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3.19 AVERAGE
3.19 AVERAGE
absolutely love that each short story has chapters so it’s so readable. Forgot how much I love Lisa taddeo, how easy her writing is to read, how gripping it is right from the start urgh I love her. Worth noting there are TW of mentions of calories, rape, weight.
Going to rate each short story too…
Going to rate each short story too…
- Ghost Lover - really liked the character and the premise about sending your texts to an app to reply for you. A lot of talk about weight/calories and a TW of rape, but the story was so addictive, could have read a whole book on these characters. 5*.
- Forty-Two - another excellent short story I could have read a novel on, about an older woman in love with someone getting married, with perspectives from these two characters and the wife to be. Also loved the different ages different things happened to all the characters and the use of numbers in it, ahh I love Lisa Taddeo - another 5*.
- Beautiful People - felt like rid one had a different tone, it was funny writing. Loved the obsession of the main character with a coworker and how it unravelled it was quite creepy. The sex scenes were really well written and the character and her life just seemed so real. Take a wild guess, it’s going to be 5*.
- Padua, 1966 - an old dying lady talking about her crazy larger than life younger friend and her antics and how those antics shape her life, a shorter short story but enjoyed it and these women and their tales all just seem so real. This story had a twist that made my tummy go over and was also a really good analysis of motherhood from women that arguably made the wrong choices in life -5*.
- Grace Magorian - an older woman looking for a partner goes onto a new kind of dating website. Loved the style of writing and that it was a bit longer so you could read about the main character’s mum and how that shaped her opinions. Thought it was a bit too long, not my favourite but still exceptionally well written - 4*.
- Air Supply - a lady reminiscing on a wild Puerto Rico holiday with her best friend in the 90s. I love parties, I love wild drunk nights out and I love holidays so this was a win from me. A true story of friendship and nostalgia, I really loved it made me feel warm and fuzzy my favourite - 5*.
- Maid Marian - a story about a woman longing for her ex teacher for decades but instead being his friend. Enjoyed the flash backs more than the present. A little bit boring, too long and slow for a short story. well written but not my favourite, did enjoy the little twist on the last page though - 4.5*.
- American Girl - not as keen on this one, too many characters all front ready for a fundraiser very confusing I think because names weren’t used and everyone loved the same man. Not my fave but still well written, 4*.
- A Suburban Weekend - enjoyed this one a lot more, 27 yr old friends lounging by a pool at a country club. Mentions their family and upbringing, their rivalry even though they’re friends (ew), funny writing, felt a bit too long and didn’t like the jealousy between the girls, and also the outright depression was quite a lot tbh. Tiny heartwarming glimpse at the end before back to depressing - not a bad story to end with but not my fave- 4.5*.
Summary would be favourite Air Supply, least favourite American Girl. Incredible writing as always, I want a novel next, Lisa.
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
fast-paced
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug use, Suicidal thoughts, Death of parent
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Seemingly well written, though the genre/format was not one I particularly enjoyed.
challenging
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
a quote in the last story of the book summed it all up quite well: “dude. get real. every single chick cares more about hot guys than another woman’s pain.” taddeo manages to capture everything i hate about the rat race that is interacting with straight women in her characters. are they all vaguely the same? yes. do i feel like they accurately capture a typical cishet women’s view on their relationships? also yes. that being said, there could have been more diversity in the stories and i find her writing in this collection somewhat hard to follow at points.
challenging
dark
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
she’s a great writer, i’m just not a big short-story fanatic i guess
there’s only so many stories i can read about self-depreciating women over the age of 35 that are aware of but still fall victim to all ways the patriarchy influences us
there’s only so many stories i can read about self-depreciating women over the age of 35 that are aware of but still fall victim to all ways the patriarchy influences us
dark
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
reflective
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes