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jsdana's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
z_tennille's review against another edition
1.0
I don't know how to convey, how I feel about this book. Because I have NO idea, how I feel about this book. It's really odd. The writing is well done. If you are allergic to merman sex then, I would pass this one up. There are just many moments in "The Pisces" that I felt super uncomfortable. BUT, I am kinda thinking that was Melissa Broders point of the whole novel. I say, if your interested in the book give it a go, and see where you land.
larvaeya's review against another edition
funny
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Didn't expect this to be sooo sexual damn
I loved how real all the characters felt. Even Theo felt real somehow. Very poetic writing. Never read/thought about the void, the nothingness that way. That whatever fantasy you get to live youll get bored of it some day and crave more and more until it literally devours you.
I think this book touches on a lot of important topics. The need to have something to love and to love you but not wanting it anymore when it gets too real.
Knowing something will destroy you, is destroying you, seeing it destroy your friends, yet still craving the very same thing. How impossible it is to survive the in 21st century.
The mythical aspects (Theo being a merman) felt a little unbelievable at first. Like, how can a merman talk normally to a human? How did he date multiple humans before but noone found out about him? At first, there was a lot of backstory missing for me but it made so much sense in the end. Was Theo ever real? Was he really a merman? Did Lucy imagine it all? We shall never know.
I found the ending a tad predictable, kinda knew dominic was gonna die and lucy wont go with theo. but i really didnt think her sister would forgive her, let alone let her continue living at her place.
But i do lovelove love that lucy got the happy ending she deserves - to feel the nothingness. Feel her emotions and be okay with that.
Definitely a book I'll be thinking about the next few weeks
I loved how real all the characters felt. Even Theo felt real somehow. Very poetic writing. Never read/thought about the void, the nothingness that way. That whatever fantasy you get to live youll get bored of it some day and crave more and more until it literally devours you.
I think this book touches on a lot of important topics. The need to have something to love and to love you but not wanting it anymore when it gets too real.
Knowing something will destroy you, is destroying you, seeing it destroy your friends, yet still craving the very same thing. How impossible it is to survive the in 21st century.
I found the ending a tad predictable, kinda knew dominic was gonna die and lucy wont go with theo. but i really didnt think her sister would forgive her, let alone let her continue living at her place.
But i do lovelove love that lucy got the happy ending she deserves - to feel the nothingness. Feel her emotions and be okay with that.
Definitely a book I'll be thinking about the next few weeks
mickala's review against another edition
4.0
Absolutely insane book. I don’t know if I would ever recommend it to anyone but I really enjoyed it
jenpaul13's review against another edition
3.0
Commitment and intimacy can be big, frightful concepts that cause irrational behavior. For Lucy in The Pisces by Melissa Broder, working through her issues with these concepts highlights her needs and opens an opportunity to find a more interesting relationship.
Having stagnated in her thesis work on Sappho and disillusioned by Jamie, her boyfriend of over a decade, Lucy is convinced by her older half-sister Annika to leave Phoenix for L.A. to regroup and recover while house- and dog-sitting for her. By looking after a diabetic dog, going on a few Tinder dates, and attending a love-addiction therapy group, Lucy comes to learn that love can take different forms and looking after oneself is paramount to offering anyone else affection. When she meets the night swimmer Theo on the oceanfront rock she was seated on contemplating things in her life, Lucy becomes enamored with the idea of this younger man, shifting her perception of self and self-worth.
To read this, and other book reviews, visit my website: http://makinggoodstories.wordpress.com/.
After a slow start there's an interesting premise buried about halfway through the narrative, where the pacing and intrigue picked up a bit. I found Lucy to be a rather annoying character and didn't become fully invested in what was happening to and around her until the explanation of Theo's mysterious nature piqued my interest; however, even this didn't feel fully developed and came off as more of a one-off situation or a poorly drawn metaphor. Many of the characters presented in the novel, though offered solely through Lucy's perspective, are crudely drawn, perpetuating stereotypes and proffering harsh judgement based on her skewed perception of herself and outlook on life. While some of the writing seemed to be a bit too flowery or too graphic, I did enjoy how Lucy's narration and exploration of her anxieties is brutally honest and often toyed with boundaries while making use of common situations that can make people uncomfortable.
Overall, I'd give it a 2.5 out of 5 stars.Commitment and intimacy can be big, frightful concepts that cause irrational behavior. For Lucy in The Pisces by Melissa Broder, working through her issues with these concepts highlights her needs and opens an opportunity to find a more interesting relationship.
Having stagnated in her thesis work on Sappho and disillusioned by Jamie, her boyfriend of over a decade, Lucy is convinced by her older half-sister Annika to leave Phoenix for L.A. to regroup and recover while house- and dog-sitting for her. By looking after a diabetic dog, going on a few Tinder dates, and attending a love-addiction therapy group, Lucy comes to learn that love can take different forms and looking after oneself is paramount to offering anyone else affection. When she meets the night swimmer Theo on the oceanfront rock she was seated on contemplating things in her life, Lucy becomes enamored with the idea of this younger man, shifting her perception of self and self-worth.
