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3.19 AVERAGE
3.19 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
funny
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Started strong but quickly became exhausting. The writing is fast and punchy and visual and often excellent. But the stories all blend together and it becomes a slog of self-hating women with similar issues and backgrounds and I struggled to finish it.
Some really great cutting writing in parts but this is nine stories about women who hate other women (and themselves) and it just became too predictable and bleak for me
I really appreciate Taddeo's voice and her unflinching gaze at the less-than-flattering thoughts women have. She feels like a sexier Ottessa Moshfegh with her unlikeable female characters behaving badly. Taddeo is also great at disconcerting, bizarre comparisons that are visceral, often unsexy. All of these stories delivered on the above, but because they were all variations of that same theme, they became a little monotonous.
Cancer, dead fathers, sexual abuse, Italian heritage, fixation on youth, financial stability/instability, and unattainable male love interests appear throughout. The women pit themselves against each other for the men they desire, a desire that consumes and fuels them. My favorite story might have been "Air Supply" because of the focus on female friendship. Competition and judgment of the female friend, yes, but also a solidarity and deep understanding of each other.
Cancer, dead fathers, sexual abuse, Italian heritage, fixation on youth, financial stability/instability, and unattainable male love interests appear throughout. The women pit themselves against each other for the men they desire, a desire that consumes and fuels them. My favorite story might have been "Air Supply" because of the focus on female friendship. Competition and judgment of the female friend, yes, but also a solidarity and deep understanding of each other.
dark
reflective
sad
medium-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
a mixed bag!!! some high highs and low lows across these essays, but will def be peeping some other taddeo works
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
N/A
3.5/5 I adore Taddeo. Solid collection of stories but this was my least favorite book by her. Themes felt a bit repetitive and stories started to blur for me. But overall powerful, captivating, and honest as ever. Can’t wait for more from her <3
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I think "truthful" and "hateful" have gotten mixed up in these stories. Maybe they are more interesting sprinkled among the magazines they were first published, but as a collection I found them overbearing, depressing, and one note. While the prose are good and Taddeo uses many off the wall metaphors that are quite grabbing, the only story I actually liked was Maid Marian.