Reviews with content warning for Alcohol - Paul Takes the Form of a Mortal Girl

Reviews tagging 'Alcohol'

Paul Takes the Form of a Mortal Girl by Andrea Lawlor

18 reviews

golpesar818's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny lighthearted sad slow-paced

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

4.0

my only critique would be the interludes and random short stories unrelated to the plot scattered throughout the book, in my opinion, didn’t do much to advance the story, so i found them a bit distracting. i loved the writing, except the parts that went into literary-academic speak territory, and at times it was too referential (and i say this because a lot of it i wasn’t familiar with!). but the humor, heat, and heartbreak, the subtle magical realism and realness, and the journey through queer history and underground was sublime. oddly, i find myself thinking of paul’s character constantly and his silent judgments of our social world.

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eegray's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful lighthearted mysterious reflective sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

endless
sexy
eternal

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bronzeageholly's review against another edition

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emotional funny mysterious reflective medium-paced

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

5.0

In one word? Masterful.

Paul/Polly’s character is so well crafted she/he could walk off the page and I wouldn’t know they weren’t real.

This is a book of personal journey, perfect for those who love a flawed protagonist. We drift with Paul/Polly as they tackle passion, grief, guilt, loss, gratitude. We are afloat in the heady haze of existence with them, learning (or not learning) about themselves along the way.

Change is omnipresent for Paul/Polly, most significantly in their gender fluidity but also in friendships, living situations, identity, jobs, relationships, music, and bars.

The short stories that were placed throughout the text were so enticing. They reminded me a lot of Jerome K Jerome’s ‘Three Men in a Boat’; the reader is left wondering whether there is something a little more we were meant to get from the tale, another moral left to find, an extra metaphor left to uncover.

All in all, this book is a stunning and unreserved tribute to community, to finding ourselves, to being aware of ourselves, to queer theory and queer love and queer freedom.

((definitely an 18+ read!))

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artstitute's review against another edition

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adventurous hopeful mysterious reflective slow-paced

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

4.0

This book was slow, quiet, and reflective, and I was happy to settle back and be along for the ride. Paul's kind of a dick, but I have a soft spot for him anyway.

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ramalam98's review against another edition

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reflective medium-paced

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

4.0

This is such an interesting book and definitely one to reread at some point.

I truly feel like it defies categorisation - it's slice of life but action-packed but just vibes but completely alien but mundane.

Paul as a character is obnoxious and self-obsessed but in a way that is so obviously because he feels lost within the world and within himself that you can't help but love him. The book follows about a year of his life in the early 90's, and while I wasn't around back then to confirm, the time and place felt so vibrantly captured.

It's a very compelling book, though slow at times and I think either a bit more plot or a bit more character development would have given it a higher rating from me.

Also as a warning, it's one of those books with a lot of sex but none of it is particularly pleasant to read.

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gwarren's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted 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? Yes

3.0

An interesting take on gender, sexuality and fluidity. Lots of parts I enjoyed, others I felt I was losing a connection with the character more than how it was suggested I should be...

Liked the ambiguity of the ending and the chaos Paul/Polly's life seemed to follow throughout the narrative and appreciated the sex positive, non-binary, shape-shifting protagonist.

Also want to mention how grounded the setting of the story was. There were so many references to 90's pop culture, the LGBT+ community, the AIDS crisis (and it's after effects) and similarities between today's queer youth to then.

Overall, an enjoyable story with lots to sink your teeth into. May read again in the future.

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pkc's review against another edition

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funny mysterious medium-paced

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

3.25

I think any book that gives me so much frustration around the central protagonist will always be annoying and I’ll find it challenging. The premise was wild and the prose was funny in places, but there was little to no character development so I’d say that’s something to bear in mind as you undertake this one.

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