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rieviolet's review against another edition
I started the book without knowing much about it, except that it's a collection of essays. I enjoyed some chapters more focused on the author's family history, on literature and translation, but a lot of them were just so hard to get through. Some of the topics were just not interesting to me personally (art and psychoanalysis), some others were too much specialized for a layperson like me (philosophy and science), and some were just on subjects that I do not enjoy reading about because they usually end up rubbing me the wrong way (parenthood and pregnancy). I tried my best but I'm not keen to keep on reading.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Racism, Sexism, Xenophobia, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Moderate: Mental illness, Transphobia, Blood, Antisemitism, Islamophobia, Medical content, Cannibalism, Murder, and Classism
Minor: Ableism, Animal death, Cancer, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Pedophilia, Racial slurs, Rape, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicide, Excrement, Colonisation, and War
tiurina's review against another edition
2.0
a promising beginning and an extremely disappointing end.
some of the first essays in the book touched me deeply and i was so excited to continue reading this book. in the middle, i sometimes felt dull and unrelatable, but still enjoyed her writing style. the end ruined everything. it was incredibly boring and I found the final essays to have a big lack of references.
good ideas on various topics with a nice feminist touch, but a bad realization.
some of the first essays in the book touched me deeply and i was so excited to continue reading this book. in the middle, i sometimes felt dull and unrelatable, but still enjoyed her writing style. the end ruined everything. it was incredibly boring and I found the final essays to have a big lack of references.
good ideas on various topics with a nice feminist touch, but a bad realization.
itslibraryofbea's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
informative
reflective
fast-paced
4.0
pianorunner421's review against another edition
4.0
As with any collection, I connected with some of these essays more than others. But, in every single one, I found ideas to ponder, thought trails to follow, and ways to expand my knowledge. I have never ready Hustvedt's work before and only read this because it came in my monthly Feminist reading box. I don't usually read essays or short stories. I prefer a narrative novel, or non-fiction. What I loved about these essays, and what kept me coming back is that they were thoroughly thought out and written. No idea was truncated because it was an essay instead of a full length book. Also, the flow of the essays made so much sense when reading for extended periods of time back to back. That said a reader could pick this up, read any one essay from anywhere in the book and not feel like information was missing.
aqrio's review against another edition
challenging
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
zotty's review against another edition
challenging
informative
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Misogyny, and Death of parent
_maddsharks_'s review against another edition
3.75
Really good, loved the first two essays, but then the pace really slowed down. There were some amazing and v juicy lines, but overall was just an ok read for me!
vaeryy's review against another edition
4.0
incredibly thought-provoking essays, with a writing style i can only describe as 'the healthiest and most fascinating marriage of poetry and prose'. siri hustvedt stan right here.