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Reviews tagging 'Body horror'

O corpo dela e outras partes by Carmen Maria Machado

190 reviews

challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

The Husband Stitch: 3.5/5. Well-written, but I don't think this should have been the first story in the collection - as a retelling, I knew the ending before it arrived, and the whole thing read a little like it was made to be dissected in an advanced creative writing class.

Inventory: 5/5. This story genuinely terrified me, and I didn't previously think I could be scared of a horror story in the same way films sometimes scare me. 

Mothers: 4/5. While it didn't grip me in the same way as Inventory, I still really liked this story, especially considering how short it was.

Especially Heinous: 100000000/5. I can't say anything in a review because all of it would be spoilers but it was SO GOOD and I stared at the wall for a good hour after reading it.

Real Women Have Bodies: 3.5/5, another one where the point felt a bit laboured and took away from the horror slightly, but the characters were interesting and the premise unique.

Eight Bites: 3/5. After so many incredible stories, this one was quite underwhelming, and I wasn't quite sure what the ending was saying. Most of this story read just like a magazine article about weight loss.

The Resident: 2/5, I didn't get along with this one, it felt like it was trying too hard and was too long.

Difficult at Parties: 5/5. The girls who get it get it.

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
dark emotional slow-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

Alas... Her Body and Other Parties felt sophomoric and contrived. Machado's technical skills far surpass her conceptual premises here. It's interesting to compare these stories to In the Dream House, though.

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
dark emotional mysterious 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

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
challenging dark emotional mysterious medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Yes

there were lines in this that felt like they were scooped right from my insides 

I love Carmen’s writing - she writes about the horror of existing as a woman like no other writer I’ve encountered

a lot of people hate the SVU story but I quite enjoyed it. favourites we’re ‘the husband stitch’, ‘real women have bodies’ and ‘inventory’


Expand filter menu Content Warnings
dark mysterious medium-paced
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
dark mysterious reflective medium-paced

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
challenging dark reflective medium-paced

insane women my beloved <3

on a more. serious note, i loved the way this book was written. although it's not really 'light' reading; i want to go back and analyse every single story down to the barest bones of its meaning because i do not felt like i understood it enough the first time around to do machado's writing justice

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

Expand filter menu Content Warnings