I’ve known about the SCUM manifesto for a very long time (the "man-hating manifesto" by the woman who shot Andy Warhol) but I hadn't read it until nowI’ve known about the SCUM manifesto for a very long time (the "man-hating manifesto" by the woman who shot Andy Warhol) but I hadn't read it until now. To be honest, I didn't think I needed to: I understood it to be a universal truth that it was the ravings of a mentally ill person. It was only recently that I discovered this is far from a universal consensus, and, in fact, some people maintain that SCUM is a work of subversive genius.
This perspective is a hard sell because Solanas' own story works against her. She was clearly a very troubled person who alleged years of sexual abuse by her father, later attempted murder, and was eventually diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia and institutionalized. Somewhere between all of this, she wrote a book proposing the elimination of males (sorry, "biological accidents"). Looks unhinged + sounds unhinged = subversive genius? Hmm.
But, having now read the book, I sort of get it. I don't believe it, but I get it. SCUM Manifesto reads very satirical. From the parts that seem to be parodying the way male philosophers have talked about women over the millennia (Aristotle, Nietzsche, Schopenhauer, Freud), to this:
The male has a negative Midas touch— everything he touches turns to shit.
and
SCUM will conduct Turd Sessions, at which every male present will give a speech beginning with the sentence: "I am a turd, a lowly abject turd," then proceed to list all the ways in which he is.
Which surely cannot be expected to be read seriously. I laughed. If a man had written the same sentences about “females,” I would have laughed too.
You can see why some people read it as parody, as mentioned above. It takes the misogyny of philosophers like Aristotle (women as incomplete males), Nietzsche (women as intellectually inferior), Schopenhauer (women as morally and emotionally deficient), and Freud (penis-envy and inferiority), and flips every one of those claims to the opposite extreme, to the extent that someone familiar with the misogynistic history of philosophy could easily find this comical.
I want to believe that theory— that SCUM was meant as a brilliant inversion of misogyny —but, in truth, I think Valerie Solanas was a deeply wounded woman who poured her fury and pain into this book. I can laugh at parts of it, but not with an entirely easy conscience, because I suspect the humour comes from a place of real suffering....more
It doesn’t matter whether we know what’s good or bad for us, I thought. It doesn’t fucking matter one bit.
3 1/2 stars. I understand why people don
It doesn’t matter whether we know what’s good or bad for us, I thought. It doesn’t fucking matter one bit.
3 1/2 stars. I understand why people don’t like this book. I hesitated over the rating… because who can truly say they liked this book? It is awful and the protagonist is awful. And even if you think she’s not all that bad in the beginning, she gets worse.
That being said, I couldn't put it down. I've never read anything quite like it. I suppose the most apt comparisons are with other fiction about deranged women like, say, My Husband, but this one has an additional magical realism twist. It's an intense, awful, gross, sometimes funny depiction of a breakdown and terrible coping strategies.
The protagonist, Lucy, is in her late thirties when she finds herself stuck in a rut— unable to finish the dissertation she is writing on Sappho, about to have her funding withdrawn, and just out of a long term relationship with a partner who seems to be happily moving on. She is not handling it well. She moves to her sister's home in Venice Beach, ostensibly to pet-sit and attend therapy. Instead, she mostly wallows and has revolting sexual encounters.
Take note: it contains some of the most graphic sex I have ever read, with particular attention paid to the body and all its disgusting secretions. It is not sexy, nor is it supposed to be. Lucy may think she is looking for love or sexual gratification, but what she's actually seeking is validation— and, like most who go seeking validation in sex with random strangers, she finds it doesn't work very well.
The funny depiction of depression combined with the graphic, gross, demoralising sex initially gave me Fleabag vibes, which is a huge plus for me, though Lucy is unlikable in a way that Phoebe Waller-Bridge's Fleabag never was. She is a truly horrific person. I am pretty tolerant of a lot of behaviour during emotional breakdowns, and I enjoy messy women, but, honestly, if I ever become so self-absorbed I (view spoiler)[neglect and abuse an animal (hide spoiler)] then just push me off a cliff. I deserve it.
The spoiler above was the dealbreaker for me and Lucy— it's just something I cannot forgive. But then, I didn't get the sense that Broder was seeking our forgiveness. I think she knew exactly what a POS Lucy was. That's the point. Lucy is an ugly portrait of codependency, its toxic and destructive nature.
