The ramblings of a bibliophile.
There are so many issues with gender and courting. There’s also so many things about it that are ridiculously fun. But those people that think women are just something to prey upon? Well, that’s where it gets seriously problematic… and this novella perfectly encompasses that. By featuring a backdrop of a seminar designed to get women into bed… in the worst way possible.
This is kind of a strong story. It intertwines death, feminism and the choices we make in life. And it truly asks the question: what is right and what is wrong? Where are the shades of grey? Or in the case of this story, where are the shades of the Grey Ladies? After all, they haunt through this story in an eerily familiar way with each flick of a page.
There are books that will completely change your world. Reconfigure everything that you think, believe and feel and make the whole world slot into a new form. That’s what this book was for me. When I bought this book, when I first started reading it, I was fully expecting an intriguing tale. One that would be about some amazingly strong women in the past. But not anything beyond a really good read. I was wrong. I felt like my entire reality was shattered and then remade as I read this.
Crows are kind of fascinating birds. And although there are some more horror-inspired relations to them, I love their symbolic connection to tricksters. Anytime I read a story that mentions these birds in any way, shape or form, I feel completely drawn in. The fact that this short story not only included that aspect, but also a woman’s will to become something more than just a mother and a wife… well, I fell in love with it completely.
This is such a great fairy tale! It’s filled with beautiful pictures, different outlooks (like an ogre dancing) and a great couple at the very centre. The fact that this great couple happens to be a lesbian one just makes this story all the sweeter and greater. It becomes this beautiful, encompassing storyline that makes you swoon again and again and again.
The flow of this is not even remotely what I’m used to, or what I expected. Jane’s story is told, but it is also partnered with the wording in her fliers. Quick, pithy sentences that get the point across – mostly about feministic values such as equality. Or at least, that was what I got out of this story.
Read more The Anachronist’s Cookbook by Catherynne M. Valente
This book isn’t the kind that I normally read. That’s not to say that I didn’t thoroughly enjoy it. But it is certainly a different way to spend a few days. And it was definitely an education. One that I will probably repeat at some point in the future. I get the feeling that this novel is one that will reveal hidden gems with each and every re-reading. And when I’m in a more reflective mood, there are going to be some amazing gems that reveal themselves.
I loved Rejected Princesses. I loved this. There are no other words for my feelings when it comes to this book. Finally, finally there are some great books out there on the many women in history! The fact that this is one about women who are mothers and also completely kick ass makes it much better. It’s a reminder that we can be mothers as well as politicians, doctors, just women of power and change in general. I actually can’t wait to show these books to my future (theoretical) children – to show them the many different things that they can become. And even the women who have helped to pave the way for this.
I loved, loved, loved, loved, loved, loved, loved, loved, loved, loved, loved, loved, loved, loved, loved, loved, loved, loved, loved, loved, loved, loved, loved, loved, loved (okay, you get the point) this book! I even informed my partner that this is a perfect book from what to select (our entirely theoretical) future baby girls name from.
I bought this book because I’ve seen the ads for the movie. I, as always, wanted to read the book before I watched the movie – there’s just something far more satisfying about reading the words before watching the adaptation. And I was not disappointed in the slightest. Although this is a pretty heavy going book. At least for someone like me, who has almost no knowledge of American history and, more specifically, the challenges faced by African-Americans throughout the past.
