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3.85 AVERAGE
3.85 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The themes were good but I didn't really like the execution in any of the stories so far. Also, I've just read She's Always Hungry by Eliza Clark and The Locked Tomb series by Tamsyn Muir, so maybe it just had a tough act to follow.
An engaging and evocative read, Machado’s imagination (and re imagination) in this collection of short stories is nothing short of a work of art.
With dystopian and queer themes, her authorial voice guides through tragic and surreal stories in a compassionate and intimate way. She develops an understanding with the reader, demanding sympathy for the real world tragedies reflected in this speculative fiction piece.
I have to say I absolutely loved Inventory, reminded me a lot of TLOU. And of course the Husband Stitch is a magnificent and haunting retelling that is just so beautifully done.
I would give it a 4.5 but it deserves to be rounded up. I feel like there’s still so much more for me to unpack in this book, I can’t wait to revisit it.
With dystopian and queer themes, her authorial voice guides through tragic and surreal stories in a compassionate and intimate way. She develops an understanding with the reader, demanding sympathy for the real world tragedies reflected in this speculative fiction piece.
I have to say I absolutely loved Inventory, reminded me a lot of TLOU. And of course the Husband Stitch is a magnificent and haunting retelling that is just so beautifully done.
I would give it a 4.5 but it deserves to be rounded up. I feel like there’s still so much more for me to unpack in this book, I can’t wait to revisit it.
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
I was debating whether or not this one was a five, but it's definitely contributed to my list of favorite of favorite short stories, so I decided it earned a five. My only source of hesitation was that Especially Heinous dragged for a bit at the beginning, but somehow this story about a show I've never watched (maybe 1 or 2 episodes) had me hooked by the end to see how she would end it.
I loved the writing, artful and sensual and eerie. Each of these stories has a well-crafted metaphor behind them, and while it wasn't obvious I also felt like she crafted them in a way where I could guess at the meaning with some confidence. I really liked the way these stories entertained but also made me think. They all felt really powerful. I love a good horror, and the horror in these books creeps in like a fog. I always connected with the narrators and felt for them. They're distinct but also pretty similar. The themes connected but never felt repetitive.
I will definitely be reading more by Machado, as this was my first and certainly won't be my last.
I loved the writing, artful and sensual and eerie. Each of these stories has a well-crafted metaphor behind them, and while it wasn't obvious I also felt like she crafted them in a way where I could guess at the meaning with some confidence. I really liked the way these stories entertained but also made me think. They all felt really powerful. I love a good horror, and the horror in these books creeps in like a fog. I always connected with the narrators and felt for them. They're distinct but also pretty similar. The themes connected but never felt repetitive.
I will definitely be reading more by Machado, as this was my first and certainly won't be my last.
Maybe like a 2.5? Honestly pretty disappointed that I didn’t enjoy this as much as I expected. I really loved Machado’s “In the Dream House,” which I think is a much more polished and elevated version of the writing she was striving for in these stories. It was definitely interesting to read some of the stories with the context of Machado’s personal history from “In the Dream House,” but yeah, a lot of these fell flat and were confusing and hard to follow and filled with overused and overdone tropes that Machado did not bring enough nuance or new life into to really feel captivating and interesting.
These short stories were very thought provoking. It made me dig deep about the violence on women and our bodies.
I absolutely LOVED The Husband Stitch. The Green Ribbon story is a classic and I love this retelling.
Real Women Have Bodies and Eight Bites were so interesting. I love the inclusion of sci-fi while also confronting the societal expectations that are thrust upon us.
I honestly didn’t jive with Mothers or Especially Heinous. I just don’t understand them, but I’ll try to come back and reread them in the future to get a different perspective.
I honestly had no idea what to expect when I started this. Definitely surprising, kind of different. i did enjoy it though so i see that as a win.
I've seen several reviews say something along the lines of they didn't understand some of the stories, or they aren't clever enough to comprehend the metaphors throughout this book. And it's like, at what point do we just admit that it's not a good book?
These stories paint a very depressing and disturbing picture of womanhood. I'm not interested in reading all of them.
These stories paint a very depressing and disturbing picture of womanhood. I'm not interested in reading all of them.