Reviews

Death and the Maiden by Ariel Dorfman

athena1820's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

3.25

clover13's review against another edition

challenging dark informative reflective tense medium-paced

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

4.0

jjustin's review against another edition

5.0

honestly the best i've read this year, and also an excellent introduction to reading plays. i recognise what happens, that it happened not only in Chile but also in my part of the world; even the domestic argument in the beginning could have happened here in Indonesia. Incidentally, somehow it feels the beach house setting really suits the story. The descriptions of staring out towards the sea frkm the foyer feels right somehow. Is Roberto dead? Is he actually guilty? And what about Gerardo? How does one continue to libe, after playing such a terrible role, balancing between husband and member of the Commission? Most importantly, this story help a traumatised country makes sense of what was inflicted on them, by it's own people. It recconciles (or attempts to) people with life after so much trauma. 

mihika_'s review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad tense fast-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

4.5

joebooks's review against another edition

dark emotional tense fast-paced

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

3.25

gubgub's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.25

melthomp13's review against another edition

4.0

this is one of the best plays i've read in quite some time. i love how simple the language was in discussing such dark, complex topics and i think dorfman did such a wonderful job of grounding the play in a setting that is universal and generic but still palpable and relatable. i love the complexity of paulina's character and i think it was such a strong choice for the audience to never actually discover whether or not roberto is innocent. the incorporation of music was so clever. i'm really wishing i could see this live because i can only imagine how breathtaking the mirror scene must be in person.

hannahytwong's review against another edition

dark tense fast-paced

4.0

mscott1066's review against another edition

fast-paced

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

5.0

Finished in just over an hour, what a gripping play, deals with trauma in such a moving way as well as huge political issues while staying in the confines of the house.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault and Rape

chickienuggies's review against another edition

4.0

Well that was heckin good 0_0 dang sis, go off

reading this was like watching a suspenseful crime/mystery short film and it gave me big brain energy. I was pushing up my anime glasses while putting together the f a c t s . I love the ambiguous ending, even if an unambiguous one might've been better or more satisfying (but it do be contemporary drama and they love ambiguity). I'll probably watch the movie soon lol this was goodddd