A review by jennaweston
Poor Things by Alasdair Gray

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

3.5

My initial thoughts are 65% of this book was good, the other 35% was just okay. I got lost in the middle throughout the letters, but really enjoyed the beginning and end of the book that was written more like a book. The addition of watching the movie really added to the experience of reading this book for me as well. 

What I Liked 
  • The characters were all so well written and thought out. 
  • I liked the story overall and whenever we were with Baxter and Candle
  • The layout of the book was fun and different and I liked the illustrations in the physical copy of the book.
  • Interesting question to answer with Bella’s story:
  • It was humorous
  • Bella’s big ‘ole Fuck You to societal norms

What I didn’t like 
  • It was a little too detailed in a sexual way for my taste
  • It’s a DENSE book. I had trouble getting into it fully.
  • It was funny and written in a fun way, but it was a little too twisted for me to enjoy fully
  • The pages on pages of political theory in Bell’s letter…dear gawd
  • Some of the content was rough
Expand filter menu Content Warnings