Reviews

Ling Ma's writing style is just so good and pleasant to read. I was a huge fan of Severance and I could very clearly see the influence of Ma's personal life in her writing. I am a fan of short stories, especially those entrenched in surrealism--which I have recently discovered that I quite enjoy.

shakyra's review against another edition

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emotional reflective medium-paced

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

4.0

carinasca's review against another edition

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challenging 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? It's complicated

5.0

mandiluna's review against another edition

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challenging emotional funny reflective medium-paced

4.0

a very fun experience to read. also, ling ma's writing is just 😙👌👌

taratearex's review against another edition

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slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.75

Ok, first I just have to say that I loved Severance a lot, it was a 5 star read. But as with many short story collections, they can be hit or miss based on each story. Some of these I liked, and others I felt I was slogging through with no payoff at the end. Even the ones I did like still felt like they were too long and wandering to hold my attention, I struggled a lot with the pacing. A few times I thought about DNFing but just kept going since I was listening to the audiobook, I absolutely would have DNFd had I been reading the physical book because I just could not make it through the pacing. I will say that I still enjoy Ling Ma's writing and commentary throughout each story, but overall the sort of plotless wandering of them and singular POV style (were all the stories the same main character? I don't think so but they all seemed the same) kept me from being fully engaged. I don't know how to rate this, maybe a 2.75.

odesszaaa's review against another edition

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reflective medium-paced

annereads33's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

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

3.0

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