Reviews tagging Sexual content

Her Body and Other Parties, by Carmen Maria Machado

132 reviews

doomluz's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

A strong collection of short stories. My favorites were “The Husband Stitch”, “Eight Bites”, “Real Women Have Bodies” and “The Resident”. I love how the stories feel both ethereal and grounded.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Eating disorder, Body horror, Sexual content, Mental illness, and Pregnancy

Moderate: Misogyny, Domestic abuse, Toxic relationship, and Sexism

Minor: Rape and Sexual assault

tinyjude's review against another edition

dark reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

2.25

I guess not for me but I appreciate the creativeness 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content, Misogyny, Homophobia, Death, Fatphobia, Body horror, Animal death, and Alcohol

olijeffery's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content

Moderate: Sexual violence

apolloann's review

challenging dark emotional reflective tense 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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Grief, Rape, Sexual assault, Body shaming, Dysphoria, Panic attacks/disorders, Vomit, Animal death, and Sexual content

inamerata's review

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny, Sexual content, Sexual assault, Eating disorder, Death, Mental illness, and Fatphobia

Moderate: Homophobia and Pregnancy

madelonpaige's review against another edition

dark mysterious slow-paced

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Body horror, Sexual content, and Vomit

talonsontypewriters's review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content, Body shaming, Gore, Eating disorder, Dysphoria, Fatphobia, Body horror, and Domestic abuse

Moderate: Death, Violence, Injury/injury detail, Drug use, Misogyny, Sexism, Pregnancy, Medical content, Murder, Rape, Gun violence, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Self harm, Abandonment, Animal death, Panic attacks/disorders, Vomit, and Mental illness

Minor: Alcohol, Suicidal thoughts, Incest, Homophobia, Lesbophobia, Bullying, Pedophilia, Cannibalism, Suicide, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Child death, Fire/Fire injury, Excrement, and Child abuse

Illness outbreak, epidemic ("Inventory"). Unreality ("Especially Heinous"). Insects ("Eight Bites," "The Resident"). Illness ("The Resident").

k_aro's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad

• Plot- or character-driven? N/A
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

Basically a lot of it went over my head. Especially the story about Bad and the child, and the bits about the SVU. I've never watched SVU, so maybe that's kind of just a corner of something I'm totally unaware about. That said, the bits that I got, they really struck my bones; Machado is really talented at making you feel seen even when you might not be the exact person she's describing.

I think the one that rang most closely was "Eight Bodies", especially given that it came right after reading I'm Glad My Mom Died, a lot of which revolves around McCurdy's eating disorder (that has to do with her mom and how they are mirrors of each other). And also recently listening to Lucy Dacus' "My Mother and I". I've had a lot to think about with regards to me and my mom - especially since I've been away from her for a long time, now, when compared to the rest of my life. I also think about Rayne Fisher-Quann's Tiktok about being thankful for having mommy bloggers to see that moms truly do have lives that exist beyond their children, and how so often when you become a mother it seems to become the hinge of your life.

Especially since "Eight Bodies" is written from the painful perspective of a mother and a daughter who'll never really see eye to eye. It's painful, to simultaneously be the mirror of your mother but also to hate it. It's weird.

That aside, Machado is also a beautiful author, with the prose flowing as smooth as butter. Also, this book is so horny. And that's great. Maybe I'll read it again and appreciate it better the second time!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content, Abandonment, Alcohol, Body horror, Body shaming, Confinement, Medical content, Police brutality, Self harm, Cursing, Eating disorder, Grief, Infidelity, Violence, and Murder

ghostgirl666's review

dark emotional reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny and Sexual content

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Sexual assault, and Domestic abuse

Minor: Homophobia

amylav's review

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content and Eating disorder

Moderate: Rape