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mabelsyrup's review against another edition
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Mrs Caliban was a book that surprised me but also it left me feeling like it didn’t deserve it, i went into this expecting something that would remind me of The Shape of Water; a love story that’s bizarre and epic and heartwarming and a bit unhinged. While I did get some of those feelings out of it, I wanted a lot more, maybe it's my fault for expecting so much from a book that doesn’t even get to 150 pages idk.
I did enjoy reading Dorothy’s thoughts and the more I think about it the book is clear on the fact that this love affair she’s having is just a hallucination, a creation her brain made to help her cope with loneliness, feeling like she has no purpose and like her world is over, which when I say it like that it’s pretty fvcked up how her brain, even after creating this beautiful dream scenario, will still remind her that she IS all alone in the end. Larry was a lovely lover tho, even if he wasn’t real.
Some of the writing fell a bit flat for me, and every time she went over to Estelle’s house it just dragged onnn for no reason imo; they’d be talking about the most random things and it’s supposed to make you feel connected to these ladies and their friendship but it didn’t work for me. Regardless I enjoyed my time with it and even tho it wasn’t the romance I was expecting i’m glad i read it.
“Dorothy would lean her head against the wall and seem to herself to be no longer living because no longer a part of any world in which love was possible.”
“No matter how much you loved someone, there was a limit to the amount of crying you could stand hearing.”
“She tried to imagine what his world could be like. Perhaps it was like a child floating in its mother’s womb and hearing her voice all around him.”
“Dorothy still felt like a teenager. At the time when her hope and youth and adventurousness had left her, she had believed herself cheated of those early years when nothing had happened to her, although it might have. Later still, she realized that if she had made an effort, she herself could have made things happen. But now, it didn’t matter. Here she was.”
“the whole idea of medicine had made her a victim. To her it had not brought healing. It had brought death where she was sure death had been avoidable.”
“one wave covering another like the knitting of threads, like the begetting of revenges, betrayals, memories, regrets. And always it made a musical, murmuring sound, a language as definite as speech.”
I did enjoy reading Dorothy’s thoughts and the more I think about it the book is clear on the fact that this love affair she’s having is just a hallucination, a creation her brain made to help her cope with loneliness, feeling like she has no purpose and like her world is over, which when I say it like that it’s pretty fvcked up how her brain, even after creating this beautiful dream scenario, will still remind her that she IS all alone in the end. Larry was a lovely lover tho, even if he wasn’t real.
Some of the writing fell a bit flat for me, and every time she went over to Estelle’s house it just dragged onnn for no reason imo; they’d be talking about the most random things and it’s supposed to make you feel connected to these ladies and their friendship but it didn’t work for me. Regardless I enjoyed my time with it and even tho it wasn’t the romance I was expecting i’m glad i read it.
“Dorothy would lean her head against the wall and seem to herself to be no longer living because no longer a part of any world in which love was possible.”
“No matter how much you loved someone, there was a limit to the amount of crying you could stand hearing.”
“She tried to imagine what his world could be like. Perhaps it was like a child floating in its mother’s womb and hearing her voice all around him.”
“Dorothy still felt like a teenager. At the time when her hope and youth and adventurousness had left her, she had believed herself cheated of those early years when nothing had happened to her, although it might have. Later still, she realized that if she had made an effort, she herself could have made things happen. But now, it didn’t matter. Here she was.”
“the whole idea of medicine had made her a victim. To her it had not brought healing. It had brought death where she was sure death had been avoidable.”
“one wave covering another like the knitting of threads, like the begetting of revenges, betrayals, memories, regrets. And always it made a musical, murmuring sound, a language as definite as speech.”
Content Warnings
Minor: Animal death and Child death
livs_getting_bookish's review against another edition
challenging
dark
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Wow. For a book about a frogman and a depressed housewife engrossed in a passionate love affair, I did not see the ending coming.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death and Pedophilia
natafire's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
3.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death
m_liz's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death and Infidelity
Minor: Sexual content
mermaidsherbet's review against another edition
emotional
funny
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Car accident, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
ottercorg's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
I picked this one up after seeing it in an article, recommended to those who enjoyed Where the Wild Things Are as a child. It was my favorite, so naturally I wanted to give this one a shot.
This was easy, funny, and pleasant. I loved the conversations, particularly between Dorothy and Estelle - they felt so natural and real, as if I was right there in the room with them.
I enjoyed Ingalls’ writing style, and enjoyed the plot. The only reason I’m not giving it a full 5 stars is because the ending was SO fast I nearly got whiplash and it was almost hard to follow. The pace suits the events of the ending, but still, I would’ve appreciated a little more.
This was easy, funny, and pleasant. I loved the conversations, particularly between Dorothy and Estelle - they felt so natural and real, as if I was right there in the room with them.
I enjoyed Ingalls’ writing style, and enjoyed the plot. The only reason I’m not giving it a full 5 stars is because the ending was SO fast I nearly got whiplash and it was almost hard to follow. The pace suits the events of the ending, but still, I would’ve appreciated a little more.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Child death, Death, Infidelity, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Car accident, Murder, and Alcohol
gr8ce_thumser's review against another edition
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Content Warnings
Minor: Child death and Miscarriage
rayannotates's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide
thequeenofsheba3's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death
Minor: Death and Violence
florecita_lectora's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Loved this quirky love affair between Dorothy, a lonely, loveable housewife, and Larry, a frogman that escaped experimentation and torture. They connect and empathise with each other's traumas. And there's lots of avocados, too.
I just wish Dorothy got actual closure with Estelle (or maybe that's just my combative side), but alas, maybe we needed that heartbreaking friend breakup.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity and Gaslighting
Moderate: Child death, Miscarriage, Torture, and Grief
Minor: Car accident