Reviews

Ten Women by Marcela Serrano

margardenlady's review against another edition

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? No

4.0

Each chapter is an in depth character sketch of one woman. Nine of these are patients of a therapist. The final chapter identifies three therapist’s story. Each of these women is relatable, and conveys a truth of the difficult lives endured by women worldwide.

mariandiepb's review against another edition

reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

dangelomreid's review against another edition

emotional fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character

3.0

alsudik's review

slow-paced

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

2.0

gracielaaguilar01's review against another edition

emotional informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

itselv's review

”أفكر أحيانًا في أنّ قصة إحدانا هي على الدوام جزء من قصة أخريات.“
‏‎من أكثر الكتب شاعريةً وجمالًا -لهذه السنة- على الإطلاق. يتحدث عن تسع نساء تجمعهنّ طبيبة نفسية واحدة، تدعوهنّ للاجتماع والحديث عن مشاكلهن وما جعلهن يأتين للطبيبة من الأساس. وفي النهاية تتحدث هيّ -الطبيبة- عن حياتها الشخصية.

‏‎في الكتاب عدّة قصص أخَّاذة للغاية، والترجمة جيدة وإن بدت لي في البداية هامدةً بلا روح. كانت القصص مغلفة بشاعرية عذبة، تنوعت الشخصيات والأحداث، وتشاركنّ جميعًا في الألم والأسى. بطبيعة الحال لا أتفق مع كل قصة وكل رأي وكل مبدأ، ولكن في كل قصة أجد فيها شيئًا من نفسي؛ همًّا، أو فكرةً، أو لحظة، أو أحساسًا وشعورًا، أو أملًا.

حرق: أخيرًا، لم يعجبني فصل الدكتورة النفسية، لم أتعاطف معها أبدًا وربما كان ذلك لكونه سُرد بلسان مساعدتها وليس لسانها هي، كذلك استغربت من قرارها في السفر لفترة في حين أنه من الواضح أنّ بعض مرضاها لا زالوا في حالة غير مستقرة لإيقاف العلاج أو الجلسات وإن كان لفترة مؤقتة. كانت القصة جيدة حتى ذلك الفصل، أراه أفسد نهاية الكتاب. لربما لم تعرف الكاتبة كيف تربط قصص هؤلاء النسوة، ولم تجد طريقة أفضل من أن تجمعهم طبيبة نفسية واحدة.

”يُقال أن كل شيء يتكرر، وأن كل شيء يعود للحدوث جيلًا بعد جيل، من الجدات إلى الأمهات وإلى البنات، في خط أبدي. إلى أن تكسر إحداهنّ ذلك، توجه ضربة قوة وتكسر التكرار.“

lanagabriela99's review against another edition

4.0

I got this for free as a Kindle deal at some point and I'm really glad I did because I really enjoyed reading it. The structure is interesting because it's not a story collection per-se but rather a short novel centered around nine women and their therapist who are all meeting together for the first time. Each "story" involves one of the women telling her life story to the group in essence.

Another thing I really enjoyed about this (along with the excellent quality of the prose) was how it brought back many of my memories of living in Chile. For anyone interested in learning more about Chile and Chilean culture, this is a great place to start, as it paints a very real picture of how Chile and Chilean culture is.

flosunshine's review against another edition

emotional inspiring reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

feralreader's review against another edition

3.0

I picked up this book because I was intrigued by the premise. A therapist, gathering all her clients together? Why on earth would she do that? There must be some fascinating reason, because the fact that we have other clients at all is the "it that must not be named" of mental health care. You don't draw attention to it; it just isn't done. Perhaps in Chile.

But there wasn't. It was just an excuse to write ten short stories and call it a novel. They were perfectly fine stories, but the characters didn't interact at all. To add insult to injury, after gathering them all together and putting them on a bus, the therapist didn't even show up!

amani7's review against another edition

dark emotional inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

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

5.0