience. Strong themes of reinventing yourself no matter what stage of life you’re in, of justice and art being stronger than the darkness of society and individuals, and of being true to your heart.
Overall, Cooney’s writing sucked me in and kept me happily engrossed for the duration of the story. It made me aware of the tiny, fantastical things in my own mundane life. Like the sound of wind in the trees and the feel of my hands on a brick wall. Desdemona and the Deep is beautiful fairy tale.
Cooney weaves a fabulous web of intricate language and beautiful world building alongside an interesting set of characters. Desdemona’s growth over the period of this novella is joyous to observe and experience. LGBT+ representation in a natural way made my heart sing with happiness. The worlds of this story are fascinating and I’d be tempted to read a whole series of novellas on them with the same scope of fairy tales for an adult audience. Strong themes of reinventing yourself no matter what stage of life you’re in, of justice and art being stronger than the darkness of society and individuals, and of being true to your heart.
Overall, Cooney’s writing sucked me in and kept me happily engrossed for the duration of the story. It made me aware of the tiny, fantastical things in my own mundane life. Like the sound of wind in the trees and the feel of my hands on a brick wall. Desdemona and the Deep is beautiful fairy tale.
mary_soon_lee's review against another edition
4.0
I'm becoming increasingly fond of novellas, and "Desdemona and the Deep" is an excellent example: long enough to tell a story rich in detail, feeling, and character, yet more singleminded than most novels, all the pieces important to the whole. It's a beautifully formed, beautifully told dark fantasy that opens in a world much like early 20th century high society, then descends to worlds beneath. It's one of the nominees for the 2020 World Fantasy Award, and deserving of that honor.
In an odd coincidence, I had recently begun reading Kate Moore's non-fiction account of women working with radium a century ago, so I was struck that "Desdemona and the Deep" begins with a fundraiser for women with phossy jaw -- radium-poisoning and phosphorus-poisoning being occupational hazards with similar devastating impact. The novella's central character, Desdemona, is appalled by the women suffering from phossy jaw, and that initial reaction is integral to what follows. Indeed, the story is structurally superb. Elements that are initially effective and affecting (the phossy jaw, aspects of Desdemona's best friend, Chaz) resurface later with added force.
The prose is lyrical, lustrous, and deploys words both commonplace and abstruse to splendid effect. I consulted the dictionary at least a dozen times, either to check words I half-knew or to learn ones I did not recognize at all. The characters match the story: a little flamboyant but bewitching. I especially liked Desdemona herself, her friend Chaz, and Farklewhit. Highly recommended.
About my reviews: I try to review every book I read, including those that I don't end up enjoying. The reviews are not scholarly, but just indicate my reaction as a reader, reading being my addiction. I am miserly with 5-star reviews; 4 stars means I liked a book very much; 3 stars means I liked it; 2 stars means I didn't like it (though often the 2-star books are very popular with other readers and/or are by authors whose other work I've loved).
In an odd coincidence, I had recently begun reading Kate Moore's non-fiction account of women working with radium a century ago, so I was struck that "Desdemona and the Deep" begins with a fundraiser for women with phossy jaw -- radium-poisoning and phosphorus-poisoning being occupational hazards with similar devastating impact. The novella's central character, Desdemona, is appalled by the women suffering from phossy jaw, and that initial reaction is integral to what follows. Indeed, the story is structurally superb. Elements that are initially effective and affecting (the phossy jaw, aspects of Desdemona's best friend, Chaz) resurface later with added force.
The prose is lyrical, lustrous, and deploys words both commonplace and abstruse to splendid effect. I consulted the dictionary at least a dozen times, either to check words I half-knew or to learn ones I did not recognize at all. The characters match the story: a little flamboyant but bewitching. I especially liked Desdemona herself, her friend Chaz, and Farklewhit. Highly recommended.
About my reviews: I try to review every book I read, including those that I don't end up enjoying. The reviews are not scholarly, but just indicate my reaction as a reader, reading being my addiction. I am miserly with 5-star reviews; 4 stars means I liked a book very much; 3 stars means I liked it; 2 stars means I didn't like it (though often the 2-star books are very popular with other readers and/or are by authors whose other work I've loved).
theinkdrinker's review
challenging
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- 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
rikerandom's review against another edition
3.0
CN: Misgendering, mentions of transmisic behaviour
Really torn on this one. Captivating as hell, but using ridiculously absurd vocabulary at times, making it annoying to read (might be because I’m not a native speaker though?) and I’m not sure how I feel about the misgendering in the beginning. Okay, I feel pretty damn uncomfortable about it. I get where it’s coming from but I’m cis, so even if this didn’t seem off to me, I couldn’t just say „yeah, it makes sense story wise, so it’s alright“.
Really torn on this one. Captivating as hell, but using ridiculously absurd vocabulary at times, making it annoying to read (might be because I’m not a native speaker though?) and I’m not sure how I feel about the misgendering in the beginning. Okay, I feel pretty damn uncomfortable about it. I get where it’s coming from but I’m cis, so even if this didn’t seem off to me, I couldn’t just say „yeah, it makes sense story wise, so it’s alright“.
ipaulsen's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
riotsquirrrl's review
3.0
Interesting premise. Felt rushed and incomplete, as I haven't read the previous books. Not really satisfying for me. I appreciate that the author covers the horrors of the Victorian/Edwardian era better than most who have similar fantasy-historical settings.
duzzle's review against another edition
4.0
A solid romp, likened to Jim Henson's 'Labyrinth' with its own self-contained lines of logic and lore. Some plot points seem a bit rushed, but overall these 200 pages add up to a whirlwind of a novella.