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3.61 AVERAGE
3.61 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
The first half was fun and wild. The second half tried too hard to be intellectual imo so it lost me. Easy, mostly fun read. Definitely a book for moms.
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I get why this book was doing but it wasn’t for me. I hated everything about it
challenging
dark
fast-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
dark
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
credo di non averlo capito appieno questo libro che sapevo non sarebbe stato del tutto nelle mie corde
sicuramente non avrei previsto il finale e sicuramente ogni singola parola trasuda “female rage”
lodevole la scelta narrativa: ognuna di noi potrebbe perfettamente identificarsi in bestia di notte
sicuramente non avrei previsto il finale e sicuramente ogni singola parola trasuda “female rage”
lodevole la scelta narrativa: ognuna di noi potrebbe perfettamente identificarsi in bestia di notte
challenging
dark
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This is one of the hardest books for me to review! I started off entranced by the writing and found it to be hilarious in the wry kind of way that I adore, then I got bored by the plot of motherhood tribulations as I prefer escapism in my reading... but the ending was a glorious slam dunk (for me). And overall, I truly loved the magical realism style that brought forth the perfect metaphor for motherhood: feral feminine rage.
The last few pages were brilliant and literally spelled out the point of the book, so I do find it fascinating that people don't "get it." I did notice a whole bunch of people DNF this as it's stylistically quite a departure from the everyday top hits reading lists. Maybe not enough people get to the end where the author explains that the image of motherhood has been sterilized and she wanted to explore the feral and beastly nature it truly entails beginning at birth.
But, to be honest, it took me a long time to read this as I found it hard to get lost in the story due to being a mother of a young child myself and truly wanting escapism in my reading. It turned out for me that even a transformation into a wild dog-beast wasn't fantastical enough to pull me in. I agree that being a mother is tiring, tedious, and filled with a lot of little deaths (metaphors for previous life), while simultaneously the best feeling in the world. But for me, I found enough echochambers to bask in before I read this, that this book didn't hit as hard as I thought it would. I feel like I've processed so much of these feelings already, and perhaps if I read it a bit earlier in my journey, it would have kept me entertained more.
What I did love was the Jens, absolutely perfect and hilarious. And the way that author captured weaponized incompetence, but also crafted the husband to be willing to help when explicitly asked and overall a pillar of support for Nitchbitch in the end, much to the frustration of the main character. That whole dynamic was a great capture.
I also read many reviews that highlighted the animal cruelty, and while I get that it's uncomfortable, I do think that was explicitly the point as stated in the book. Giving birth is indeed disgusting when spelled out exactly what happens. I also think the cat scene needed to be as difficult as it was to really hone in on the effect of bringing a child into your life and the overwhelming feeling of one's previous obligations/expectations. It's a metaphor, and the frustrations are accurate.
In the end, I'm left feeling happy that I read this and also want to read more books that have a different style of prose. I didn't even notice there were no quotations for dialouge, and it didn't bother me one bit.
Writing Style: 5/5
Plot: 2/5
Ending: 10/5
The last few pages were brilliant and literally spelled out the point of the book, so I do find it fascinating that people don't "get it." I did notice a whole bunch of people DNF this as it's stylistically quite a departure from the everyday top hits reading lists. Maybe not enough people get to the end where the author explains that the image of motherhood has been sterilized and she wanted to explore the feral and beastly nature it truly entails beginning at birth.
But, to be honest, it took me a long time to read this as I found it hard to get lost in the story due to being a mother of a young child myself and truly wanting escapism in my reading. It turned out for me that even a transformation into a wild dog-beast wasn't fantastical enough to pull me in. I agree that being a mother is tiring, tedious, and filled with a lot of little deaths (metaphors for previous life), while simultaneously the best feeling in the world. But for me, I found enough echochambers to bask in before I read this, that this book didn't hit as hard as I thought it would. I feel like I've processed so much of these feelings already, and perhaps if I read it a bit earlier in my journey, it would have kept me entertained more.
What I did love was the Jens, absolutely perfect and hilarious. And the way that author captured weaponized incompetence, but also crafted the husband to be willing to help when explicitly asked and overall a pillar of support for Nitchbitch in the end, much to the frustration of the main character. That whole dynamic was a great capture.
I also read many reviews that highlighted the animal cruelty, and while I get that it's uncomfortable, I do think that was explicitly the point as stated in the book. Giving birth is indeed disgusting when spelled out exactly what happens. I also think the cat scene needed to be as difficult as it was to really hone in on the effect of bringing a child into your life and the overwhelming feeling of one's previous obligations/expectations. It's a metaphor, and the frustrations are accurate.
In the end, I'm left feeling happy that I read this and also want to read more books that have a different style of prose. I didn't even notice there were no quotations for dialouge, and it didn't bother me one bit.
Writing Style: 5/5
Plot: 2/5
Ending: 10/5
It started out a little weird and it got weirder but for some reason I enjoyed it anyway.
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
fast-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
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
some passages about partnerhood and motherhood were interesting but never deepened, although you could feel her pain because reading the same passages over and over again felt equally painful
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
inspiring
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The best depiction of the darkness and madness of early motherhood, especially when you have sacrificed a therapeutic creativity and sense of self that was essential to your old self. Relatable, if exaggerated for a magical realism element. Women Who Run with the Wolves but instead become them.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Mental illness, Blood