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Tender is the Flesh by Agustina Bazterrica

2.5/5

A Spanish dystopian novel that pictures a reality in which animals carry a disease that promises death, and consequently, mankind turns to cannibalism. The book explores misogyny, government censorship, totalitarianism, emotional isolation and the difference between our perceptions of ourselves versus the reality of our actions.

Though a genuinely interesting concept, the translation loses much and ideas conveyed are purposely visceral as if only to be jarring, expository as if only to be engaging and densely figurative with little substance if only to prove a familiarity of great works without having the merit to become one.

Tender is the Flesh reads as an author's very first novel, and I'd say that it is elementary and introductory— to be fair, it has been Tiktok fodder for a few years, so I knew I should not have suspected more, and the ending of the novel leaves much to be desired.

Overall, very disappointing, and its tackle of women is inherently sexualized and does not, at any point, pass the Bechtel Test (nor attempt to). The central concept of the novel, in my opinion, could never be done well, as it is so gratuitously depraved that I can only imagine that the idea came to her only upon asking herself: "What is the most degrading thing that I can put into words for the shock value of consumers".

But one must congratulate Bazterrica for trying. It earned her a lot of money.

- C by @untamingoftheshrew

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3 months ago

Child of God by Cormac McCarthy

⅖

Lester Ballard is an unintelligent man from rural Tennessee who, at the novel’s opening, has been evicted out of his family home. As is typical of McCarthy’s characters, it is apparent that Ballard has not been given a fair shake or a decent hand to play, but he has, on his own, made things worse than what his setting innately demands. Lester, among other things, is an alcoholic, criminal, vagrant and by the end of the novel, a murderer and necrophile. Child of God is dark and atmospheric, but unlike other works from McCarthy, it lacks substance. Ballard is a half-witted narrator, and McCarthy’s affinity for understatement requires the reader to read, reread and then see what Wikipedia’s synopsis says. A skippable addition in McCarthy’s bibliography, though it posts some of his gorier scenes.

- C by @untamingoftheshrew

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8 months ago

Blood Meridian, or The Evening Redness in the West by Cormac McCarthy

5/5

I finished this book short of a year ago, and I still think about it a few times a week.

McCarthy is the author of No Country for Old Men and The Road. His stories usually take place in 1800s or 1900s rural America, these settings playing an important role in the stories themselves, almost existing as a character in its own right. In Blood Meridian, we follow a young man who is hired as a scalp hunter by an American posse of outlaws commissioned by Mexican officials to displace and dispatch Native Americans along the Texas/Mexican border. In their group is one black man named Jackson, one white man named Jackson, a quiet and blood-thirsty leader named Glanton, convicts, a former priest, and one enigmatic figure known as Judge Holden who may or may not be the devil himself.

Over the course of the novel, the men commit heinous crimes while in service to the Mexican government, and by the third act, they themselves are on the run from both American authorities (Glanton had been avoiding them the entire novel), Mexican authorities (their revelry ended in Mexican cities practically leveled in their wake, not to mention when Native Americans proved scarce, the men happily scalped Mexican citizens) and, naturally, Native tribes. The book is bloody, and no character is left anything brighter than morally gray. To add insult to injury, the characters of this novel are based on true people and the events are based on true occurrences. Through the gore, McCarthy manages to intertwine philosophy and terror, creating a book that will leave something different with each reader.

(Check comments for the rest of this review.) by @untamingoftheshrew

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8 months ago

The Five-Forty-Eight by John Cheever

⅗

I’ve been watching Alfred Hitchcock Presents lately, and this review is on a short story one of the episodes is based on. Cheever was a relatively prolific short story author and is classed among the symbolics, a literary movement that was a reaction to naturalism and realism. In that regard, this story imitates minimalist tendencies a bit more than symbolic ones, especially relating to Cheever’s first-person narration. Blake, the story’s narrator, is a company high-up who fires his secretary after a one-night stand. Little does he know, Miss Dent is freshly out of the state hospital and in possession of a firearm. Sounds interesting, right?

