l1ghtworm's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.5
The writing style in this book was incredibly unique and kept me captivated the entire time! Reading all these different southern queer stories opened my eyes to a different side of history but also allowed myself to feel seen. The stories that I didn’t love just felt slow and difficult to get into and when you finally did it ended.
saram's review against another edition
3.0
Favourite stories: Taylor Johnson's Lightning Man, Bump, The Expectation of Cooper Hill
theythemsam's review against another edition
literally just couldn’t get through them. I feel like at least the 2nd one was trying so hard to be deep but I couldn’t stay to care
chamilton3396's review against another edition
4.0
Stunningly unique. Absolutely surprised in nearly ever story - with so many thoughts lingering.
A queer soon to be classic.
A queer soon to be classic.
buttermellow's review against another edition
challenging
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
3.0
agdistis's review against another edition
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
vetchling's review against another edition
4.0
This is a unique collection with really beautiful writing. It has a very different tone from the short story collections I've been reading the past few years-it's quite melancholy, but also creative and unexpected. I appreciated learning about queer history that I hadn't before, and I liked the deliberate ephemerality of a lot of the stories. Strangely, even though I came away from this knowing I'd read something very good, at times it did feel like a bit of a slog to get through. I had to drag myself through a few of the stories, and even though I finished it just a couple of days ago, I realized while going through reviews that I've forgotten quite a few of them. I think a little bit more humour or levity would have made the collection sparkle slightly more, but that's just a personal gripe. Overall, being immersed in something so queer made me feel at home, and I loved the many creative explorations of gender.