While not an enjoyable read in any way, The Pisces demanded I sit and think about it. Right now I'm still pondering the ultimate moral of the story. Romantic love is shit and men suck, so get a dog?
My edition actually contains both the original correspondence published in 84, Charing Cross Road and also Hanff's diaries from her time in London, puMy edition actually contains both the original correspondence published in 84, Charing Cross Road and also Hanff's diaries from her time in London, published separately as The Duchess of Bloomsbury Street. The first half is just so sweet and heartwarming that I have decided to rate for that and not the second half, which I found quite boring and skimmed over.
I don't choose a lot of nice, warm, fuzzy reads. I'm more of a thrills and emotional turmoil kind of reader. But I have to admit it was so lovely reading the letters between Helene Hanff in New York and Frank Doel at the London bookshop Marks & Co. The very fact that they kept it going for so many years, that they shared so much friendship and humour despite never actually meeting, was wonderful. So much of their personalities was put into their letters, as well as a genuine love of literature.
The line between genuine interaction and performance had blurred so completely that sometimes, I wasn’t sure any of us could tell the difference an
The line between genuine interaction and performance had blurred so completely that sometimes, I wasn’t sure any of us could tell the difference anymore.
This book supports the conclusion I reached after reading McCurdy's I’m Glad My Mom Died— that no child can consent to fame and a life in the spotlight.
It's awful at times, but very readable with short, engaging chapters. Every time I have seen a child youtuber or those horrific child beauty pageants, I've wondered a lot of the same questions Franke considers in this book. Namely:
What are the lasting repercussions of growing up on camera, without any say in the matter? How does that constant exposure shape a child’s sense of self, their future relationships, their very understanding of privacy? And what does consent really look like when you’re a child, too afraid to say no?
The combination of living in a real life Truman Show and dealing with an abusive mother behind the scenes made Shari Franke's childhood a nightmare. Now, having escaped and spent some time with her thoughts, she looks back on what happened. Franke distances herself from her mother, Ruby Franke, by calling her by her first name, though she sees Jodi Hildebrandt as the true villain of her story.
I found it very interesting to read her conflicted thoughts on the idea of sharing one's story, which she notes is what Ruby Franke set out to do. On the one hand, sharing your story can be important and empowering, but what about when your story intersects with someone else’s? What about when telling your story violates the privacy of another who is part of that story?
Unlike Jennette McCurdy, I don't think Franke is quite removed enough from the events yet— or, perhaps, simply not quite old enough —to engage with all of the forces that enabled her mother. Occasionally, she touches on the role the LDS church played in what happened, but stops short of discussing how the culture it creates can allow abuses like this to take place. Though I guess it's hard to begrudge her clinging to her faith when so much else has been lost.
Please note that the book contains depictions of domestic abuse, grooming and sexual abuse....more
Karin Slaughter has been hit and miss with me in the past, but this is an excellent thriller made of many intricate layers. I am so glad to hear we caKarin Slaughter has been hit and miss with me in the past, but this is an excellent thriller made of many intricate layers. I am so glad to hear we can expect a series with Emmy and Jude.
There's a lot going on in We Are All Guilty Here. Lots of characters, lots of secrets, lots of mysteries spanning many years. The story turns out to be far bigger than the mystery we are presented with in the beginning, and the pool of potential culprits is large enough to keep you guessing. I also think Slaughter crafted the story in such a way that even if you figure out some of it, you won't figure out all of it, leaving some satisfying reveals for even seasoned mystery readers.
Like the best thrillers, however, the story doesn't hang everything on the mystery, instead allowing the book to be carried by characters that are likable but flawed. Emmy was a character that felt relatable, even though her life is very different from my own. This is because certain aspects of her character-- her dependence on a family member who is her anchor, her poor relationship decisions that impact all around her, her guilt over that one conversation she didn't have --are all things that many of us can understand.
Jude, when she arrives on the scene, seems to be the antithesis of Emmy's emotionally-charged approach to life-- cool, logical, takes no shit --but these kind of outward personas often hide the darkest of trauma and Jude is no exception. It's hard to decide whom I like more.
