Reviews

The Gilda Stories, by Jewelle Gomez

directorpurry's review against another edition

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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? It's complicated

4.5

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ellie_egg's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

salemander's review against another edition

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5.0

SO SO SO GOOD!!!!!!!! an absolutely revolutionary tale of love and found family and what it means to be queer and black in a world that is so dangerous. Gilda is one of my favorite characters in a story ever and this book is gonna stick with me for a WHILE. i just can’t get over the ending and the genuis of writing the end of the world told from the point of view of an immortal being. stunning. 100000000 ⭐️

also i highly recommend the 25th anniversary edition with an amazingly in depth afterword !!! 

fantasticmrethan's review against another edition

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4.0

Powerful and thought provoking. Stunning.

kochi's review

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adventurous emotional inspiring medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

5.0

emmalallenm's review against another edition

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dark slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.0

yazzzaayyyy's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional hopeful reflective fast-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

5.0

Remarkable. A feat of storytelling, power, queerness, and a love letter to the Black community. Gilda is known and loved. Alexis Pauline Gumbs afterword is a beautiful and emotional tribute to a story and an understanding of black feminism and hope.

frahhn's review against another edition

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

4.0

beholdtheanimals's review

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4.0

3.5 stars, rounded up. Okay, so admittedly the writing isn't my favorite favorite, style-wise, but that doesn't change the fact that is a thoroughly radical reimagining of vampire lore that both queers that old canon and injects it with some much-needed BIPOC presence and wisdom. It also presents a vision of the future that feels eerily accurate, a plausible and dark variant of the apocalyptic world we live in. I was shocked when I first heard of this book (through a great Twitter thread that examined Anne Rice's complex legacy after her passing) that I'd never encountered it before, and now that I'm done reading it I can say confidently that it's a damn shame The Gilda Stories isn't widely known as the seminal text it truly is.

In short, read it. This is the queer BIPOC refashioning of vampire lore that you never knew you needed.

dbuchheister's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25