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splitdice's Reviews (151)
challenging
dark
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
when u realize youre fanny tbh
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
i really enjoyed the quietness of this book- i think it would have hit more if i was at a place that i really needed it, but i could see myself coming back to this one. if the time isnt right though i could for sure see a lower rating
“Annette may be right about the unnaturalness of our living here in the way we do. But then I reflect, there's probably something sick about the way most people live.”
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
do you ever feel like youre reading a different book thats completely different from everyone else? i know so many people who gave this a 5 star and for a vast majority of the book i had 0 idea why (though to be fair i think its my distaste for the "forward" presenting genre in the book).
the first 2/3rds are honestly a typical historical romance but make it sapphic. the writing was short, and the dialog was... um... bad. seriously, the entire time when i was reading this book i kept thinking to myself that i literally could have written this. i know there is a lot of drama surrounding the em dash right now, and while i do really enjoy it this book basically replaced commas in the dialog.
"it- i mean- it amounts to.. something like this. yeah- the dialog looks like this" <- this genuinely looks like something i would write for an RP when i was like 15.
besides the dialog, the plot just read like someone wanted to publish their enemies-to-lovers fan fiction. seriously, everything here was dull and repetitive. if you like romance i think this would appeal to you, and probably is why there is such a high rating on this book, but it just personally is not a genre that i enjoy, especially in the way it was presented. i was bored and it was a slog to read through this part. i also want to say there was not a really convincing arc from going to enemies to lovers, it literally felt very black-and-white with no convincing arc as why theyd actually like each other
then the third part came...
and you know what? for a second i actually thought the structure was genius and everything that i found egregious above actually had a point. sure, the dialog and characters were still cringy and bad, but im fine with that because i saw something between the lines that i thought was actually going to be pretty good!! thinking what the house in this book represents, and what the characters stood for, and how they treated each other- it was great!
until the ending happened. seriously, i thinktrying to go for a happily ever after for isabel really ruined the Point of the book. not every toxic sapphic relationship needs to be happy
anyways if youre a big romance reader that likes a bit of a Literary Twist go ahead, i can see why this book as mass appeal, but this just was not for me (after i predicted a 5 star rating for myself... welp)
the first 2/3rds are honestly a typical historical romance but make it sapphic. the writing was short, and the dialog was... um... bad. seriously, the entire time when i was reading this book i kept thinking to myself that i literally could have written this. i know there is a lot of drama surrounding the em dash right now, and while i do really enjoy it this book basically replaced commas in the dialog.
"it- i mean- it amounts to.. something like this. yeah- the dialog looks like this" <- this genuinely looks like something i would write for an RP when i was like 15.
besides the dialog, the plot just read like someone wanted to publish their enemies-to-lovers fan fiction. seriously, everything here was dull and repetitive. if you like romance i think this would appeal to you, and probably is why there is such a high rating on this book, but it just personally is not a genre that i enjoy, especially in the way it was presented. i was bored and it was a slog to read through this part. i also want to say there was not a really convincing arc from going to enemies to lovers, it literally felt very black-and-white with no convincing arc as why theyd actually like each other
then the third part came...
and you know what? for a second i actually thought the structure was genius and everything that i found egregious above actually had a point. sure, the dialog and characters were still cringy and bad, but im fine with that because i saw something between the lines that i thought was actually going to be pretty good!! thinking what the house in this book represents, and what the characters stood for, and how they treated each other- it was great!
until the ending happened. seriously, i think
anyways if youre a big romance reader that likes a bit of a Literary Twist go ahead, i can see why this book as mass appeal, but this just was not for me (after i predicted a 5 star rating for myself... welp)
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
a few personal takeaways from this book
1. i really dont like satires, i dont know i guess all the ones ive read never hit the landing quite as i want to and theyre always way too long. also when you see other reviewers on here saying they hate the main character, its because she acts like every other james bond spy hero except She's A Woman so yeah people will hate her more
2. i just dont think im the audience for this book... and thats okay. a lot of things went over my head but i think i wouldve liked it more if i got the references to a lot of the french movements described in this book
that being said i actually quite enjoyed the ending and laughed out loud .......... lol
1. i really dont like satires, i dont know i guess all the ones ive read never hit the landing quite as i want to and theyre always way too long. also when you see other reviewers on here saying they hate the main character, its because she acts like every other james bond spy hero except She's A Woman so yeah people will hate her more
2. i just dont think im the audience for this book... and thats okay. a lot of things went over my head but i think i wouldve liked it more if i got the references to a lot of the french movements described in this book
that being said i actually quite enjoyed the ending and laughed out loud .......... lol
dark
hopeful
reflective
slow-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
Can I be honest? I thought this book was extremely underwhelming.
On the surface it has everything I like- I had just given another interconnected short story collection a 5 star rating. I usually give these books around a 4 star rating (more if I really like them) but I felt like this format did not do this book and its ideas justice.
We follow 12 women, many of them mother-daughter pairs, and they all connect and interweave somehow.
My first problem with the execution of this book is how similar a lot of these characters and their relationships are to one another. Yes, a lot of them have different experiences and backgrounds, but a lot of them share stories- which is part of the point of the book but I think when you have a large cast of characters, the point was read to you like 100 pages in. There are also a bunch of characters who show up in a bunch of the stories who don’t narrate themselves and I found it really hard to follow them (I can’t imagine reading this book over a long period of time, I read like 75% of it in one day).
