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4.34 AVERAGE
4.34 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
A wonderful listen. However I found the audiobook format clashed a bit with the winding, back-and-forth story pacing and I found it hard to keep up with which characters were connected to whom. 4/5 stars for now but likely would go to 5 upon reading the text version which I think would be easier for me to follow.
I would ABSOLUTELY recommend this, although definitely check trigger warnings beforehand as it does detail some traumatic experiences!
I would ABSOLUTELY recommend this, although definitely check trigger warnings beforehand as it does detail some traumatic experiences!
emotional
funny
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The writing style took some getting used to; so much so that I initially rated this book 4 stars, rounding down from 4.5 because of it. I ended up changing it to 5 stars because I think this book deserves it, even if I didn’t love the stylistic choices. With that said:
Girl, Woman, Other is an amazing collection of rich, poignant tales about varied, yet connected experiences centered around identity and the too-prevalent sense of otherness. The characters are well fleshed-out, each possessing their own distinct voice; although the chapters are relatively short, none of them left me feeling like something was missing.
I’m not gonna lie: the moment I thought this would be a collection of short stories, I was unsure if I would like this book, no matter how much the topic drew me in. It was a relief to find out that, while each chapter tells a separate, unique story, they don’t feel disconnected at all – and not only because of the recurring themes. It was a delight to catch all the little details that showed how all of the characters’ lives were intertwined, from big and obvious connections to smaller, yet no less significant ways in which two people’s paths can cross.
To touch upon every single character would take up way too many paragraphs and likely not do them justice anyway, so I’ll settle for sharing my thoughts about the book as a whole. Firstly, what I loved about Girl, Woman, Other is that, just like the title promises, it gives voice (primarily) to women. Men, of course, exist; oftentimes, they play quite important roles, but with the exception of a short part in the epilogue, it is not their perspective at the forefront. Rarely do I get to read a book that so unabashedly shows the world through the eyes of almost exclusively women.
The intersectionality of this book is impressive, even more so because it doesn’t feel forced. The most noticeable source of otherness for nearly all the characters is, of course, being Black in the UK, but Evaristo does a great job showing that people are not a monolith just because they are of the same race. Between queerness, social status, immigration history, roots, small family traditions, and the myriad of choices the characters make, all of them are individuals who come to terms with their identity in a world that does not encourage that in their own ways. The intergenerational take was brilliant; I loved seeing these characters in the context of their times, and how they deal with how the world keeps changing. Hats off to Hattie for at least trying to be open-minded about gender identity topics at 93 years old, even if she didn’t quite get it.
There’s not a lot in this book that a white, cishet reader could relate to. I imagine that for some, that would make it a hard read, but I think that that’s the beauty of such books. Being a white queer woman, reading about Black (and, in general, non-white) queer experiences helps me to understand the aspects of the community I might never have gotten to learn about otherwise; and being a white woman, I never would have known what it can be like to grow up a Black woman if those women didn’t choose to share their stories. There's such a wealth of knowledge in books like this one, and the more of them I see in bookstores – promoted! Not shoved off to the back – the more hope I have that one day otherness will finally be demystified.
Girl, Woman, Other is an amazing collection of rich, poignant tales about varied, yet connected experiences centered around identity and the too-prevalent sense of otherness. The characters are well fleshed-out, each possessing their own distinct voice; although the chapters are relatively short, none of them left me feeling like something was missing.
I’m not gonna lie: the moment I thought this would be a collection of short stories, I was unsure if I would like this book, no matter how much the topic drew me in. It was a relief to find out that, while each chapter tells a separate, unique story, they don’t feel disconnected at all – and not only because of the recurring themes. It was a delight to catch all the little details that showed how all of the characters’ lives were intertwined, from big and obvious connections to smaller, yet no less significant ways in which two people’s paths can cross.
To touch upon every single character would take up way too many paragraphs and likely not do them justice anyway, so I’ll settle for sharing my thoughts about the book as a whole. Firstly, what I loved about Girl, Woman, Other is that, just like the title promises, it gives voice (primarily) to women. Men, of course, exist; oftentimes, they play quite important roles, but with the exception of a short part in the epilogue, it is not their perspective at the forefront. Rarely do I get to read a book that so unabashedly shows the world through the eyes of almost exclusively women.
The intersectionality of this book is impressive, even more so because it doesn’t feel forced. The most noticeable source of otherness for nearly all the characters is, of course, being Black in the UK, but Evaristo does a great job showing that people are not a monolith just because they are of the same race. Between queerness, social status, immigration history, roots, small family traditions, and the myriad of choices the characters make, all of them are individuals who come to terms with their identity in a world that does not encourage that in their own ways. The intergenerational take was brilliant; I loved seeing these characters in the context of their times, and how they deal with how the world keeps changing. Hats off to Hattie for at least trying to be open-minded about gender identity topics at 93 years old, even if she didn’t quite get it.
There’s not a lot in this book that a white, cishet reader could relate to. I imagine that for some, that would make it a hard read, but I think that that’s the beauty of such books. Being a white queer woman, reading about Black (and, in general, non-white) queer experiences helps me to understand the aspects of the community I might never have gotten to learn about otherwise; and being a white woman, I never would have known what it can be like to grow up a Black woman if those women didn’t choose to share their stories. There's such a wealth of knowledge in books like this one, and the more of them I see in bookstores – promoted! Not shoved off to the back – the more hope I have that one day otherness will finally be demystified.
Bernardine Evaristo writes about the lives of her protagonist in a captivating way, providing unique voices for Amma, Yazz, Dominique, Carole, Bummi, LaTisha, Shirley, Winsome, Penelope, Morgan, Hattie and Grace.
Evaristo thrives in the exploration of topics such as race, identity, sexuality, abuse, trauma, migration, womanhood or motherhood through different lenses and experiences that the diverse cast of characters provides to the story. Although these topics are a common thread along the story, the fact that the group of protagonists is so diverse in age, sexuality, background, education and even country of origin, allows Evaristo to dive deep into these commonalities from different lenses and perspectives.
I also really enjoyed how the interactions between some of the women were analyzed from those different perspectives (specially the conversations between Amma and Yazz).
Heartbreaking and heartwarming —sometimes, even at once— Girl, Woman, Other is a fantastic exploration of womanhood, queerness and blackness.
Evaristo thrives in the exploration of topics such as race, identity, sexuality, abuse, trauma, migration, womanhood or motherhood through different lenses and experiences that the diverse cast of characters provides to the story. Although these topics are a common thread along the story, the fact that the group of protagonists is so diverse in age, sexuality, background, education and even country of origin, allows Evaristo to dive deep into these commonalities from different lenses and perspectives.
I also really enjoyed how the interactions between some of the women were analyzed from those different perspectives (specially the conversations between Amma and Yazz).
Heartbreaking and heartwarming —sometimes, even at once— Girl, Woman, Other is a fantastic exploration of womanhood, queerness and blackness.
que livro maravilhoso! uma delícia de fluxo, devorei. personagens complexos e super cativantes, tantos retratos incríveis de realidades várias. adorei. li com o Clube.
challenging
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
I found it impossible to remember all the many characters and their connections and so did not feel the full, intended effect of this read.
emotional
reflective
slow-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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault
Moderate: Addiction, Biphobia, Child death, Homophobia, Racial slurs, Suicidal thoughts, Transphobia, Lesbophobia, Alcohol
Minor: War
this is my second try reading this book but its not that interesting to keep going :/
I don't think I can deal with the audiobook version, as I found the narrator kinda annoying to my ears. I also went in hoping more for essays and analysis not a collection of stories that don't dive as deep as I hoped.
challenging
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A