Reviews

Sweetlust: Stories by Asja Bakić

lizzienorthcutt's review against another edition

dark funny mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? N/A
• Strong character development? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

versmonesprit's review against another edition

medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

0.25

I wanted to read Mars instead but Scribd made it unavailable. I have no clue if that would have made me like Bakić more, but I know this one made me deeply dislike her as an author.

These are the sort of short stories that make you believe something must be about to happen, but they’re so lacklustre that things never get interesting. All the first person narrators had the same voice, all the stories ultimately felt like increasingly cheaper copies of the previous ones. Some were so stupid and cringy that they gave me secondhand embarrassment.

I listened to the audiobook, and because I started when I still had time for over an hour long morning walks, I hadn’t realised just how much I hated the narrator’s literal slow motion reading and the comically long pause before overpronouncing Bosnian names. I had to speed up to 1.8x for it to become normal reading speed.

This is yet another “feminist” book described so to bank on lukewarm shit that is somehow popularly lauded, and not a genuinely feminist book with actually feminist things to say.

mehakyyy's review

dark mysterious medium-paced

4.0

rubyseemorebooks's review

dark lighthearted relaxing tense fast-paced

3.5

Goood collection, each one different, writing style is plain. 

ksuthie's review

challenging dark reflective medium-paced

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

3.5

dcfelk's review

adventurous dark mysterious medium-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

Read it super fast, but felt like cohesion was lacking. 

kiramke's review

challenging dark funny reflective medium-paced

4.5

A little dark and snarky, in a great way.

annayareads's review

dark emotional funny sad tense fast-paced

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

3.75

Sweetlust shows the dangerous and deliciously dark side of sex. In each story, women are well-rounded characters with desires that are relatable if not always palatable. Some stories were stronger than others. The final one "The Sorrows of Young Lotte" might just be my favorite. The translation is wonderful! It all reads naturally, and while I'm not too familiar too familiar with Bosnia or Eastern Europe in general, I feel like I didn't miss too much from the stories. Definitely recommend!

katepilled's review

adventurous funny hopeful reflective fast-paced

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

3.5

I liked this collection of short stories, but I did not love them, and I like some more than others. It was good, and I plan to read again soon, while I still have it checked out from the library. There must be some Easter eggs I missed the first time that might make me like it more and push this review to an actual solid 4 stars. For now it is a 3.5! 

Interesting ensemble of stories about sexuality, climate change, and science fiction tropes through a critical feminist lens set in the balkans.

eym's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional funny reflective fast-paced

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

5.0

Entertaining and creative fiction about future scenarios and magical situations. Explores a wide range of issues and provides a feminist perspective.