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kairhone's reviews
268 reviews

House of Splendid Isolation by Edna O'Brien

challenging emotional slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I most looked forward to the conversations between Josie and McGreevy; Josie being surprised by her own fearlessness in challenging him and his growing softness and vulnerability. They see each other as allies eventually, and it's McGreevy that pushes Josie to realize that she's more nationalist than she thought. I enjoy Josie's journal entries where she contemplates her loneliness and her desire to learn about this man and goad him into friendship after years of being outcasted by her neighbors. It's in these moments that Edna's writing is strongest. She attempts this same vignette into Irish inviduals, but the other characters lack intrigue. I wanted to spend more time in the old house with Josie and her captor.

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Sick Magazine, Issue 01 by Olivia Spring

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emotional hopeful informative fast-paced

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Content Warnings

Fierce Attachments by Vivian Gornick

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Did not finish book.

Sure it was written in the 80s but certain terms are too difficult to hear as a contemporary reader

Queer Little Nightmares by David Ly, Daniel Zomparelli

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adventurous medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.75

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Amateur: A Reckoning With Gender, Identity and Masculinity by Thomas Page McBee

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hopeful reflective fast-paced

3.5

Thomas begins recreational boxing shortly after his transition, which launches him into an examination of what masculinity means for society as a whole and what it means for him, personally, now that other perceive him as male.

This brief memoir is concerned with the idea of passing, not just physically, but behaviorally/morally, etc. Thomas reflects on ways in which he adopts the toxic characteristics attributes to masculinity: he tallies each time he speaks over a female colleague, how many times he takes a male colleague more seriously. Is it possible to be a man outside of the sexist and often violent societal expectation?

Within the aggressive atmosphere of a boxing ring is a tender study of male friendship and surprising bonds that form when men are liberated from bravado and machismo.

Voice of the Fish by Lars Horn

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challenging emotional informative reflective medium-paced

4.5

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