Truthfully, the story is a bit dull, but I don’t, personally, need my short stories to be climatic— I think that’s the fun in a short story. Many are singular drops in proverbial oceans, and their implications are left to garner thought far beyond the story itself. I am unsure, however, if this tale’s symbolic purpose works in the framework of only a few pages. Cheever has a strong grasp on both of the main characters’ psyche, that is a benefit of the story, and it’s worth noting that he does this well, but the ‘symbolism’ that Cheever pointedly wants to convey cannot be illustrated in such a short, serial-like context, resulting in choppy, philosophical sentences that would back a punch if not for so many commas. The soul of the middle-aged career man commuting from the suburbs is there, and Cheever’s candidness is well appreciated, but the story leaves much to the imagination (and not in a deep, considerable way). Some commentary on the tale suggests that the lack of poignancy in the story’s final chapters is meant to relay to the reader that the events that occur in Cheever’s short have no consequence to the narrator, and the story ends much like it begins: with Blake’s overall apathy, lack of empathy and feelings of superiority, and while this take is interesting, I think that thought process begs the question: what is the point of literature? The point of telling a story? taken in Repost by @untamingoftheshrew

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2 years ago

Bartleby the Scrivener by Herman Melville

⁵⁄₅

Currently venturing into surrealism, and as reported by ChatGPT, this novella was a good example of "surreal minimalism". I'm a bit tickled with the essay I wrote a few posts ago about the takeover of AI, and the most recent post we've made being composed using AI, so we brought it right back to the 1800s with a classic and a sketch!

The story was first written in 1863, so if you can get past the clunkiness of the romantics and the classics, the story is a fun, short read. I've been reading Crime and Punishment for so long, and I loathe it so abhorrently that I forgot a lot of books written around 1700-1900 aren't actually horrible.

If you're into surrealism, absurdism or "ok-but-why" type comedy, you'll probably like it!

- C by @untamingoftheshrew

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2 years ago

[It is abominable, unquenchable by touch] by Diane Seuss taken in Tokyo Photographic Art Museum by @untamingoftheshrew

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3 years ago

On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong

⅘.

Stunning and recommended. Vuong is, by nature, a poet, and his prose reads as such. I tend to gravitate towards minimalist writers, but as someone who loves poetry, I can appreciate what Vuong conveys through this exercise of figurative language.

Vuong writes well and he describes incredibly indescribale feelings in a way that is palatabl. One of the most poignant parts of this book includes a sour apple Jolly Rancher, and I think it’s fair to note that impact in elementary language is so hard to wield, but there are so many artists bringing that impeccable creativity to literary and lyrical scenes right now.

At times, it’s intense, but it’s a book for lovers and those who have lost.

- C by @untamingoftheshrew

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5 years ago

Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys

5/5 stars

Whether you’re a fan of Jane Eyre or not – this book is a must read. Wide Sargasso Sea functions as a prequel to the classic novel by Charlotte Bronte, but it tells the story of the madwoman in the attic.

Rhys has an intoxicating style. She describes both characters and their surroundings with ease, and most importantly she is sure to bring to life the narrative of a woman thrown into madness by a man who is not capable of understanding or loving her. The story takes us through many points of view – Antoinette’s, Rochester’s, even the servant Grace Poole’s – to piece together the classic story from a completely different perspective.

If you are a Rochester apologist, this is not the book for you. But if you, like myself, love to watch his world burn, give this book a try. I read Jane Eyre as part of a Victorian literature class in college, and though the novel is fine, this story is so much more alive. The title character of Bronte’s narrative pales in comparison to the dynamic and electric Antoinette. Every character that Rhys writes is intriguing; I would read every single one of their stories. Though this book is less than 200 pages, I could have read a thousand. But perhaps that’s what makes this one so much more beautiful. The sun shines through these pages; the wind blows, the rain falls, and everything between.

Just, read it.

-R by @untamingoftheshrew

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5 years ago

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

⅗.

I wish I could read anything other than dystopian fiction novels, but it seems like that is the unfortunate cross I must bear (decidedly).

No, seriously. I’m trying to mature into another breadth of work, but I’ve reconciled that I probably need to actually read a majority of the classics instead of alluding to them with the only cultural references that have stuck out to me over my studies. That means, I’m going to have to read A Brave New Work, 1984, Animal Farm, nameless others (I hope there aren’t nameless others). It, also, probably means I’m going to have to set aside some time for Austen and the Bronte sisters. I don’t particularly know what my favorite genre is yet, books are such vast works, you know? I don’t consider myself a fan of novels, so I’d say I suffer them all bitterly.