The stakes feel incredibly high from the very beginning of the book, and there is constantly this awareness of time slipping away as the detectives race against the clock (knowing how the odds of recovery shrink with every passing hour) to bring the missing girls home.
Very intense and compelling. Contains references to sexual assault, child sexual abuse and alcoholism....more
Reviewing Ken Follett at this point is difficult because I feel like I've said it all before. This is another lovely pastoral historical that follows Reviewing Ken Follett at this point is difficult because I feel like I've said it all before. This is another lovely pastoral historical that follows the everyday lives of characters in Neolithic Britain.
The formula works: we've got love stories, historical/technological developments (in this case, early carpentry and stonework), and shitty villains. Follett writes the best scumbags who you love to hate and here Troon was such a petty little tyrant that I enjoyed hating him so much.
Don't be put off by the blurb telling you this is about the building of Stonehenge. As with The Pillars of the Earth, you don't have to have any great interest in architecture to enjoy the stories about all the characters surrounding the central building project. There's plenty of human drama, betrayal and heartache.
In this time, there are three main groups of people: the herders who herd cattle, the farmers who grow crops, and the woodlanders who forage for nuts and berries. Each has their own ways and beliefs, and oftentimes they come into conflict with one another. When the land is hit by a devastating drought, some of them are willing to risk upsetting the others and clashes between the tribes become inevitable.
I love how Follett makes everyday life engaging. There are the bigger political struggles always in the periphery but the focus is on the people, their families, and how they can survive and feed themselves for another winter. His depiction of societies where sexuality is fluid and sexual revels are the norm are a fun blend of archaeological theory and imagination. I'll read whatever he writes next....more
The Last Innocent Hour has come to my attention a few times as one of the "most underappreciated books ever" and “best books you’ve never heard of”, sThe Last Innocent Hour has come to my attention a few times as one of the "most underappreciated books ever" and “best books you’ve never heard of”, so I was very curious. While I always love reading a good book, there’s something especially thrilling about discovering a hidden gem.
But, sorry, I just don't get it.
After the first couple of chapters that engage only because they mention Nazi atrocities, it moves very slowly through the present of the novel—1946 Berlin. I think this was a strange choice on the author's part. A lot of tension is lost by having the book start years after the main events, so we already know how much of it played out. It also drags on forever before we finally flashback to Sally's youth and her romance with Christian.
Another major issue I have is with the romance, and Sally herself. The love story is a big part of this book, to the point that the reader's emotional investment pretty much rests on it, but I wasn't sold. And I think the main reason was Sally. She is such a naive, insipid, wet mop of a character. She reminds me of YA heroines circa 2010 who would see a "beautiful" guy and go brain dead. Her love for Christian seems to entirely consist of an obsession with his beautiful blonde head.
I really wanted to like it and, truthfully, I thought I would. I enjoy historical fiction. Doomed romance is pretty much the only kind of romance that does it for me. And I am very interested in how fascism can seduce innocent individuals with powerful messages, especially as I think this is still very relevant today. But I couldn't get past these characters....more
“As long as no one knows about it, it’s like it isn’t really happening. It’s like it exists in the same way that his fantasies exist, as something
“As long as no one knows about it, it’s like it isn’t really happening. It’s like it exists in the same way that his fantasies exist, as something he’s just imagining.
That’s how it seems to him sometimes.”
How to describe this book? Maybe Stoner but written in a style more reminiscent of Sally Rooney.
I read Flesh because of the Booker and because I sampled it and the beginning seemed interesting. Actually, interesting is a good word to describe this whole book, along with frustrating and sometimes annoying.
It's essentially the life story of an exceptionally reticent man who goes through his life having things happen to him, passively allowing himself to be influenced by external factors and rarely seeming to hold the reins. It begins at fifteen, when István is groomed and sexually abused by an adult woman. This moment of powerlessness is a precursor to the rest of his life.
As a character study, it's both fascinating and infuriating. It shows without telling almost exclusively, to the point that I would have welcomed more direct information and more of István engaging with his own state of mind. Of course, that's not the point, and instead we observe the consequences of István's passivity with almost clinical neutrality. We get whole pages composed of dialogue like:
If you read this book, it is inevitable that you will get to a point where you cannot stand the word "Okay". You may also, like me, feel that some of the narrative jumps were a bit too convenient. The story is episodic— we jump forward months or years between chapters with zero explanation for the in-between. Some of these jumps work fine, while others feel lazy, allowing the author to skip important explanations for how we got from A to B. Though, as much of István’s life seems to occur without rhyme or reason, perhaps that too was part of the point the author was making.
