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3.85 AVERAGE
3.85 AVERAGE
I had to take a break from this book, not having anything to do with the book though. Finally was able to finish it and I just loved it! It was weird and funky and queer and cultural. I wish I was in a book club to discuss some of the finer points of her stories! There were some that I was just like ??? when they ended!
Some of the short stories in this collection really worked for me and some of the others didn't. I loved inventory and the husband stitch the most, they were so surreal but gripping. Some of the others I really liked but didn't quite feel the same attachment too, mostly I think do to the pacing for me. Overall very strong and I can see the why it is so well loved.
Book club passed and I didn;t feel like being unsettled anymore.
I realize the world will continue to turn, even with no people in it. Maybe it will go a little faster.
Yeah... I don't know about this one. I really loved In the Dream House, so I had my expectations set very high. Unfortunately, this book did not meet those expectations.
It started off very strong with "The Husband Stitch", which was one of my favorites from the book. The main woman in the story has a green ribbon tied around her neck which illustrates the possessiveness men feel towards women's bodies. Loved the writing in this one, and I generally enjoyed Machado's writing in this book, but some stories just weren’t it for me.
"Inventory" is a list of a woman's sexual encounters while also there is a deadly pandemic that happens later in her life? I didn’t really get this one. I like the more blunt way Machado writes about sex, but at the same time it can feel like the characters are extremely detached from their sex lives, which I'm not sure is a good thing.
I didn't really get anything out of "Mother's", granted a lot of these are ones to be re-read later but I still didn’t understand it lol.
"Especially Heinous" was definitely heinous, but that's because of its length. It is SIXTY pages of Law and Order: SVU. It was a re-writing of the plots of the episodes, and it made 0 sense to me. I for sure do not want to re-read this story. Ever. It was so boring and tedious, and none of it made any sense.
"Real Women Have Bodies" is another must re-read for me, for I really couldn’t grasp it at all.
"Eight Bites" is another favorite. I love how Machado writes about body image and the lengths women feel they have to go to in order to look a certain way. And, how it ultimately will affect the people around you; the people you love especially.
"The Resident" was quite abstract but interesting for sure. A writer's life just unravels on a retreat she goes on. I didn't get it really, but it was still an engaging read.
"Difficult at Parties" is a woman coping with her SA by watching porn. She can hear the thoughts of the actors is the porn. Weird concept but interesting way of writing about SA.
Overall, some hits, misses, and one major boo. I love Machado's imaginative writing, and the topics included in this book, but some of the stories fell flat and for that it's just a solid 3 stars. Liked it, but didn't love it.
Yeah... I don't know about this one. I really loved In the Dream House, so I had my expectations set very high. Unfortunately, this book did not meet those expectations.
It started off very strong with "The Husband Stitch", which was one of my favorites from the book. The main woman in the story has a green ribbon tied around her neck which illustrates the possessiveness men feel towards women's bodies. Loved the writing in this one, and I generally enjoyed Machado's writing in this book, but some stories just weren’t it for me.
"Inventory" is a list of a woman's sexual encounters while also there is a deadly pandemic that happens later in her life? I didn’t really get this one. I like the more blunt way Machado writes about sex, but at the same time it can feel like the characters are extremely detached from their sex lives, which I'm not sure is a good thing.
I didn't really get anything out of "Mother's", granted a lot of these are ones to be re-read later but I still didn’t understand it lol.
"Especially Heinous" was definitely heinous, but that's because of its length. It is SIXTY pages of Law and Order: SVU. It was a re-writing of the plots of the episodes, and it made 0 sense to me. I for sure do not want to re-read this story. Ever. It was so boring and tedious, and none of it made any sense.
"Real Women Have Bodies" is another must re-read for me, for I really couldn’t grasp it at all.
"Eight Bites" is another favorite. I love how Machado writes about body image and the lengths women feel they have to go to in order to look a certain way. And, how it ultimately will affect the people around you; the people you love especially.
"The Resident" was quite abstract but interesting for sure. A writer's life just unravels on a retreat she goes on. I didn't get it really, but it was still an engaging read.
"Difficult at Parties" is a woman coping with her SA by watching porn. She can hear the thoughts of the actors is the porn. Weird concept but interesting way of writing about SA.
Overall, some hits, misses, and one major boo. I love Machado's imaginative writing, and the topics included in this book, but some of the stories fell flat and for that it's just a solid 3 stars. Liked it, but didn't love it.
This was fine. The one about law and order was boring and so long. I liked “The Husband Stitch.” I liked the one about the virus. Overall, nowhere near as good as In the Dream House, which was a masterpiece.
challenging
dark
emotional
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
I just didn’t finish the last story. It was a very long story and I had no motivation to finish it bc I’m pretty sure the first story is the only one that landed for me. If the last story is anything like “especially heinous” then I know I won’t enjoy it.
i need to sit with this one again. so imaginative, so necessary. 'especially heinous' certainly stood out for its formal risks & the way it critiques/examines how victims of sexual violence are treated in the show (& often, in the real world). i loved how they were not just photos on a corkboard but instead given presence, haunting the narrative til the final word.
also loooved 'the resident' & the way it explores identify–how do you reconcile past, present? how do you call it your own?
also loooved 'the resident' & the way it explores identify–how do you reconcile past, present? how do you call it your own?