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A review by finding_novel_land
Girl, Woman, Other by Bernardine Evaristo
4.0
How does one rate a book so different to what they normally reach for?
A slower paced book not set in a fantasy land with bad boy antagonists falling for heroines 1000 years younger than them, or with young 'chosen one' women fighting to save their country from magical threats with powers they did not know they had. With no fandom to relate to and silently discuss with, no fan-made videos. A book written as much for it's prose as it's purpose.
Maybe it's its Booker Prize winning status, but despite this not being a quick, enjoyable speedy read (of the type I normally rate highly), I cannot help but give this 4 stars out of sheer admiration for the literary talent displayed by Evaristo (anything less that 4* would surely be injustice).
This book has nearly no punctuation at all, the sentences merging together in a poetic fashion I did not expect to get used to so easily and was in awe of from page one.
Yet, one knew who was speaking without speech marks, knew when a sentence ended and another started without full stops. the individual stories of each character (although barely related in some cases to a 'clawing at strings' level that had me rolling my eyes at the level of coincidence. Then again that is the expectation of this type of novel.) merging to create a compilation of short stories that blended together well. Evaristo is clearly an expert at her craft.
I'm clearly an admirer of Evaristo's skill, so why not 5* it?
A five star book for me is a book I am upset at finishing. A can't-put-downer. A 3-day processor. A 'I must read everyone else's opinions of and discuss with everyone'-er.
This was not that book for me.
I can't see myself ever rereading this book (although I will recommend it to everyone I know). I was never particularly phased by the characters and for me it lacked the emotional investment I enjoy when reading (apart from Dominique's story, which had me metaphorically shouting at her to get out of there. What can I say, I live for drama).
That is not to say that I didn't appreciate it for what it was. I did enjoy it, but did not get out of it what I expected: eureka level impact and understanding of those different from me with characters that would live with me forever. That might be my fault though. Maybe I put an unnecessary political agenda on a book that aimed to illustrated the complex lives of Black British women living in the 20th-21st century. Maybe its true purpose, its power, was to show Black woman without agenda, as they are, as people.
And in that case, Evaristo excelled.
A slower paced book not set in a fantasy land with bad boy antagonists falling for heroines 1000 years younger than them, or with young 'chosen one' women fighting to save their country from magical threats with powers they did not know they had. With no fandom to relate to and silently discuss with, no fan-made videos. A book written as much for it's prose as it's purpose.
Maybe it's its Booker Prize winning status, but despite this not being a quick, enjoyable speedy read (of the type I normally rate highly), I cannot help but give this 4 stars out of sheer admiration for the literary talent displayed by Evaristo (anything less that 4* would surely be injustice).
This book has nearly no punctuation at all, the sentences merging together in a poetic fashion I did not expect to get used to so easily and was in awe of from page one.
Yet, one knew who was speaking without speech marks, knew when a sentence ended and another started without full stops. the individual stories of each character (although barely related in some cases to a 'clawing at strings' level that had me rolling my eyes at the level of coincidence. Then again that is the expectation of this type of novel.) merging to create a compilation of short stories that blended together well. Evaristo is clearly an expert at her craft.
I'm clearly an admirer of Evaristo's skill, so why not 5* it?
A five star book for me is a book I am upset at finishing. A can't-put-downer. A 3-day processor. A 'I must read everyone else's opinions of and discuss with everyone'-er.
This was not that book for me.
I can't see myself ever rereading this book (although I will recommend it to everyone I know). I was never particularly phased by the characters and for me it lacked the emotional investment I enjoy when reading (apart from Dominique's story, which had me metaphorically shouting at her to get out of there. What can I say, I live for drama).
That is not to say that I didn't appreciate it for what it was. I did enjoy it, but did not get out of it what I expected: eureka level impact and understanding of those different from me with characters that would live with me forever. That might be my fault though. Maybe I put an unnecessary political agenda on a book that aimed to illustrated the complex lives of Black British women living in the 20th-21st century. Maybe its true purpose, its power, was to show Black woman without agenda, as they are, as people.
And in that case, Evaristo excelled.