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tracyreally's review against another edition
4.0
I have never been more relieved to be done with a set of characters than I am right now. There were moments that I liked, but the persistent cruelty really got to me.
robingdorsey's review against another edition
I thought it would be horror. Definitely a slow burn. Might pick it up again in the future.
rainlyt's review against another edition
I just could not get into this book. I tried, but it didn’t work.
rhenbean's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
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
2.0
nasalle2842's review against another edition
Geek Love is fascinating but it's not one that hooked me from the beginning. I'll return to it one day because everything about it so far is good, I'm just not in the right mood for this type of story right now.
janey's review against another edition
3.0
I wanted to like this one more than I actually did. And I liked a lot about it. But ultimately it just didn't hold together for me.
jay_sy's review against another edition
dark
sad
medium-paced
3.0
Geek Love by Katherine Dunn is about a family of circus performers who decide to create their own circus freaks through their children, and the complicated lives of these children, including an albino hunchback, an aqua boy with fins instead of arms and legs, conjoined twins, and a boy with telekinetic powers.
Thoughts while reading:
-Despite the subject matter, it isn’t really grabbing me. I’m not particularly invested in the characters
-Once the story started to get into the history of the family, it became more interesting. It was a little confusing to figure out the characters, since they often go by nicknames. Nevertheless, they have compelling, if dark, personalities, and it’s all so intensely dysfunctional
-After learning more about Mary Lick, I’m so fascinated by her disturbing story, and her ideas of ‘helping’ women by taking away their beauty
-It was interesting to hear how Arty built up his cult, but at the same time, I feel removed from the characters rather than invested in them
-the bagman's story was disturbing, but the confrontation between Arty and the twins was really tense. The relationships in the family were so disturbing and emotionally incestuous, and I hate what Artie did to punish them
-Oh god, once the story reveals Arty’s plan for the twins, I feel an increasingly intense sense of stomach-churning unease. The rest of the story didn’t affect me this much, but the twin’s situation is an absolute nightmare. And poor Chick, being manipulated into all of it
-I feel so bad that for all that their parents profess to love them, the children are 'things' to them, and only matter so much as they bring money to the circus. Even when the father, Al, dies, the mother doesn't think about the children, but of starting all over again (granted, she has gone insane at this point)
I had mixed feelings about this novel. Through most of it, I felt a sense of disconnect from the characters, particularly Olympia, the narrator. Yet, their lives were also fascinating and the drama between them was intense and disturbing. Over all, I would give it a 3 out of 5, since I had to drag myself through a lot of it, and yet it was also thought-provoking
Thoughts while reading:
-Despite the subject matter, it isn’t really grabbing me. I’m not particularly invested in the characters
-Once the story started to get into the history of the family, it became more interesting. It was a little confusing to figure out the characters, since they often go by nicknames. Nevertheless, they have compelling, if dark, personalities, and it’s all so intensely dysfunctional
-After learning more about Mary Lick, I’m so fascinated by her disturbing story, and her ideas of ‘helping’ women by taking away their beauty
-It was interesting to hear how Arty built up his cult, but at the same time, I feel removed from the characters rather than invested in them
-the bagman's story was disturbing, but the confrontation between Arty and the twins was really tense. The relationships in the family were so disturbing and emotionally incestuous, and I hate what Artie did to punish them
-Oh god, once the story reveals Arty’s plan for the twins, I feel an increasingly intense sense of stomach-churning unease. The rest of the story didn’t affect me this much, but the twin’s situation is an absolute nightmare. And poor Chick, being manipulated into all of it
-I feel so bad that for all that their parents profess to love them, the children are 'things' to them, and only matter so much as they bring money to the circus. Even when the father, Al, dies, the mother doesn't think about the children, but of starting all over again (granted, she has gone insane at this point)
I had mixed feelings about this novel. Through most of it, I felt a sense of disconnect from the characters, particularly Olympia, the narrator. Yet, their lives were also fascinating and the drama between them was intense and disturbing. Over all, I would give it a 3 out of 5, since I had to drag myself through a lot of it, and yet it was also thought-provoking
sarenaspookyreads's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0