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emmakowalski's review against another edition
4.0
this is what happens when people who grew up rich and abroad wrote Philippine setting; it's out of reach so white so not pinoy. it's lacking grit mapapasabi ka na lang talaga ng "anlayo mehn!"
wow a human right may have lacked noir but it's definitely a love story for me!
Why is broken glass even here?!
And I was planning to read the gun dealer's daughter after this but the unintended aspires to be many things and just fell flat #sad
I enjoyed reading the book because of the short story-format but the stories are not what I expected from the word noir
wow a human right may have lacked noir but it's definitely a love story for me!
Why is broken glass even here?!
And I was planning to read the gun dealer's daughter after this but the unintended aspires to be many things and just fell flat #sad
I enjoyed reading the book because of the short story-format but the stories are not what I expected from the word noir
lou_lelou's review against another edition
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.75
lmsmango's review against another edition
2.0
A collection with more misses than hits. Each of the stories are engaging in their own right, though fall short of actually articulating the brutality of the region. Only "A Human Right" and "The Professor's Wife" seem to establish—and execute—this atmosphere well. Majority of the stories hinge less on the power relations that propagate these conditions, framing the conflicts as individual character shortcomings—a fundamental flaw in a genre where setting and atmosphere should take precedence. Instead many of the stories rely, or even indulge, on brutalizing its characters as some form of narrative compensation.
At the very least, the stories stop short of being overtly cruel. There's that!
2.5/5
At the very least, the stories stop short of being overtly cruel. There's that!
2.5/5
arryiae's review against another edition
2.0
There were a few standouts but most of the stories were forgettable. The book delivered on transporting you to Manila through the lenses of the noir genre which I think was the point of the book. Maybe, it was just not my cup of tea.
heartrend's review
dark
fast-paced
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Hate crime, Transphobia, Physical abuse, and Violence
earldizon's review against another edition
3.0
Some familiar and new (to me) authors contributed to this anthology of short stories all taking place in sprawling Manila, Philippines. As the title also suggests, you do have to be a certain frame of mind to read the cynical rather bleak crime stories.
ephermeyal's review
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
earlapvaldez's review
5.0
What is it like to enter into the darkest alleys and corners of the Manila, the city of the great and the wretched alike?
This is the question that was answered by this book through a series of stories and fictional accounts of the life of Manila. And as a Manileno, I am glad that this collection of noir fiction has come up, which more or less reflect what it's like to see what has not been noticed: individual lives caught in tension with the big space where they belong, with the world that has been left unexploreed and yet contains more mysteries than we ever think it to be. Furthermore, what astounds me is that they do deliver snapshots that tell of the realities of this big city, one that perhaps demands a response for us, even to the level of listening and being aware of them.
This is a great book for one who does a "philosophy of the city" through the eyes of literary fiction, for it allows one to think along the fringes of outer and inner urban life, those which were left unnoticed and yet creates much impact and significance for the urbanite. This reminds us that Manila is not just about the jobs and the buildings of Makati, or of the businesses and schools along Quezon City. Rather, it is about the struggles of the poor and underprivileged, the persecuted, and the never-heard-of people who struggle to find life in the city, but rather finds something unexpectedly terrible and unfortunate.
Also, if a literature teacher can read this, I ask that you make this part of your required readings. All the stories here are nothing short of fantastic and can indeed provide the rather privileged with a glimpse of the city that they are not able to witness in their everyday life.
This is the question that was answered by this book through a series of stories and fictional accounts of the life of Manila. And as a Manileno, I am glad that this collection of noir fiction has come up, which more or less reflect what it's like to see what has not been noticed: individual lives caught in tension with the big space where they belong, with the world that has been left unexploreed and yet contains more mysteries than we ever think it to be. Furthermore, what astounds me is that they do deliver snapshots that tell of the realities of this big city, one that perhaps demands a response for us, even to the level of listening and being aware of them.
This is a great book for one who does a "philosophy of the city" through the eyes of literary fiction, for it allows one to think along the fringes of outer and inner urban life, those which were left unnoticed and yet creates much impact and significance for the urbanite. This reminds us that Manila is not just about the jobs and the buildings of Makati, or of the businesses and schools along Quezon City. Rather, it is about the struggles of the poor and underprivileged, the persecuted, and the never-heard-of people who struggle to find life in the city, but rather finds something unexpectedly terrible and unfortunate.
Also, if a literature teacher can read this, I ask that you make this part of your required readings. All the stories here are nothing short of fantastic and can indeed provide the rather privileged with a glimpse of the city that they are not able to witness in their everyday life.