maddielinehan's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
ahhh the innate horror of the female experience- carmen gets it
Minor: Mental illness, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Eating disorder, Medical trauma, Misogyny, Pregnancy, Sexism, Violence, and Body horror
mmatti300's review
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- 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
Machado is an excellent storyteller. At no part in the collection did I feel like skipping a story or glazing over bits and pieces, she had me hooked from the very beginning and I was more than enrapt in her diction. A truly beautiful novel and an excellent collection. I look forward to reading more by her in the future.
Graphic: Rape, Sexual harassment, and Medical trauma
dhritigupta's review
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
it took me a bit to get through this, but i still liked it! i felt like i was too dumb to fully understand the stories a lot of the time, but many of them still stuck with me! the writing was beautiful the whole way through, but some stories i wanted to know what was going on a bit more!! my faves were mothers, inventory, real women have bodies and eight bites. however, even with the ones i didn’t get as much, i’m still thinking about them, bc they grow on you by the time you finish the story. like with especially heinous and the resident i’m still thinking about the perfect eeriness, even if i didn’t love them.
Graphic: Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Rape, Medical trauma, Gore, Animal death, Murder, Body shaming, Body horror, Fatphobia, Blood, and Vomit
Moderate: Homophobia, Death, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Pregnancy, and Toxic relationship
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