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A review by mweis
Flawless Girls by Anna-Marie McLemore
4.0
*I received an eARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.*
Anna-Marie McLemore writes such beautiful stories that even when the description has me unsure of if I'd like the book I know I'll at least love the prose and that's what happened here.
Flawless Girls is a short novel that functions as an extended metaphor for girlhood and the way women are forced to shave down the "bad" parts of themselves to fit into societal expectations. I loved the social commentary aspects of the story but found myself needing more grounding in the magical realism/horror elements of the story. The prose is lush and evocative and I loved the imagery even if I did sometimes find myself getting lost in the details about gems.
I also loved Isla as a main character and her struggles reconciling her body (especially being intersex) and behaviors with societal expectations of what it means to be a girl. That being said, the rest of the characters felt a little more one dimensional. I think I personally just wanted to see more, especially with regards to the world, and Paz and Renata.
Anna-Marie McLemore writes such beautiful stories that even when the description has me unsure of if I'd like the book I know I'll at least love the prose and that's what happened here.
Flawless Girls is a short novel that functions as an extended metaphor for girlhood and the way women are forced to shave down the "bad" parts of themselves to fit into societal expectations. I loved the social commentary aspects of the story but found myself needing more grounding in the magical realism/horror elements of the story. The prose is lush and evocative and I loved the imagery even if I did sometimes find myself getting lost in the details about gems.
I also loved Isla as a main character and her struggles reconciling her body (especially being intersex) and behaviors with societal expectations of what it means to be a girl. That being said, the rest of the characters felt a little more one dimensional. I think I personally just wanted to see more, especially with regards to the world, and Paz and Renata.