Reviews tagging 'Vomit'

The Harpy by Megan Hunter

7 reviews

carbinara's review

Go to review page

mysterious reflective tense 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

3.5

I found the premise quite interesting, especially in how relatable it was for something quite out there. It was almost childish, they way you’d beg your sibling to hit you back instead of telling mum when you got into fights as a kid and accidentally hurt them. 

I found the ending of the book a little confusing, but still captivating. I think I agree with some other readers that it may have benefitted from a few more pages, although it seemed to be left intentionally vague. That said, I think I may have been a little disappointed if everything was tied up neatly
with Jake and Lucy’s well being explicitly shown.
Expand filter menu Content Warnings

megwilli's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging dark tense medium-paced

3.5

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

coriblake's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

savvylit's review

Go to review page

dark sad fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

Megan Hunter writes absolutely beautiful and compelling prose. All two and a half stars belong to the high quality of Hunter's words. Also, the concept of this book? So enticing. If I see the words "dark fairytale" and "female rage" used to describe a book, it's an insta-read. Unfortunately, though, the execution of The Harpy let me down. There is a whole lot of build-up in this book, all working towards an ending that I found frankly disappointing. Without spoiling too much, Lucy only rarely harnesses her rage. Not only that, but magical realism is another insta-read descriptor of mine that was used by reviewers to describe The Harpy. Honestly, I would barely categorize this as magical realism. There is literally ONE scene that could be described in that way.

How would I summarize this book? Beautifully written but ultimately a lackluster portrait of a sad woman in a sad marriage.
Expand filter menu Content Warnings

conflictheory's review

Go to review page

reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

definebookish's review

Go to review page

challenging dark medium-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

3.75

Trigger warnings for my review, let alone the book itself: violence, abuse, blood, vomit.

A deep purple bruise of a book. Lucy’s husband Jake has an affair with a colleague. In the aftermath, he offers her a means of retribution: she can hurt him three times, physically or otherwise. Obsessed with the harpies of Greek mythology since childhood, Lucy agrees.

I knew this would be an intense read, but I wasn’t quite prepared for its viscerality. Hunter’s prose skates the edge of poetry, sparse and specific and seething. It reminded me a little of Michele Roberts; the blend of contemporary and mythology, the blood-red tang of it, the rustlike aftertaste.

We know from the first chapter that Jake’s third punishment will involve cutting. The first two are equally disturbing, in different ways. So much made me furious on Lucy’s behalf – the way the humiliation of Jake’s infidelity is set at her feet rather than his, the way he makes it clear she’s powerless to make him feel the kind of betrayal he’s inflicted upon her. He’s a smug, casually cruel character, but there’s no satisfaction in seeing him made victim. At times I couldn’t bear reading about it.

The word ‘recommend’ seems irrelevant here. Also the word ‘enjoy’. Writing my thoughts down feels like reviewing the snails at a Michelin-starred restaurant, or the jellied pigeon – they may be objectively exquisite, but I tasted bile. The ending is a little too open for my taste; it felt like petering out, but the rest of it is powerful and intimate and painful. It is exquisite. I didn’t enjoy it. I’d recommend that you make your own mind up.
Expand filter menu Content Warnings

cheye13's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark reflective fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

This is written beautifully. The harpy metaphor is visceral and very relatable. I personally just feel like something's missing, something didn't push far enough.

Stories about "monstrous" women always leave me with this same feeling; "but he cheated on her." And what's worse, the men usually never truly understand the impact of what they've done. Yes, women in revenge narratives often go too far or truly become violent or cruel, but that's what I'm looking for in my revenge fiction – the satisfaction that real life lacks.

I did not expect this to focus so much on their children and in turn on the larger concept of the women's roles in society and in turn again on the concept of self. I expected a deeper interrogation of a single relationship, and perhaps that's where my own expectations let me down.
Expand filter menu Content Warnings
More...