Scan barcode
shimmery's review against another edition
4.0
Cursed Bread takes the mass poisoning of the French town of Pont-Saint-Esprit in 1951 and imagines the lives of the townspeople in the lead up.
Like all Mackintosh’s writing, the prose is faultless, the story embellished with beautiful and original detail.
Although I have read all 3 of her books and rated them each 4 stars, every time being greatly impressed by her writing style, I’m not sure what it is that makes her books to me ultimately a little forgettable or blurring into one another. I think the author’s strength is in writing about desire, painting internal portraits of suppressed women. This is all consuming in its power, ultimately taking over and eating away at any plot. It’s not necessarily a bad thing, and I admire her ability to capture desire on the page in the way she does, but I guess maybe books stay with me more when they go beyond the body. Not sure, will anyway continue to read whatever she writes next.
Like all Mackintosh’s writing, the prose is faultless, the story embellished with beautiful and original detail.
Although I have read all 3 of her books and rated them each 4 stars, every time being greatly impressed by her writing style, I’m not sure what it is that makes her books to me ultimately a little forgettable or blurring into one another. I think the author’s strength is in writing about desire, painting internal portraits of suppressed women. This is all consuming in its power, ultimately taking over and eating away at any plot. It’s not necessarily a bad thing, and I admire her ability to capture desire on the page in the way she does, but I guess maybe books stay with me more when they go beyond the body. Not sure, will anyway continue to read whatever she writes next.
jessmegan's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
fr444n's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
3.75
marbo's review against another edition
1.0
compelling towards the end I suppose? this was just… not good I’m sorry. It was really cheesy, laughable and juvenile, intensely boring and heavy handed. An attempt at an unreliable narrator but fails to create satisfying composition between her characters - everything is ugly and cruel in a way that leaves no space for real feeling or juxtaposition. Pale Fire if it was bad. I think I am just tired of reading the same book over and over again. would not recommend
sarahvictorialittle's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Some seriously stunning prose. A very unreliable narrator but her characterisation is masterful, she represents those of us who are always within things, watching and listening, but also completely outside of it all. Somewhat slow at the beginning, but it was all foreshadowing and building to the climax, and everything was paid off when the horrors of her story became clear. A terrible terrible book, in the best possible way.
sophiebec's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
slow-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
3.5
coffeebeanbookshelf's review
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-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
2.0
(may book club pick)
quite possibly the worst book i've ever read, i do feel somewhat bad by saying this as objectively, the way it's written has some lovely, evocative prose (hence the 2 stars and not just one) but good lord this book was just not for me, i found it entirely too confusing, the pacing was way off the mark (dragging so slowly and then completely rushing through the end) and i felt like none of the characters were particularly memorable nor likeable (although i realise that they're probably not supposed to be). for me it reads like one fucked up fever dream and that is probably intentional but i just didn't enjoy it in the slightest - if this wasn't for my book club i would've dnfed it around 30 pages in no discredit to the author though, i'm just definitely not the intended audience for a book like this.
quite possibly the worst book i've ever read, i do feel somewhat bad by saying this as objectively, the way it's written has some lovely, evocative prose (hence the 2 stars and not just one) but good lord this book was just not for me, i found it entirely too confusing, the pacing was way off the mark (dragging so slowly and then completely rushing through the end) and i felt like none of the characters were particularly memorable nor likeable (although i realise that they're probably not supposed to be). for me it reads like one fucked up fever dream and that is probably intentional but i just didn't enjoy it in the slightest - if this wasn't for my book club i would've dnfed it around 30 pages in no discredit to the author though, i'm just definitely not the intended audience for a book like this.
hannah_arr's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
two self-indulgent, repressed, and enraged women flirt amidst a mass poisoning.
gabie_east's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
i really enjoyed all aspects of this book - the eroticism and sexuality of the relationships between the characters, the mystery combined with the ellusive Violet character, which links to the 'mad woman/witch' stereotype which this book plays on, the small-town french setting which felt very atmospheric, the build up to the climax and the fall out from it.
i couldnt help but talk about this book after reading it, as well as researching the town it is based upon, and i feel like ill be thinking about it and recommending it for a while
i couldnt help but talk about this book after reading it, as well as researching the town it is based upon, and i feel like ill be thinking about it and recommending it for a while