Because of the way it is written, with plenty of fragmented dialogue and minimalist prose, it's a super quick read. It's also a quietly painful one about alienation and moral inertia. István's passivity and his inability to communicate were annoying at times, but I felt sad for him. The ending is abrupt, unsentimental and also devastating....more
It was a cliche, but wild and enjoyable because it was happening to them, this mythic thing they’d heard bout, this thing in quote: “an affair.”
I
It was a cliche, but wild and enjoyable because it was happening to them, this mythic thing they’d heard bout, this thing in quote: “an affair.”
I don't know how to put this other than to say that The Ten Year Affair felt a bit pointless. The blurb describes it as both "hilarious" and "emotionally-charged", neither of which came across for me, and it wasn't long before I lost sight of what I was reading for.
The premise appealed to me as I love character studies about dissatisfied women and complex relationships. Then add to that the exploration of parallel timelines— the fantasy where Cora and Sam have an affair, and the reality where they get on with their boring lives —and I thought it had the potential to be really interesting.
Unfortunately— and this is my big rub with it —the characters are flat and lifeless. This isn't great in any book, but in what is primarily a character study it's unforgivable. Cora's entire personality is desiring Sam. That's it. Everyone was unknowable to me, and my only feeling toward them was a kind of dull dislike. Cora, Sam, Eliot, the kids whose names I have already forgotten... I was given the impression that the characters themselves did not matter here for they were just tools by which the author delivered the central theme/message.
And said message is already laid out for us pretty much in full by the blurb. It asks: ultimately do we really want our fantasies to come true? It can't just be me who can infer the answer from that question. This makes it fairly obvious how things will resolve.
I understood the message. The false flare of passion in the affair, the fantasy, juxtaposed with the mundanity of real life. Yet the delivery of it all was passionless— boring characters, whose interactions even in the drama of the affair read clinical and detached. Cora's narration of this wild fantasy goes like Sam tells me to spread my legs. I come. I come again. I didn't save actual quotes, but you get the idea. I'm hardly caught up in the mad desire of it all.
I don't think Erin Somers is for me. Though with a starred review from Publishers Weekly and a blurb from another brilliant writer (Tony Tulathimutte), I guess this is a me problem....more
Bates intended to make her readers angry with this book and, for me, it worked. Bates' own fury can be felt simmering under every sentence, which makeBates intended to make her readers angry with this book and, for me, it worked. Bates' own fury can be felt simmering under every sentence, which makes it compelling and difficult to look away from.
The New Age of Sexism is a warning about how emerging tech can, and is, being used to promote misogyny and harm women, and it is a call for governments to step up and make the necessary protective laws before a catastrophe happens. Bates dives into deepfakes, the metaverse, sex robots, cyber brothels and AI girlfriends on her way. It's a brilliant companion to her 2020 book: Men Who Hate Women.
If the goal here was to persuade us that these technologies are harmful to women, consider me convinced. One of the most horrifying moments during my reading experience was when Bates wrote of how child sex dolls and robots are, as we speak, legal and available for purchase. I didn't quite believe it until I turned to Google and found myself staring at what should only be described as child pornography. I don't recommend looking; you can't unsee it.
Bates quotes Professor Jesse Fox:
She adds that men who feel urges to be physically violent towards women or children should access help to resolve their problems via behavioural therapy, not enact those urges on inanimate victim substitutes.
Wouldn't you think... duh? But there seems to be a genuine argument in this space that men who are aggressive and have violent feelings towards women should be placated with abusing a woman-shaped robot or an AI chatbot pretending to be a woman. Though studies have repeatedly shown that men don't tend to get these feelings "out of their system"; on the contrary, the behaviour tends to escalate.
