allykinstle 's review for:

Poor Things by Alasdair Gray

4.5

adventurous funny inspiring medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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really really loved this! i had been wanting to read the book after having seen the movie for a while, and this didn’t disappoint. the story of bella baxter is a fascinating one that i have many thoughts on, none of which i think i could easily write out. at its core i do find this to be a feminist text, with bella being a representative of the best of humanity. i thought the chapters where bella was truly learning about the world, the suffering in it, and the politics surrounding it to be the most fascinating. i thought the structure was engaging as well, being told from an “outsider’s” perspective recounting a different story. i truly loved god, so his interruptions and commentary while reading bella’s letters was very funny, but also demonstrates a main theme of the book of men controlling a woman’s narrative. i don’t quite know how to feel about the ending letter from victoria (bella) mccandless. i think i need more time to sit with the implications of it or read some other reviews that explain its purpose among the larger text, but after growing so fond of bella and her story to have it discarded like that was sad. maybe i’m no better than the men that glorified her. final thing, i loved the drawings and diagrams! completely added to the storytelling experience and really enhanced it i thought. overall i loved this and can see myself returning to it very easily!