Reviews

Garden of Earthly Bodies by Sally Oliver

tdecastro's review

dark emotional mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I had HIGH hopes for this book and genuinely was excited to read it. It took me months to finish it since it was getting more into her day to day life rather than the actual issue itself. I wished that there was a lot more explanation on Nede and the whole process of it rather than having only a few pages of explanation. Also what happened to Ethan??? Need to know. 

readwithanna's review against another edition

didn't care for the writing style or the audio narrator. 

frankiexcx's review

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

1.0

krcatcher's review

challenging dark emotional informative mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

bisexualbookshelf's review

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

sophiamattes's review

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.75

laurenbookwitchbitch's review

3.0

I was lucky to get an ARC of this book through my local bookstore. “A Garden of Earthly Bodies,” - Sally Oliver (coming out June 2022), is a dark twisted, medical/eco suspense tale of mystery and suspicion. It begins with Marianne finding a growth of thick black hair along her spine. She tried to cut it out, pull it out, but no avail. When her doctor recommends her to a modern rehabilitation center called Nede, Marianne is hesitant, but finally accepts the offer. The longer she stays there however she finds it is much darker, more deadly and sinister then she could have imagined. What started as seemingly benign hairs turn out just be the tip of the iceberg as she is confronted with her repressed trauma and memories she thought she could never recall. This is a dense read, one teeming with psychological deterioration, cycles of pain and grief about how the most haunting of ghosts aren’t far away phantoms…but our own minds and bodies.

literaryjunarin's review

dark sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

melc's review against another edition

3.0

This was a mixed up read. At times, very lyrical, this literary horror has depth and ambition.

The commentary on health, our relationship with our bodies, and the complications of interaction with the medical profession was thought-provoking and insightful.

The family relationships were drawn in a profound and unsettling way challenging the reader to examine the good and bad in our individual and family lives.

But I couldn't quite complete my journey wholeheartedly on board with this book. The horror and magical realism didn't get fully shaped enough and I felt a lot of the themes and imagery were shoe-horned into the novel.

This was definitely interesting and compelling and will stay with me, but didn't quite ever reach a conclusion that grounded all the muddle of themes.

With thanks to NetGalley and OneWorld for this digital ARC in exchange for this honest review.

strawberrybookess's review

3.0

I really don't know how to feel about this... LOL