And if you can read the chapter about deepfakes without screaming, good on you. Bates points out how the victim-blaming of women is never-ending, with constantly shifting goalposts. When revenge porn made headlines, women were blamed for being slutty and stupid-- just don't take nude photos, for crying out loud! Now that deepfakes enable anyone to create a realistic nude or pornographic video from as little as a profile photo, the conversation has once again turned to how women can prevent it by not sharing images of themselves and having strict privacy controls on social media. The message sent is thus: if you want to be free from male violence then you have to hide your face. She puts it more eloquently, but Bates' response can be summed up as: FUCK YOU.
I didn't give it five stars because I think it got a bit repetitive, with the first couple of chapters being the strongest. Some of the later chapters felt a bit thin and regurgitated a lot of earlier points. AI can certainly contribute to misogyny, but only in so many ways, and perhaps not enough to pad out a 300+ page book. For example, I think Deepfakes and Image-Based Sexual Abuse could have been condensed into one chapter, and the chapters on Sex Robots, Cyber Brothels and AI Girlfriends seemed to reiterate a lot of the same points.
It's still essential reading, though. I consider myself fairly well-informed about tech and feminism, but there was plenty here that was new to me....more
I enjoyed the characters, the (totally pretentious) literary dis2 1/2 stars. Heart the Lover is my first read by Lily King and I have mixed feelings.
I enjoyed the characters, the (totally pretentious) literary discussions and the (view spoiler)[romantic red herring (hide spoiler)] in the beginning. Most of all, I loved the bittersweet tone of the whole story. The protagonist is a writer and the book is framed as her finally writing a story about "you", though we don't know who "you" is for a while. It is written in a way that is wistful and melancholy, so that I read feeling inexplicably sad even when nothing sad was happening.
The problem was that the more I read, the more sentimental it became. The pretentious philosophical musings swing back and forth between vaguely interesting and deeply annoying, and I got to the point where the combination of sentimentality and philosophizing made me wonder if I hadn't picked up a John Green book by mistake.
As we got into the later chapters, I was moved by what was happening but also irked by the cheesiness of some of the character interactions. I also thought it was easy to predict what we were building towards-- even early on in the novel --and was disappointed to see I was right....more
"Why don't you leave, Neema?" But she didn't want to leave. She wanted to prove them all wrong. The fuckers.
4 1/2 stars. Oh my, I loved this so so
"Why don't you leave, Neema?" But she didn't want to leave. She wanted to prove them all wrong. The fuckers.
4 1/2 stars. Oh my, I loved this so so much. I loved the characters and the witty dialogue. I loved how tense it was and how it made me both excited and furious. And I just adored Neema. Between this and M.L. Wang, 2025 has been the year that has reignited my love for fantasy.
And I do mean fantasy and not romantasy, which I was a bit worried this would be. It's not. It's epic fantasy / dark academia with fascinating world-building and mythology, plus a large cast of really complex, funny, awful and wonderful characters. I am only giving it 4 1/2 stars and not 5 because I was waiting for an explanation for something and, while I got it, I was not fully satisfied with it. (view spoiler)[We needed an explanation for the scene of Yana's exile after finding out about you know who, but I found the explanation weak. I went back to read that initial scene and it just doesn't seem to fit with what we find out later. (hide spoiler)]
I got into this story very quickly. We are dealt an awful shocker early in the book and it got my attention pretty quick. Then we fast forward eight years to the trials for the next emperor. Seven brave warriors must compete in a series of challenges and fights to determine who will be the next ruler. But the night before the trials are set to begin, one of the contenders is murdered.
Neema is a raven scholar and exactly my kind of person. Though she's shunned and looked down on by her peers for being from Scartown (among other reasons). When Neema is ordered to investigate the murder, she is surprised to find herself digging deep into Orrun's history and folklore, exposing alliances and old grudges.
We've got trials for the throne, a murder mystery, two ex lovers rubbing each other all the wrong ways (ahem). What an absolute thrill ride!
The characters are genuinely very well-crafted. Hodgson expertly balances suspenseful drama with charm and humour, often using dialogue to allow us to get to know the characters. I love Neema, I love Cain, the villains are fabulous-- mostly because they're not just mindless villains, and even minor characters like Fenn are given time to shine.
Some things I could see coming, but there's a lot going on here and there were plenty of surprises. I also just love it when a dark and dramatic read is also imbued with charm and humour. I would be on the edge of my seat, glued to the pages, then something would happen to make me laugh out loud. I can't wait for book two!...more