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sha's review
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.5
I want to first start off by saying this was not an easy book to read, there were lots of things about this novel that disturbed me 😦 but that was the point. The novel could not have done what it did without disturbing me and if you do go on to read this book I hope it disturbs you too (with love 🖤).
This book both was and wasn’t what I expected it to be; it wasn’t until the last few chapters that the story started to come together in a way that I hoped it would. This book tackles a lot of themes that interest me specifically: small family farms vs large commercial feedlots, consumerism, sustainability, grief, and finding purpose and meaning in life.
A mother’s final wishes brings home her vegetarian daughter to the chicken 🐓 farm she grew up on. The daughter finds a way to connect to her roots in a bizarre and disconcerting way 🔪; unfortunately as the farm grows to meet consumers’ demands so does her discontentment and disconnection. The story only gets more and more unhinged as it goes on.
A lot of reviews acknowledge how funny this book is I however did not find it overly humorous, or funny but rather heartbreaking and defeating, and wow that last chapter… 😵💫
This book both was and wasn’t what I expected it to be; it wasn’t until the last few chapters that the story started to come together in a way that I hoped it would. This book tackles a lot of themes that interest me specifically: small family farms vs large commercial feedlots, consumerism, sustainability, grief, and finding purpose and meaning in life.
A mother’s final wishes brings home her vegetarian daughter to the chicken 🐓 farm she grew up on. The daughter finds a way to connect to her roots in a bizarre and disconcerting way 🔪; unfortunately as the farm grows to meet consumers’ demands so does her discontentment and disconnection. The story only gets more and more unhinged as it goes on.
A lot of reviews acknowledge how funny this book is I however did not find it overly humorous, or funny but rather heartbreaking and defeating, and wow that last chapter… 😵💫
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Death, Animal cruelty, Suicidal thoughts, Animal death, and Violence
zarlynsnook's review
dark
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I'm awestruck by this book. I'm messed up in many different ways with the story and the characters, with its plot and its writing. This book is disturbing, weird, bizarre, and completely unhinged. This is not just a simple story of a woman grieving. It is more than that. I think Paule's characterization is brilliant and thought-provoking. She is a representation of the society's attempt to conive consumerism and sustainability that is far too imposible to completely achieve. Looking back in her journey, I find myself asking, "Why?" What's her motivation? If she's not grieving, would she do the thing she did? " I still have a lot of unanswered questions, some are just coming to me as I write this review( and I love it that way). Most of the praises I've read for this book says it is funny but I didn't find anything funny in this book. Maybe some things got lost in translation:(
I'm only giving it four stars for 2 reasons: 1. it made me feel uncomfortable.(in retrospect, this might have been the end goal of the author in writing this book), Majority of the book displays graphic animal violence(specifically towards chickens) 2. plotwise, i think it was lacking, i want to completely understsand the type of relationship Paule has with her mother and also with Luis but in my opinion, it was not presented clearly in the book.
P.s.
The last line of the book left me speechless.
I'm only giving it four stars for 2 reasons: 1. it made me feel uncomfortable.(in retrospect, this might have been the end goal of the author in writing this book), Majority of the book displays graphic animal violence(specifically towards chickens) 2. plotwise, i think it was lacking, i want to completely understsand the type of relationship Paule has with her mother and also with Luis but in my opinion, it was not presented clearly in the book.
P.s.
The last line of the book left me speechless.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Animal cruelty, Death of parent, and Animal death
Minor: Physical abuse
rmtbray's review
dark
medium-paced
2.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and Animal death
Moderate: Death of parent and Gun violence
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