Reviews tagging 'Vomit'

Cursed Bread by Sophie Mackintosh

5 reviews

laurahartfield's review against another edition

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dark mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

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mstall_'s review against another edition

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dark mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

This might be my FAVORITE book of 2024 and we're only 3 weeks in. A lot of other reviews state that this book was "vibes only" with no plot, and like if you can't appreciate good literature just say so. Cursed Bread is a story of a woman sick with desire who wants to consume a beautiful newcomer and her husband who just settled in their small French village a few years post WW2. 

This story was inspired by a true series of events, and Sophie does a magical job of making you feel like you're reading personal accounts from those days. Writing in first person usually reads as lazy and sloppy to me. It's very rare that first person narrative is done truly well, and Cursed Bread is that exception. You feel like you are reading the personal journal of a woman going slowly mad with boredom, lust, jealousy, and disgust. I highly, highly recommend. I will be thinking about this book for years. 
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capacitorofflux's review against another edition

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dark mysterious 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? It's complicated

3.5

The character of Violet reminded me a lot of Indigo from “The Last Tale of The Flower Bride” which reads similarly to this. Despite being a short book, most of the first half or even the first 2/3 seems unnecessary.

A chilling, mad tale based on a real life event.
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erisouls's review against another edition

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dark mysterious reflective sad medium-paced
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

If you enjoyed reading Bitter Orange you will enjoy this book. It felt strangely similar at times. I liked it enough to read it all in one sitting but I wouldn’t pick it up again, nor do I think I would tell anyone else to read it. 

I was incredibly disappointed that Violet and Élodie never hooked up. I realize that thematically, the ending made sense, however I was crushed hearing how cruel they were to her. Perhaps I am the gullible one for thinking they were ever interested.
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bronzeageholly's review against another edition

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

3.0

There were incredibly sculpted moments in this book, but the majority of the pacing was not for me. Despite the short length, I found it difficult to keep going and often had to convince myself to come back to it with the thought that there might be another brilliantly written section coming up. I saw it described as a “fever” and I think that fits it perfectly - the highs and lows of temperature. 

I would recommend this book to anyone who likes beautifully crafted characters who it’s hard to wholly like or hate. 

The main character experiences a lot of obsessive thoughts around sex, bodies, eating, and violence, and I would not recommend this book to anyone who might find this triggering.
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