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3.47 AVERAGE
3.47 AVERAGE
hopeful
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
funny
mysterious
challenging
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Gosh - I raced through this in a day and can’t even tell you why- maybe it was the unusual setting and the narrative arc of female agency but I found this gripping. I thought the character of Mrs Gulliver as narrator was interesting and the journey she also goes on in exploring her role as brothel madam and whether she was truly a friend to Carita interesting to read. As a whole an interesting exploration of who is really exploiting who and the complex power dynamics at play in a society where the poorest often have few cards to play.
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Mrs. Gulliver by Valerie Martin features an independent blind woman who maintains her agency and turns to sex work for financial stability. While the book offers a brief meditation on sex work and highlights the infantilization of disabled people—likely an intentional choice by the author—the characters’ decisions didn’t always feel authentic to me. Additionally, the characters lacked depth, making it harder to connect with their motivations and choices.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Ableism, Infidelity, Sexual violence, Violence
Minor: Sexual content
Yay! Fab, quick, interesting, all the good things.
This book was so comically bad, I almost couldn’t wait to write the review. I knew it would prove to be a dud, based on the GoodReads reviews, but I hoped the plot, which seemed an intriguing premise, would drive the novel. But goodness, am I stunned this book got published! It seems deeply indulgent on the part of the editors and the publishing house; it’s as if they thought, here’s an older author with a modest following and career, let’s just throw her a bone, give her a pat on the back. But it’s astonishing that this could get published over other work! The characters are shallow and unlikeable, without even a trace of nuance or actual humanity. There is zero craft to the writing, and it reads like someone who is just learning the very basic elements of storytelling. At best, it’s boring, and at worst, it’s nonsensical and offensive.
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
hopeful
fast-paced