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A review by drjagrier
No Man of Woman Born by Ana Mardoll
4.0
I'm glad I read this book. It recasts well known tropes and fairy tales through a gender flexible lens. The writing is solid, and the stories important. If you are looking for a positive view of gender in speculative fiction, this is for you. Also, the author is well worth supporting for their excellent scholarship and writing that deconstructs popular literature.
As far as difficulties, I found the prose to be quite dense. Much detail, when I'm something of a plot person. There was one story I couldn't finish because it moved too slow for too little emotional payoff. I was often left sad when stories ended before I felt the needed closure with the characters. Maybe that's a positive because I clearly liked the characters and wanted more time with them.
As far as positives, the stories were engaging and the characters quite relatable. It was very good to exercise the mind and the inherent paradigms in oneself by having pronouns change from story to story. Some stories actually had surprises in them, which is hard for me to find since I'm well versed in the genre. I was emotionally invested in several of the stories.
Overall, this one is worth your time and money. I will be buying more from this author.
As far as difficulties, I found the prose to be quite dense. Much detail, when I'm something of a plot person. There was one story I couldn't finish because it moved too slow for too little emotional payoff. I was often left sad when stories ended before I felt the needed closure with the characters. Maybe that's a positive because I clearly liked the characters and wanted more time with them.
As far as positives, the stories were engaging and the characters quite relatable. It was very good to exercise the mind and the inherent paradigms in oneself by having pronouns change from story to story. Some stories actually had surprises in them, which is hard for me to find since I'm well versed in the genre. I was emotionally invested in several of the stories.
Overall, this one is worth your time and money. I will be buying more from this author.