Reviews tagging 'Self harm'
The Care and Feeding of Ravenously Hungry Girls by Anissa Gray
2 reviews
katievh's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-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
3.5
Moderate: Self harm, Child abuse, Eating disorder, and Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Death of parent, Fatphobia, Homophobia, and Addiction
alas_aly's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
The Care and Feeding of Ravenously Hungry Girls has a great title. I didn't love the book. As an example of the subjectivity of art, it didn't do much for me. Let me first talk about what worked. I think that the writing was good. The characters felt fully realized. The premise was interesting. The relationships between the characters felt authentic based on how they were described in the story.
For the things that didn't work for me. I didn't relate to the story. I don't think of relatability as a requirement for a good book. I am looking for the characters in the book to feel authentic even if I am not like them. I want to be able to understand them. Their motivations didn't make sense to me. We spend time learning about the sisters' issues and about their pasts. There isn't as much time spent showing how their latter connects to the former. I almost feel like the story would have been more compelling to me if it had been written from Althea's daughters' perspectives. I guess I wanted there to be more hunger in this book. The characters didn't seem to want anything in particular. Or we meet them after their desires have already impacted their lives. When I think of hunger, I think of yearning and emptiness. I didn't get either of those things from this book. Maybe if I had read it at another time, it would have had a different impact. This was a middle of the road book for me.
For the things that didn't work for me. I didn't relate to the story. I don't think of relatability as a requirement for a good book. I am looking for the characters in the book to feel authentic even if I am not like them. I want to be able to understand them. Their motivations didn't make sense to me. We spend time learning about the sisters' issues and about their pasts. There isn't as much time spent showing how their latter connects to the former. I almost feel like the story would have been more compelling to me if it had been written from Althea's daughters' perspectives. I guess I wanted there to be more hunger in this book. The characters didn't seem to want anything in particular. Or we meet them after their desires have already impacted their lives. When I think of hunger, I think of yearning and emptiness. I didn't get either of those things from this book. Maybe if I had read it at another time, it would have had a different impact. This was a middle of the road book for me.
Graphic: Eating disorder, Child abuse, Physical abuse, Body shaming, and Confinement
Moderate: Death, Self harm, Infidelity, Homophobia, and Vomit
More...