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eyeowna's reviews
158 reviews
Indelicacy by Amina Cain
reflective
relaxing
fast-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? It's complicated
2.75
This is a hard book for me to rate. It’s short and I read it basically in one sitting, so it for sure grabbed my attention. There are so many ideas and lines that I’ll think about for a while, but I’m not sure how I feel about the book as a whole. The book’s concept (it’s not really a plot) is that a cleaning woman at an art museum marries a rich husband in an unspecified time/place that reads as Victorian, maybe. The woman, Vitoria, wants to be a writer more than anything else and most of the novella consists of her reflections on writing: her descriptions of paintings that made an impression on her and her observations about friendship, marriage, and wealth.
The writing is sparse & easy to read with some killer lines. Much of Vitoria’s passion about books and writing is relatable, such as when she says “in books I found even more strongly my desire to write, to write back to them and their jagged, perfect words. I found life that ran close to my own” (20). I’ve always loved writing partly because it felt like a conversation with whatever was inspiring me. Vitoria is an interesting character because she has so much to say, she’s our narrator writing in this confessional/diary style, and yet she has this deep conflict with communicating her ideas or true personality with the people around her. If this book has any plot or conflict, I would say it’s Vitoria’s progress on expressing and living as her inner/writer self.
The emotional distance makes the narrative feel dream-like. There’s some commentary on art, gender, class, etc., all of which feel like this book is meant to read like a classic literary work. I think maybe my problem with this book is that there was too much emotional distance? As our narrator character, Vitoria even admits she’s afraid of being fully honest in her writing. I wanted more from this book in most of the things it was trying to do, and that’s not even because of how it ended. To scratch this itch I have now, I want to go reread the Yellow Wallpaper or some Emily Dickinson poetry or Wide Sargasso Sea (which Cain took inspiration from and says she used short passages in this book—not sure where).
The writing is sparse & easy to read with some killer lines. Much of Vitoria’s passion about books and writing is relatable, such as when she says “in books I found even more strongly my desire to write, to write back to them and their jagged, perfect words. I found life that ran close to my own” (20). I’ve always loved writing partly because it felt like a conversation with whatever was inspiring me. Vitoria is an interesting character because she has so much to say, she’s our narrator writing in this confessional/diary style, and yet she has this deep conflict with communicating her ideas or true personality with the people around her. If this book has any plot or conflict, I would say it’s Vitoria’s progress on expressing and living as her inner/writer self.
The emotional distance makes the narrative feel dream-like. There’s some commentary on art, gender, class, etc., all of which feel like this book is meant to read like a classic literary work. I think maybe my problem with this book is that there was too much emotional distance? As our narrator character, Vitoria even admits she’s afraid of being fully honest in her writing. I wanted more from this book in most of the things it was trying to do, and that’s not even because of how it ended. To scratch this itch I have now, I want to go reread the Yellow Wallpaper or some Emily Dickinson poetry or Wide Sargasso Sea (which Cain took inspiration from and says she used short passages in this book—not sure where).
A Guest in the House by E.M. Carroll
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Gorgeous and unsettling art. Love that the ending made me immediately want to reread from the beginning. I’ve only read Through the Woods by Emily Carroll before this but I Am Fan.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body horror
Minor: Self harm
Handmade Books at Home: A Beginner's Guide to Binding Journals, Sketchbooks, Photo Albums and More by Chanel Ly
informative
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
5.0
I’ve been teaching myself how to make my own sketchbooks/notebooks. This is a really nice reference. I learn best from videos (I can’t learn how to do a stitch from reading alone) and even though YouTube has many great videos/channels for bookbinding, a written guide is so handy. I was struggling to wrap my head around paper grain and Chanel Ly’s section “techniques to build your skills” really helped with that!
I will say that as a beginner, the book’s projects are somewhat intimidating although certainly beautiful and GOALS. I did my first coptic stitch sketchbook by following a more basic YouTube video alongside this book. Ly’s coptic stitch book was a little complicated for me at this stage. Will definitely try out her version when I can! And you better believe I’ve sticky tabbed all the projects I want to do as I gain binding skill.
I will say that as a beginner, the book’s projects are somewhat intimidating although certainly beautiful and GOALS. I did my first coptic stitch sketchbook by following a more basic YouTube video alongside this book. Ly’s coptic stitch book was a little complicated for me at this stage. Will definitely try out her version when I can! And you better believe I’ve sticky tabbed all the projects I want to do as I gain binding skill.
Persuasion by Jane Austen
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
slow-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
5.0
Second time reading this, always a comfort. My family raised me on BBC Jane Austen adaptations and it definitely rewired my brain from an early age, so there's always a part of me that feels most at home in an Austen story. This is my third Austen I have read (also have read P&P and S&S). I think Persuasion is my favorite Austen so far. Might be because like Anne Elliot, I too am an old maid (a withered 28 lol). Also I just love stories about yearning and Anne's family is delightfully irritating.
salt slow by Julia Armfield
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I am a Julia Armfield FAN. Her writing is beautiful and she depicts horrific/creepy things with a kind of understated mundanity that is delicious. I think I might love this collection of short stories even more than her novel Our Wives Under the Sea. Reading this second, I see some of the motifs/themes that she explores in depth (ha) in her novel, such as sapphic love and grief. I just can't get enough of the feminine monstrosity, rage, and yearning in these stories. Also teeth. Drink every time Armfield mentions teeth literally or as a metaphor (it's great).