Some are just more insufferable.

Fahrenheit 451 was one of those. I think, societally, we’re past the point where anti-intellectualism is a genuine fear (well… Well.). This book lost its “woke” effect on me, and instead I felt like I was in the passenger seat of Bradbury’s waxing lyrical on how well read he is, but I do find his central characters to be dynamic. This book will get the meager 3 of 5 stars available from me, because of Montag, Mildred, Faber and Captain Beatty. It feels like Bradbury isn’t afraid to write unlikeable characters, but more especially, realistic characters. One of the most moving points of the story is the transition from the first to second act; Montag is begging his wife to read with him, because he needs someone on this journey. Someone who he loves, and for all of her that we miss in this novel, we do see finally: Mildred loves Montag as well! The second act opens, and the woman is trying to read and understand and comprehend; it is because she is human that the rest suffers, but love over the story is impenetrable. It’s the only perfect thing.

(cont.) by @untamingoftheshrew

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5 years ago

The Fly-Paper by Elizabeth Taylor

⅘

Different Elizabeth Taylor.

It would be cool if the actress and socialite Elizabeth Taylor had written this short story, right? It would speak to the duality of women and maybe even be a motif on the male-gaze or performed femininity… missed opportunity. Whatever.

This story is stale in an English way, but also in a psychological way that leads you to ask yourself internal questions as the plot draws to a close-- by the beginning of the third act of this story, I’ve decided: because everything is so mundane, I know that something is about to come out of complete left field. You have an idea what it’s going to be, but not under what circumstances it’s going to take place. I think that’s a good slow burn: not random but not predictable.

I like this story a lot, I like ‘cold horror’, it will leave you with a lot of questions and an ill feeling in your stomach. I’ve been reading a lot of short stories lately, and this is definitely a fundamental add-in to horror shorts.

- C by @untamingoftheshrew

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5 years ago

The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan

4/5 stars

This is a re-read of one of my childhood favorites. I have always been a fan of this genre – kid with amazing talents does extraordinary things against all odds. Maybe people who I grew up with will feel the same. As a kid, I was comforted by the fact that even the most ordinary parts of me could be something important. Today, I am daunted by the idea that a 11 year old boy killed a Minotaur and all I did at 11 was memorize Taylor Swift’s entire discography.

In all seriousness, if you haven’t read this series, you have to. It is funny, educational, heartwarming, and inspiring. There is something of yourself in every character. It is impossible not to love the main 3 characters – Percy, Annabeth, and Grover – and root for them as they go on amazing adventures and do impossible things. Whether you’re 11 or 21, there is no substitute for being genuinely entertained by characters you can’t help but relate to, even if you aren’t a child of a Greek god.

These are stories to pass down to your children to show them the good, the bad, the ugly, and the inspired. I will never regret reading and re-reading stories about Percy Jackson, and neither will you or your kids or your grandkids or all of the above.

- R by @untamingoftheshrew

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5 years ago

Curtain by Agatha Christie

3/5 stars

Murder mysteries – a genre that I expected to love from the very beginning. Listen, I knew Christie was brilliant. She’s branded as the best mystery writer probably ever for a reason. But this story really does take everything that is typical of a good mystery and turn it on its head.

You have the brilliant detective – Poirot, a fan favorite – but the story is not from his perspective. Rather, it is his (kind of bumbling) assistant that tells this dramatic tale. There is a cast of interesting characters who are so intertwined it’s hard to keep up – only they are such perfect strangers that one could never imagine how connected they are. The ending is a dramatic twist with all the answers coming via a letter from a character who is long dead by the time the narrator receives it. Overall, the story was brilliant. I am a HUGE fan of mysteries and shows like Criminal Minds, Psych, Monk, etc., so I am generally pretty good at figuring out who did it. Throughout the story, I tried so hard to catch every insignificant detail and put together the identity of the murderer, but to no avail. The ending is a true surprise, and that makes it all so worth it.

My only complaint is the pace of the story. It is perfectly enjoyable to learn about all the different characters, each with their different quirks and backstories, but I was expecting a murder much sooner than I got one. I am blaming myself for that complaint, though it did hinder my ability to really enjoy the story. Tip: when reading Christie, never expect it to go fast, but expect everything to matter.

- R by @untamingoftheshrew

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5 years ago