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andintothetrees's review against another edition
4.0
I’ve been a fan of Maranda’s zine, Telegram, for a number of years now (and earlier this year reviewed its anthology) so when I heard they had a novel out I couldn’t wait to read it. Ragdoll House is that novel, and it didn’t disappoint.
Set in a small town somewhere in Canada (a country I know woefully little about, and what I do know of I owe mostly to writers like Maranda, and, of course, Margaret Atwood), Ragdoll House charts a year-or-so in the life of Ruby, a young woman who opts not to take the well-trodden paths of going to college and/or running away to the nearest city but instead to stay in her retail job and move into a flatshare with Maria, a woman who becomes her best friend. Ruby and Maria were my favourite things about this book – in fact, I wish they were real so that I could write Ruby a letter or maybe even travel to Canada and have a coffee date with both of them (I can dream, right?). Ruby is introverted and readerly with a fondness for typewriters, notebooks and (at least in the earlier parts of the novel) occasional drunken oblivion. I liked that although Ruby was shy and bookworm-y she still had a darker, wilder side – too often quieter characters are assumed to have calm, even boring, emotional lives, and Ruby proved this isn’t necessarily the case. Maria has lived in their flat (the Ragdoll House of the novel’s title) for several years with a variety of different flatmates and is a more extroverted character, who loves to cook soup, sew clothes and look after others. Maria presents herself as strong and wise (and she is), but sometimes this means she is reluctant to ask for support when she needs it. I could relate to both girls and it was refreshing to see people who were (at least) a little weird, and non-mainstream, represented in a novel.
Read my full review here, on my book blog.
Set in a small town somewhere in Canada (a country I know woefully little about, and what I do know of I owe mostly to writers like Maranda, and, of course, Margaret Atwood), Ragdoll House charts a year-or-so in the life of Ruby, a young woman who opts not to take the well-trodden paths of going to college and/or running away to the nearest city but instead to stay in her retail job and move into a flatshare with Maria, a woman who becomes her best friend. Ruby and Maria were my favourite things about this book – in fact, I wish they were real so that I could write Ruby a letter or maybe even travel to Canada and have a coffee date with both of them (I can dream, right?). Ruby is introverted and readerly with a fondness for typewriters, notebooks and (at least in the earlier parts of the novel) occasional drunken oblivion. I liked that although Ruby was shy and bookworm-y she still had a darker, wilder side – too often quieter characters are assumed to have calm, even boring, emotional lives, and Ruby proved this isn’t necessarily the case. Maria has lived in their flat (the Ragdoll House of the novel’s title) for several years with a variety of different flatmates and is a more extroverted character, who loves to cook soup, sew clothes and look after others. Maria presents herself as strong and wise (and she is), but sometimes this means she is reluctant to ask for support when she needs it. I could relate to both girls and it was refreshing to see people who were (at least) a little weird, and non-mainstream, represented in a novel.
Read my full review here, on my book blog.
buntatamilis's review against another edition
5.0
Read this in a day because I couldn't put it down. Loved the characters, pulled into their messy (realistic!) lives and I needed to know what happened to them. Usually when I read a book so quickly, I feel this sense of being let down, like the story didn't provide enough closure. This one did. While I'm still wondering how Ruby is and if Maria is still where we left her (and everyone else I met along the way), I feel good knowing that I had enough of a peek into their lives to feel satisfied.
This is one of those books I wish I had when I was younger and a depressed little punk teen living in the country and didn't know what queer was or that I was it. Even as a 30-something, I still loved it and read it feeling recognition in these characters. Maranda's writing is brilliant, evocative, and accessible, a testament to their talent. Would recommend for all young rural punks.
This is one of those books I wish I had when I was younger and a depressed little punk teen living in the country and didn't know what queer was or that I was it. Even as a 30-something, I still loved it and read it feeling recognition in these characters. Maranda's writing is brilliant, evocative, and accessible, a testament to their talent. Would recommend for all young rural punks.
actualspinster's review
3.0
there is this one part where there is a little femmephobia? and idk i think i wanted it to b queerer tbh but i also would actually give this like 3 and a half stars? and some of it was lovely & relatable and i love maria because she is great and also cos i am her lol
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