Reviews

The Secret Lives of Church Ladies by Deesha Philyaw

bwandyn's review against another edition

emotional funny medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

manonbo93's review

3.0

Loved the characters and their thoughts, feelings and lives. Just felt disconnected sometimes because of the short story format - I think I might not be the best appreciator of short stories. This deserves more stars in terms of its narrative and characters.

mbahizi's review

dark reflective tense fast-paced

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

5.0

sabinagruden's review

5.0

Collection of short stories, each narrated from a different character. Each character is beautifully developed, has their own voice and style. Every character tells us their own live story, their frustrations, believes, sexual desires and restrictions, hopes and dreams.
This book is amazing and wonderfully written.

pengenia's review

5.0

One of the best short story collections I’ve encountered. Bothered the hell out of my partner after each successive story by telling them “no THIS ONE is my favorite of the collection FOR SURE” as they just kept getting better and better.

am_readingterminal's review

emotional funny reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

hannahsbooksandblackcats's review against another edition

emotional funny inspiring reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Brilliant short stories. I listened to the audiobook which was also brilliantly narrated. The writing was succinct but gorgeous. My favourites were “Dear Sister” and “How to Make Love to a Physicist “.

wanderinglynn's review

emotional informative medium-paced

4.25

Normally with a short story collection, I find at least one story that I don't like. Sometimes more than one, and then there will be the ones that I'm meh about, and only one or two I really like. But this collection had no duds. While I liked some more than others, I found each story incredibly layered, thoughtful, and nuanced. The collection explores the intersection of faith and sexuality and family with each story taking a raw look into a slice of a black woman's experience.

grace_bera's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective medium-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

4.5

anisamad's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

4.0