I will continue to think about "Mantis," "The Great Awake," "Formerly Feral," "Stop your women's ears with wax," and "salt slow" in particular for some time.
Ratings for each story (with summary/themes):
“Mantis” - 5/5⭐
- catholic school girl goes through a different sort of puberty than her peers, following her family’s birthright. themes: body horror, girlhood, becoming.
“The Great Awake” - 5/5⭐
- a woman from a small town moves to a big city. soon after, most of the city has their “Sleep” (a kind of ghostly doppelgänger) step out of them and become sleepless. themes: unsettling, urban life, sapphic yearning.
“The Collectables” - 3.5/5⭐
- three graduate student housemates commiserate about their trouble with dating and men. one of them starts an "interesting" collection.
“Formerly Feral” - 5/5⭐
- preteen acquires a wolf stepsister and becomes more wolf-like than the wolf. themes: imperfect girlhood, inhabiting an animal body despite humanity’s mind/body dualism, growing up, becoming, neglect.
“Stop your women’s ears with wax” - 5/5⭐
- main character films video diary-documentary following wildly successful all-woman band who has a strange, violent affect on its female fans. themes: obsession, fan-hood, girlhood, sapphic, violence against men.
“Granite” - 4/5⭐
- nearly-30 yo woman reflects on her first relationship with a perfect-seeming man. themes: loving someone “too much,” being unlovable, womanhood, catch-22 of heterosexuality for women.
“Smack” - 3/5⭐
- woman newly-divorced hides out in her ex-husband’s beach house while a strange phenomenon of jellyfish mass-death occurs on the beach. the writing is beautiful and I’m fascinated by the helplessness of the main character (is she spoiled, depressed, what’s going on?) but otherwise this story didn’t grab me as much as the others.
“Cassandra After” - 5/5⭐
- woman is visited by her dead ex-girlfriend. themes: loving someone “too much,” being “new” to queerness, grief.
“salt slow” - 5/5⭐
- a pregnant woman and her male partner are adrift on a boat in a flooded, post-apocalyptic world. themes: another story about love, grief, examining heterosexuality, but this time with the body horror (and not) of pregnancy.
I will continue to think about "Mantis," "The Great Awake," "Formerly Feral," "Stop your women's ears with wax," and "salt slow" in particular for some time.
Ratings for each story (with summary/themes):
“Mantis” - 5/5⭐
- catholic school girl goes through a different sort of puberty than her peers, following her family’s birthright. themes: body horror, girlhood, becoming.
“The Great Awake” - 5/5⭐
- a woman from a small town moves to a big city. soon after, most of the city has their “Sleep” (a kind of ghostly doppelgänger) step out of them and become sleepless. themes: unsettling, urban life, sapphic yearning.
“The Collectables” - 3.5/5⭐
- three graduate student housemates commiserate about their trouble with dating and men. one of them starts an "interesting" collection.
“Formerly Feral” - 5/5⭐
- preteen acquires a wolf stepsister and becomes more wolf-like than the wolf. themes: imperfect girlhood, inhabiting an animal body despite humanity’s mind/body dualism, growing up, becoming, neglect.
“Stop your women’s ears with wax” - 5/5⭐
- main character films video diary-documentary following wildly successful all-woman band who has a strange, violent affect on its female fans. themes: obsession, fan-hood, girlhood, sapphic, violence against men.
“Granite” - 4/5⭐
- nearly-30 yo woman reflects on her first relationship with a perfect-seeming man. themes: loving someone “too much,” being unlovable, womanhood, catch-22 of heterosexuality for women.
“Smack” - 3/5⭐
- woman newly-divorced hides out in her ex-husband’s beach house while a strange phenomenon of jellyfish mass-death occurs on the beach. the writing is beautiful and I’m fascinated by the helplessness of the main character (is she spoiled, depressed, what’s going on?) but otherwise this story didn’t grab me as much as the others.
“Cassandra After” - 5/5⭐
- woman is visited by her dead ex-girlfriend. themes: loving someone “too much,” being “new” to queerness, grief.
“salt slow” - 5/5⭐
- a pregnant woman and her male partner are adrift on a boat in a flooded, post-apocalyptic world. themes: another story about love, grief, examining heterosexuality, but this time with the body horror (and not) of pregnancy.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body horror
Half a Soul by Olivia Atwater
funny
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
I read this one because it was compared to Howl’s Moving Castle with a regency setting on social media. A light read that felt surface-level to me. Not my cup of tea. I want more deeply thought-out fantasy and historical elements than I found in this novel. This is a fun turn-your-brain-off read.
PET by Akwaeke Emezi
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0