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hillamonster's review against another edition
4.0
Favorite stories:
- Shit Cassandra Saw That She Didn’t Tell the Trojans Because at That Point Fuck Then Anyway
- A Few Normal Things That Happen a Lot
- Marcy Breaks Up with Herself
- Midwestern Girl Is Tired of Appearing in Your Short Stories
- How to Retile Your Bathroom in 6 Easy Steps!
- Shit Cassandra Saw That She Didn’t Tell the Trojans Because at That Point Fuck Then Anyway
- A Few Normal Things That Happen a Lot
- Marcy Breaks Up with Herself
- Midwestern Girl Is Tired of Appearing in Your Short Stories
- How to Retile Your Bathroom in 6 Easy Steps!
otterball's review against another edition
4.0
“This has been a long time coming, which is almost the same as being prepared.” (244)
carrietmills's review against another edition
3.0
It's a cohesive collection in so far as all of the stories dissect, analyze, mock some aspect of womanhood, gender norms, etc. The first couple stories had be chuckling, and I was expecting a sharp, haunting collection similar to Carmen Maria Machado, but many of the stories fall disappointingly flat. Some standouts for me include:
+ A Few Normal Things That Happen a Lot
+ Here Preached His Last
+ First Woman Hanged for Witchcraft in Wales, 1594
+ For A Good Time, Call
+ We Handle It
With 21 stories in the collection, some themes and language begin to feel monotonous. The Disneyland of Mexico and Inishmore both following a teenage girl as she briefly explores another country, tries on a little independence. They both felt a bit stale, a little too slice-of-life. Kirby is a solid writer, and this collection would have been stronger with a bit more aggressive pruning.
+ A Few Normal Things That Happen a Lot
+ Here Preached His Last
+ First Woman Hanged for Witchcraft in Wales, 1594
+ For A Good Time, Call
+ We Handle It
With 21 stories in the collection, some themes and language begin to feel monotonous. The Disneyland of Mexico and Inishmore both following a teenage girl as she briefly explores another country, tries on a little independence. They both felt a bit stale, a little too slice-of-life. Kirby is a solid writer, and this collection would have been stronger with a bit more aggressive pruning.
daydreaminthepages's review against another edition
3.0
"The listening ears of men who think her mad drive her to madness."
This collection of feminist short stories truly was a delight to read. Obviously any short story collection is going to be a mixed bag, with some stories I liked more than others. However there were none of the stories in this collection that I read and actively disliked.
Some of my favourites were "Shit Cassandra Saw that she didn't tell the trojans...", "midwestern girl is tired of appearing in your short stories" and "casper". These stories were all innovative and imaginative, with some written in the style of a restaurant review, a wikihow article and more list based, they were all hugely entertaining to read.
This collection of feminist short stories truly was a delight to read. Obviously any short story collection is going to be a mixed bag, with some stories I liked more than others. However there were none of the stories in this collection that I read and actively disliked.
Some of my favourites were "Shit Cassandra Saw that she didn't tell the trojans...", "midwestern girl is tired of appearing in your short stories" and "casper". These stories were all innovative and imaginative, with some written in the style of a restaurant review, a wikihow article and more list based, they were all hugely entertaining to read.
kotep's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
Great read. Nice mix of stories. Some sad and others quite funny.
kkomatsu's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
thesearethebooks's review against another edition
dark
tense
slow-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? Yes
4.0
paulafschr's review against another edition
4.0
loved it!! especially „a few normal things that happen a lot“ and „the disneyland of mexico“. gwen kirby found words to describe a feeling i didn’t even know i had experienced before. very enjoyable read!
tiinyhawk's review against another edition
dark
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
A really fast-paced and enjoyable collection of frequently supernatural and almost ubiquitously female-led short stories in varied mediums. I really liked almost every story here!