Reviews

Empathy by Kevin Killian, Sarah Schulman

mea27's review against another edition

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adventurous funny mysterious fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

lizawall's review against another edition

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5.0

Kind of exhausting, like being around a really difficult person, but I actually think Schulman would take that as a compliment? You really get a sense of someone so stuck inside her own head and basically pulling you in there with her. I know some people didn't like that war breakdown towards the end, but it was one of my favorite parts. I loved, too, how this felt so specifically time and place, like so, so, lower east side 1990.

lilymargo's review against another edition

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5.0

A reminder of what a really good book entails and sets the standard for what deserves a full 5 stars. I really enjoyed reading Empathy, and how this particular copy included an intro and supplementary material as context which otherwise might have gone over my head.

I learnt so much and really recommend ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

itsmebee's review against another edition

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3.0

Pretty good read! I liked the characters, the setting, and the framing. Felt very scripty, and reminded me a bit of absurdists. There is a gender/transition/identity pivot the story relies on however that I don't know was entirely successful.

germhotel's review against another edition

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emotional funny inspiring reflective sad fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

emilieakselsen's review against another edition

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fast-paced

4.5

djinnmartini's review against another edition

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5.0

really so prescient and certain bits felt especially weird to read during this week of all weeks. Poignant without being cloying. I really didn't expect to love it as much as I did, to be honest. Makes me excited to read more of her work.

triathlete_reads's review against another edition

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4.0

Don't get scared by the first half or so of the book. I swear it gets really cool!

tora76's review against another edition

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4.0

It's hard to summarise this book without spoiling it. It's about Anna and Doc and psychology and...stuff. Really, I have no idea how to summarise, so that will have to do. It's about a woman coming to terms with being a lesbian and what that means to her. (But not in a "coming out" sort of way.)[return][return]Anyway! This is very experimental, with some scenes written in script format, and it took me a little longer to get into than After Delores did, but it did hook me and I ended up really enjoying it.[return][return]I still have three more of Schulman's books here to read and I'm very excited about them.

axmed's review

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challenging dark emotional funny inspiring reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0