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mabelsyrup's review against another edition
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Mrs Caliban was a book that surprised me but also it left me feeling like it didn’t deserve it, i went into this expecting something that would remind me of The Shape of Water; a love story that’s bizarre and epic and heartwarming and a bit unhinged. While I did get some of those feelings out of it, I wanted a lot more, maybe it's my fault for expecting so much from a book that doesn’t even get to 150 pages idk.
I did enjoy reading Dorothy’s thoughts and the more I think about it the book is clear on the fact that this love affair she’s having is just a hallucination, a creation her brain made to help her cope with loneliness, feeling like she has no purpose and like her world is over, which when I say it like that it’s pretty fvcked up how her brain, even after creating this beautiful dream scenario, will still remind her that she IS all alone in the end. Larry was a lovely lover tho, even if he wasn’t real.
Some of the writing fell a bit flat for me, and every time she went over to Estelle’s house it just dragged onnn for no reason imo; they’d be talking about the most random things and it’s supposed to make you feel connected to these ladies and their friendship but it didn’t work for me. Regardless I enjoyed my time with it and even tho it wasn’t the romance I was expecting i’m glad i read it.
“Dorothy would lean her head against the wall and seem to herself to be no longer living because no longer a part of any world in which love was possible.”
“No matter how much you loved someone, there was a limit to the amount of crying you could stand hearing.”
“She tried to imagine what his world could be like. Perhaps it was like a child floating in its mother’s womb and hearing her voice all around him.”
“Dorothy still felt like a teenager. At the time when her hope and youth and adventurousness had left her, she had believed herself cheated of those early years when nothing had happened to her, although it might have. Later still, she realized that if she had made an effort, she herself could have made things happen. But now, it didn’t matter. Here she was.”
“the whole idea of medicine had made her a victim. To her it had not brought healing. It had brought death where she was sure death had been avoidable.”
“one wave covering another like the knitting of threads, like the begetting of revenges, betrayals, memories, regrets. And always it made a musical, murmuring sound, a language as definite as speech.”
I did enjoy reading Dorothy’s thoughts and the more I think about it the book is clear on the fact that this love affair she’s having is just a hallucination, a creation her brain made to help her cope with loneliness, feeling like she has no purpose and like her world is over, which when I say it like that it’s pretty fvcked up how her brain, even after creating this beautiful dream scenario, will still remind her that she IS all alone in the end. Larry was a lovely lover tho, even if he wasn’t real.
Some of the writing fell a bit flat for me, and every time she went over to Estelle’s house it just dragged onnn for no reason imo; they’d be talking about the most random things and it’s supposed to make you feel connected to these ladies and their friendship but it didn’t work for me. Regardless I enjoyed my time with it and even tho it wasn’t the romance I was expecting i’m glad i read it.
“Dorothy would lean her head against the wall and seem to herself to be no longer living because no longer a part of any world in which love was possible.”
“No matter how much you loved someone, there was a limit to the amount of crying you could stand hearing.”
“She tried to imagine what his world could be like. Perhaps it was like a child floating in its mother’s womb and hearing her voice all around him.”
“Dorothy still felt like a teenager. At the time when her hope and youth and adventurousness had left her, she had believed herself cheated of those early years when nothing had happened to her, although it might have. Later still, she realized that if she had made an effort, she herself could have made things happen. But now, it didn’t matter. Here she was.”
“the whole idea of medicine had made her a victim. To her it had not brought healing. It had brought death where she was sure death had been avoidable.”
“one wave covering another like the knitting of threads, like the begetting of revenges, betrayals, memories, regrets. And always it made a musical, murmuring sound, a language as definite as speech.”
Content Warnings
Minor: Animal death and Child death
mermaidsherbet's review against another edition
emotional
funny
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Animal death, Child death, Pregnancy, Sexual assault, Toxic friendship, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Car accident, Death, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Forced institutionalization, Gore, Grief, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Medical trauma, Miscarriage, Murder, Pedophilia, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Rape, Toxic relationship, and Violence
savvylit's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
What a novella! Mrs. Caliban is so many things: a romance, a thriller, a feminist fable. Ingalls has managed to pack a heck of a lot of thought-provoking story into this fast-paced little book. Larry's arrival sets Dorothy free from her unsatisfying life. For one, she discovers her own sexual agency. Furthermore, Larry's constant questions about human culture help Dorothy discover the inanity of many societal expectations.
There's so much more that happens in Mrs. Caliban, but that's about all I can say without spoiling the novella. Suffice it to say, I love this book. A short feminist fable with magical realism? My favorite genre! I can't wait to track down more of Ingalls' work.
There's so much more that happens in Mrs. Caliban, but that's about all I can say without spoiling the novella. Suffice it to say, I love this book. A short feminist fable with magical realism? My favorite genre! I can't wait to track down more of Ingalls' work.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity, Child death, Animal death, Murder, and Grief
Moderate: Alcoholism, Adult/minor relationship, and Toxic friendship
abomine's review
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
A love story about a lonely housewife and a giant anthropomorphic frog, mixed with some satire about the drama of American suburbia sounds like it should be relatively lighthearted faire. Nope. This is a bleak book; this is a Shakespearean tragedy about loss, trauma, mental health (or lack thereof), and fractured relationships, which makes the tender romance, peaceful moments, joyful moments, and snippets of snarky humor shine all the brighter against such a dark background.
Therefore, it makes sense that the ending would be devastating, but I was quite unprepared for how devastating it would be, because not only was it WAY too real, it was completely justified and horrifically beautiful. No "drama for shock value" stuff here. This is the real deal.
This ending was like having your heart ripped out by a gourmet chef, who sautés it right in front of you with herb butter and garlic. You're reeling from the shock of such sudden violence, and by the time your senses return, the chef serves you your heart, glistening with luscious sauce beside some bright spring greens. You numbly take a bite...and it's the most delicious thing you've ever tasted.
Therefore, it makes sense that the ending would be devastating, but I was quite unprepared for how devastating it would be, because not only was it WAY too real, it was completely justified and horrifically beautiful. No "drama for shock value" stuff here. This is the real deal.
This ending was like having your heart ripped out by a gourmet chef, who sautés it right in front of you with herb butter and garlic. You're reeling from the shock of such sudden violence, and by the time your senses return, the chef serves you your heart, glistening with luscious sauce beside some bright spring greens. You numbly take a bite...and it's the most delicious thing you've ever tasted.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse
Moderate: Sexual assault and Adult/minor relationship
Minor: Animal death
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