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dolcezzina21's review against another edition
5.0
I rate this book 5+++++. It took me on a wild journey, an escape into an irrational, yet rational mind where the tables are turned on our sick society. I love how Lidia brought Sig Freud to life and wrote her own take on Freud's Dora case. The characters' actions are so deplorable, yet you find yourself understanding and even relating to them. I really felt parts of Lidia from The Chronology of Water come out in this story. This book seems like an extension of her autiobiography, told in a different way and about a different time in her life. This was a rollercoaster of a story and made me think of the adrenaline rush I felt from reading Chuck Palahniuk's Invisible Monsters. I think Lidia and Chuck would write an excellent book together. I hope they consider it.
sydneymh's review
adventurous
dark
funny
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
daisysbookmusings's review against another edition
2.0
At first I thought I was going to learn about Dora, understand her condition and her power to defy those around her in a realistic, insightful and poignant way. Instead I read what can only be described as a ridiculous retelling. I get the point that is being made, she isn't just what Fraud said, she had experienced abuse, she's not a victim but a hero I GET IT but this was so far fetched and at times so cringey that I honestly feel like it did the real Dora a disservice and instead glossed over the trauma she suffered for a modern day punky twist on what realistically was a serious mental health condition brought on by abuse and if she were alive now and in the same situation I highly doubt she'd be drugging her psychiatrist with Viagra...
moirastone's review against another edition
3.0
I cheered for Dora, I yelled at her, and cringed, I might have whimpered once. Girl wore me out, and I think I might have grown up a little bit right along with her.
Extra points for the shock of recognition I felt reading Yuknavitch's dead-on descriptions of the tumult of teenage sexuality.
Extra points for the shock of recognition I felt reading Yuknavitch's dead-on descriptions of the tumult of teenage sexuality.
al07734's review
1.25
Bruh. Some kinda Catcher in the Rye but psychology inspired novel. Except the language was so unnatural. Really no one talks like that and it irritated me. Clearly the author knows how to write normally, just made an extremely poor artistic decision.
discomagpie's review against another edition
4.0
I gave this book 4.14/5 stars on InsatiableBooksluts.com. Review copy provided by Hawthorne Books.
Excerpt:
"Yuknavitch turns the tables on Freud by giving Ida, who we know largely through Freud’s analysis, her own voice–sometimes figuratively, as Ida is prone to becoming mute in times of extreme stress. The author, along with many other women who have been critical of Freud’s work with “Dora,” (his alias for Ida) presents another reality: that Freud’s analysis of “Dora” was wrong. That he failed her because of his own shortcomings.
I enjoyed Dora a lot once I got into it. At first, the teenage-slangy narration made me dubious, but it wasn’t long before I was having laugh-out-loud moments. (Page 105 had me rolling.) There was also adventure and moments of tenderness and friendship. Ida/Dora wasn’t a flat caricature of a f***ed-up teen, but a girl with hard edges and under-protected softness. Some of the events in the book weren’t quite realistic in terms of things that might actually happen–but then again, Freud wasn’t a psychologist in the time of cellular telephones, so one already knows that the book isn’t 100% realism. I didn’t mind, though. The characters stayed in character, and that’s the more important part, to me. Whether they could pull off some of their adventures was a stretch, but by no means an impossibility. I cheered with them when they succeeded and mourned when they didn’t."
Read the full review at our site.
Excerpt:
"Yuknavitch turns the tables on Freud by giving Ida, who we know largely through Freud’s analysis, her own voice–sometimes figuratively, as Ida is prone to becoming mute in times of extreme stress. The author, along with many other women who have been critical of Freud’s work with “Dora,” (his alias for Ida) presents another reality: that Freud’s analysis of “Dora” was wrong. That he failed her because of his own shortcomings.
I enjoyed Dora a lot once I got into it. At first, the teenage-slangy narration made me dubious, but it wasn’t long before I was having laugh-out-loud moments. (Page 105 had me rolling.) There was also adventure and moments of tenderness and friendship. Ida/Dora wasn’t a flat caricature of a f***ed-up teen, but a girl with hard edges and under-protected softness. Some of the events in the book weren’t quite realistic in terms of things that might actually happen–but then again, Freud wasn’t a psychologist in the time of cellular telephones, so one already knows that the book isn’t 100% realism. I didn’t mind, though. The characters stayed in character, and that’s the more important part, to me. Whether they could pull off some of their adventures was a stretch, but by no means an impossibility. I cheered with them when they succeeded and mourned when they didn’t."
Read the full review at our site.
laurengarcia439's review
adventurous
funny
tense
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
FREUD HATERS RISE UP‼️‼️‼️ Got a little too plot-heavy in sections, which I didn’t think was neccesary for what it’s trying to accomplish. I was craving more surrealist/poetry-forward sections like Yuknavitch has in The Chronology of Water
ebstern's review
2.0
The ableist language and use of slurs was incredibly off putting and unnecessary. I very much expected to love it based on the premise and representation of queer love/chosen family.
adrianlarose's review against another edition
5.0
Pure teenage psycho-poetry. I'm only sad that I don't know who to give it to next.
elnechnntt's review against another edition
2.0
This started off mediocre but I held high hopes. Sadly it did not get better, nose dived in the middle, and failed to redeem itself past mediocre at the end.
Yes, there is a lot of crass and swearing in this (excessive swearing) but what failed this book was the authors over reliance on all the crass and swearing and outlandish behaviour instead of focusing on the core narrative. Every character felt like a comicly exaggerated teen movie cliche. And once a characters physical appearance has been described in detail, do you need to keep detailing it every time they enter the scene? Apparently so. It got tedious and boring very quickly. Especially as the description mainly focused on hairstyles and body weight.
This wasn’t ‘unflinching’ and it didn’t ‘go there’. It was rather watery throughout.
An excellent t premise that for me, the author failed to deliver on.
Yes, there is a lot of crass and swearing in this (excessive swearing) but what failed this book was the authors over reliance on all the crass and swearing and outlandish behaviour instead of focusing on the core narrative. Every character felt like a comicly exaggerated teen movie cliche. And once a characters physical appearance has been described in detail, do you need to keep detailing it every time they enter the scene? Apparently so. It got tedious and boring very quickly. Especially as the description mainly focused on hairstyles and body weight.
This wasn’t ‘unflinching’ and it didn’t ‘go there’. It was rather watery throughout.
An excellent t premise that for me, the author failed to deliver on.