I also think the stories themselves are way too long. There are mini chapters within each story, which really complicates the format of each story, again making them harder to remember. Its hard because all of these characters are deep and complex, but its hard for me to relate and feel emotional for them. I think Evaristo would have benefited from either shortening the scope and detail of the stories or focusing on only half of the cast.
That being said, I think I would enjoy this a lot more on a re-read, but again the first read is kind of painful to go through. I can definitely see this being the type of book where you gain something new each time. I also really liked the prose for the most part, and I thought the punctuation style really helped with the flow of the book and dramatize some scenes. It was very readable, in my opinion. I can see the genius here, but maybe it isn’t for me or it just hasn’t clicked yet.
dark
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
before i write anything else in this review, i have just 3 words…
READ THIS BOOK!
seriously, its kind of crazy how this book came out in the original language in.. 2016? yet it feels so topical to todays discussions.
this is a translated work of japanese fiction that was longlisted for the 2025 booker prize. what i really love about this work coming from an eastern country is how there is less of a focus on individual characters (though they do show up in and out of these interconnected stories), and more of the human collective as a whole. i think that is one of the strongest literary elements at play here.
i also think asa yoneda did an amazing job at the translation. if youve read japanese litfic before, you may be familiar with the very blunt, short style of sentences. thats still at play here, and i think it lends beautifully to the melancholic feeling of this book. if youve read how high we go in the dark by sequoia nagamatsu, i think this is very similar in that vein (it is less explicably sad, but i think it has more of a rainy, melancholic mood).
“My brothers, my father, my mother- they all wanted to be understood. But as soon as I truly understood them, they started to hate me for it. To them, being known was the same as being controlled.”
if you play a lot of video games, i think this reminds me a lot of the xeno series and aegis rim (but less sci-fi-y, more about the nature of humans). i especially like the cyclical aspect this book brings. again, im an american, and i think the culture where i live is hyper individualized. this book really helps shape a perspective that shows how we as humanity are interlinked.
i loved this book, so much. it might be my favorite read of the year so far. i cannot wait for a reread in the future.
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
this book is a masterclass in dialog. it made this book so easy and so fast to read- i think i read this in like 2 days. the way that language makes its impact in this book is crazy. i think its by far the best part of this book.
that being said, i think everything outside the dialog (mainly action seems) were a written a bit unclear and i was confused what was happening at times. i also really didnt like the more significant changes to the original huckleberry fin that were made towards the end of the book- i feel like it removed a lot of the nuance around it, though i can definitely understand why those choices were made.
but yeah, a super readable book that talks about language and how it can be used to oppress and liberate. highly recommend this one
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
i feel like i kind of lost something listening to the audiobook (the recording was also really low quality, sadly). i think i would have gotten more out of it if i was really into NYC cultural criticism (i do REALLY want to read some of her translation work, though).
that being said, i think there is a huge lack trans stories from older people, and exponentially so from those who transitioned later in life. im young and a lot of my friends are young trans people too so this was a perspective i dont know a lot about. i really enjoy how lucy navigated going from older, maybe problematic ideals (at least in a modern lense) surrounding what it means to be trans to present day.
i saw the new york times made a playlist to go along with this book since it contains a lot of musical references, so i plan on listening to that sometime.
that being said, i think there is a huge lack trans stories from older people, and exponentially so from those who transitioned later in life. im young and a lot of my friends are young trans people too so this was a perspective i dont know a lot about. i really enjoy how lucy navigated going from older, maybe problematic ideals (at least in a modern lense) surrounding what it means to be trans to present day.
i saw the new york times made a playlist to go along with this book since it contains a lot of musical references, so i plan on listening to that sometime.
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
a lot of interesting thoughts during book club... i will say this book was very very readable, which i enjoyed. the ending also really brought it up there for me... though HOW it is conveyed kind of doesnt make sense?
this reminded me a lot about one of my favorite horror books, grey dog by elliot gish, though i feel this was a much more poorly executed version of that. i also kind of feel like its very... tumblr-y with its premise, like if you told me someone wrote this as a funny tumblr post i would believe you. im glad i read it though
this reminded me a lot about one of my favorite horror books, grey dog by elliot gish, though i feel this was a much more poorly executed version of that. i also kind of feel like its very... tumblr-y with its premise, like if you told me someone wrote this as a funny tumblr post i would believe you. im glad i read it though
challenging
dark
emotional
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
i rated this so highly for the main fact that i am also a lesbian that is 2 years older than their sister with a ... difficult relationship with their mom. seriously, its crazy how baltasar perfectly capture the expectation and disappointment of fitting into a box, and then not being able to.
this book isn't for everyone, but if that sounds like your cup of tea, i think you will really like it. the writing is beautiful, its seriously one of those books that you underline everything. and its also really funny at times! i think it does a wonderful job at the split of being devestating and finding humor. The translator also had a wonderful afterwood and did a great job.
this book isn't for everyone, but if that sounds like your cup of tea, i think you will really like it. the writing is beautiful, its seriously one of those books that you underline everything. and its also really funny at times! i think it does a wonderful job at the split of being devestating and finding humor. The translator also had a wonderful afterwood and did a great job.
Page 9;
‘Mom’s tanks of milk wiped me out, they made me less human, even less of a girl.’
Page 30;
‘Sisters lead identical lives until one of them grows up, and then the other begins to do things in secret- above all, meeting new people to fill the hole her sister has left.’
Page 34;
‘As far as my current occupation goes, I think Mom is pleased- pleased that she has, at long last, put me in a box.’