After a slow start there's an interesting premise buried about halfway through the narrative, where the pacing and intrigue picked up a bit. I found Lucy to be a rather annoying character and didn't become fully invested in what was happening to and around her until the explanation of Theo's mysterious nature piqued my interest; however, even this didn't feel fully developed and came off as more of a one-off situation or a poorly drawn metaphor. Many of the characters presented in the novel, though offered solely through Lucy's perspective, are crudely drawn, perpetuating stereotypes and proffering harsh judgement based on her skewed perception of herself and outlook on life. While some of the writing seemed to be a bit too flowery or too graphic, I did enjoy how Lucy's narration and exploration of her anxieties is brutally honest and often toyed with boundaries while making use of common situations that can make people uncomfortable.
Overall, I'd give it a 2.5 out of 5 stars.
Having stagnated in her thesis work on Sappho and disillusioned by Jamie, her boyfriend of over a decade, Lucy is convinced by her older half-sister Annika to leave Phoenix for L.A. to regroup and recover while house- and dog-sitting for her. By looking after a diabetic dog, going on a few Tinder dates, and attending a love-addiction therapy group, Lucy comes to learn that love can take different forms and looking after oneself is paramount to offering anyone else affection. When she meets the night swimmer Theo on the oceanfront rock she was seated on contemplating things in her life, Lucy becomes enamored with the idea of this younger man, shifting her perception of self and self-worth.
To read this, and other book reviews, visit my website: http://makinggoodstories.wordpress.com/.
After a slow start there's an interesting premise buried about halfway through the narrative, where the pacing and intrigue picked up a bit. I found Lucy to be a rather annoying character and didn't become fully invested in what was happening to and around her until the explanation of Theo's mysterious nature piqued my interest; however, even this didn't feel fully developed and came off as more of a one-off situation or a poorly drawn metaphor. Many of the characters presented in the novel, though offered solely through Lucy's perspective, are crudely drawn, perpetuating stereotypes and proffering harsh judgement based on her skewed perception of herself and outlook on life. While some of the writing seemed to be a bit too flowery or too graphic, I did enjoy how Lucy's narration and exploration of her anxieties is brutally honest and often toyed with boundaries while making use of common situations that can make people uncomfortable.
Overall, I'd give it a 2.5 out of 5 stars.Commitment and intimacy can be big, frightful concepts that cause irrational behavior. For Lucy in The Pisces by Melissa Broder, working through her issues with these concepts highlights her needs and opens an opportunity to find a more interesting relationship.
Having stagnated in her thesis work on Sappho and disillusioned by Jamie, her boyfriend of over a decade, Lucy is convinced by her older half-sister Annika to leave Phoenix for L.A. to regroup and recover while house- and dog-sitting for her. By looking after a diabetic dog, going on a few Tinder dates, and attending a love-addiction therapy group, Lucy comes to learn that love can take different forms and looking after oneself is paramount to offering anyone else affection. When she meets the night swimmer Theo on the oceanfront rock she was seated on contemplating things in her life, Lucy becomes enamored with the idea of this younger man, shifting her perception of self and self-worth.
After a slow start there's an interesting premise buried about halfway through the narrative, where the pacing and intrigue picked up a bit. I found Lucy to be a rather annoying character and didn't become fully invested in what was happening to and around her until the explanation of Theo's mysterious nature piqued my interest; however, even this didn't feel fully developed and came off as more of a one-off situation or a poorly drawn metaphor. Many of the characters presented in the novel, though offered solely through Lucy's perspective, are crudely drawn, perpetuating stereotypes and proffering harsh judgement based on her skewed perception of herself and outlook on life. While some of the writing seemed to be a bit too flowery or too graphic, I did enjoy how Lucy's narration and exploration of her anxieties is brutally honest and often toyed with boundaries while making use of common situations that can make people uncomfortable.
Overall, I'd give it a 2.5 out of 5 stars.
xkarenina's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
claireaqua's review against another edition
1.0
This book is weird af. I don’t know how or why I read the whole thing.
jaclyncrupi's review against another edition
5.0
This was EVERYTHING I want from fiction and I loved it without reservation. It’s been so long since I fell so hard and so completely for a novel. Perfection. It’s that funny/depressing exploration of existential pain, suffering and ennui I love so much while being the exact kind of weird that speaks to me. Broder takes us deep into the void (as she did in her essay collection SO SAD TODAY) and offers us the absurd – merman love! – and I was all about it. Honestly, you quite simply have to read this book especially if you’re a fan of Alissa Nutting, George Saunders, Patty Cottrell, Gabe Habash or any other contemporary author willing to push a narrative and their writing to its limits. It’s the kind of book that makes me very excited about the possibilities of fiction!