Reviews tagging 'Physical abuse'

And Her Smile Will Untether the Universe by Gwendolyn Kiste

2 reviews

vlrieg's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

3.5 stars. Some fun stories in here, but they all felt underdeveloped to me. Like, she's going for an ethereal, dreamlike sort of vibe but everything feels too literal for the mood to really take. It's hard to keep from comparing this collection of short stories to those by Samanta Schweblin and Silvina Ocampo, which maybe isn't fair since they're both GOAT in my book. I kept waiting for any one story to really grab my heart and give it a good yank, but none did. Some stories were fun, like "Something Borrowed, Something Blue" and "The Man in the Ambry", but by the end it felt like a lot of tropes were being heavily recycled. Also, I feel like it must be possible to write about abuse of women as a main theme without it becoming as gratuitous as some of these stories felt to me.
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curatoriallyyours's review against another edition

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dark mysterious reflective medium-paced
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

A macabre collection of tales, I was not expecting to enjoy something in the horror genre but I found myself enjoying it very much. Brooding and dark rather than scary and shocking, this book intersperses fantasy elements effortlessly. It also has a strong feminist undercurrent without being preachy. Recommended. 
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