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sydneystein's review
4.0
Somers’s story of a woman leaving behind societal expectations creates a dark and violent tale. The elements of magical realism and nightmarish sarcasm make The Naked Woman a truly remarkable novella.
lauren_endnotes's review
5.0
"It's terrifying when you realize that faith depends solely on the blood pumping inside us, in the trust that each of us chooses to place in it, rahter than in set conventions."
Liberated : completely unbridled. Somers' 1950 novella explores the complete freedom of a woman who relocates to the Uruguayan countryside on her 30th birthday. She sheds her previous life, and in that process, also her clothing. The former Rebeca Linke takes on this mystical persona in the village, the "Naked Woman" who visits homes at night. She is the subject of mystery, lust, danger, and jealousy. Her liberation, both of social and moral conventions, has deep impacts on the others around her, the men - husbands, sons, and even the parish priest driven mad with lust, and the women, who suffer at the hands of their husbands.
"The woman, in her nakedness, has reminded them too vividly what they had under their own clothes...For a long time, they had been happy in their wooden houses, but now, suddenly, someone had told them about iron and glass."
She inhabits this space of "Eve", the first woman, in the villager's minds; although she seemed a closer match to the mythical/kabbalistic Lilith to me. There are moments of violence and brutality, moments of joy and rapture. It made me question and think about freedom and society. One that will stay with me for a long time.
Somers story mesmerized me, as did Kit Maude's translation.This book was almost 70 years from the original text to English translation ~ and the timing is just right.
Liberated : completely unbridled. Somers' 1950 novella explores the complete freedom of a woman who relocates to the Uruguayan countryside on her 30th birthday. She sheds her previous life, and in that process, also her clothing. The former Rebeca Linke takes on this mystical persona in the village, the "Naked Woman" who visits homes at night. She is the subject of mystery, lust, danger, and jealousy. Her liberation, both of social and moral conventions, has deep impacts on the others around her, the men - husbands, sons, and even the parish priest driven mad with lust, and the women, who suffer at the hands of their husbands.
"The woman, in her nakedness, has reminded them too vividly what they had under their own clothes...For a long time, they had been happy in their wooden houses, but now, suddenly, someone had told them about iron and glass."
She inhabits this space of "Eve", the first woman, in the villager's minds; although she seemed a closer match to the mythical/kabbalistic Lilith to me. There are moments of violence and brutality, moments of joy and rapture. It made me question and think about freedom and society. One that will stay with me for a long time.
Somers story mesmerized me, as did Kit Maude's translation.This book was almost 70 years from the original text to English translation ~ and the timing is just right.
exlibris007's review
challenging
dark
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
embre's review
Some authors’ writing is straight to the point and concise. This author flaunts the exact opposite. Even with all the unnecessary words filling the pages, nothing makes sense starting on page 1. The reader gets the sensation that the author is simply trying to “write a book” and not a story.
le_na25's review
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
4.5
sampulham's review
5.0
You can listen to an in-depth discussion of 'The Naked Woman' on Sherds Podcast: http://www.holdfastnetwork.com/sherdspodcast/8/2/2020/27-the-naked-woman-by-armona-somers
elenasquareeyes's review
4.0
Translated by Kit Maude.
The novella follows Rebeca Linke and her attempt to live her life how she wishes and free herself from a hostile society.
The Naked Woman was first published in Uruguay in 1950 and I can see why it caused a stir then. It depicts female nudity and empowerment, and the violent reaction a whole town has towards that. The Naked Woman is one of those books that I wish I’d read at university, or as part of a book club, because it’s a story that would be great to discuss with others as there’s so many interesting themes and moments in it. There’s fantastical elements and dream like sequences, making it difficult to puzzle out what’s real and what’s in Rebeca’s mind, especially at the beginning. In part, because it’s hard to believe why a woman would wander naked in the woods and fields and be so without her inhibitions.
The Naked Woman is a short but powerful story. It shows the fragility and viciousness of the male ego and how it can corrupt the society they’re a part of. The men of the town have a violent and almost primitive reaction to Rebeca’s nudity. It’s horrifying as so many of them, both young and old, become obsessed with the idea of her and disgusted by her. It’s as if they feel Rebeca has the audacity to wander the fields naked and in doing so, she is being sinful, and when they look upon her, they are too, and they can’t cope with that.
The Naked Woman presents a lot of ideas about feminism, sex, religion, and power. It doesn’t really give any answers to all these themes or solid explanations for Rebeca and other characters actions, which is as intriguing as it is frustrating. This is another reason I think it’d be a great book to discuss with others.
The writing in The Naked Woman is evocative and often fantastical. The Naked Woman reminded me a bit of the few books I’ve read by Angela Carter, so if you’ve read and liked Carter, then you should try Somers work. The Naked Woman is a really interesting story and it’s one that will stick with me for a while, even if I’d have liked more answers.
The novella follows Rebeca Linke and her attempt to live her life how she wishes and free herself from a hostile society.
The Naked Woman was first published in Uruguay in 1950 and I can see why it caused a stir then. It depicts female nudity and empowerment, and the violent reaction a whole town has towards that. The Naked Woman is one of those books that I wish I’d read at university, or as part of a book club, because it’s a story that would be great to discuss with others as there’s so many interesting themes and moments in it. There’s fantastical elements and dream like sequences, making it difficult to puzzle out what’s real and what’s in Rebeca’s mind, especially at the beginning. In part, because it’s hard to believe why a woman would wander naked in the woods and fields and be so without her inhibitions.
The Naked Woman is a short but powerful story. It shows the fragility and viciousness of the male ego and how it can corrupt the society they’re a part of. The men of the town have a violent and almost primitive reaction to Rebeca’s nudity. It’s horrifying as so many of them, both young and old, become obsessed with the idea of her and disgusted by her. It’s as if they feel Rebeca has the audacity to wander the fields naked and in doing so, she is being sinful, and when they look upon her, they are too, and they can’t cope with that.
The Naked Woman presents a lot of ideas about feminism, sex, religion, and power. It doesn’t really give any answers to all these themes or solid explanations for Rebeca and other characters actions, which is as intriguing as it is frustrating. This is another reason I think it’d be a great book to discuss with others.
The writing in The Naked Woman is evocative and often fantastical. The Naked Woman reminded me a bit of the few books I’ve read by Angela Carter, so if you’ve read and liked Carter, then you should try Somers work. The Naked Woman is a really interesting story and it’s one that will stick with me for a while, even if I’d have liked more answers.
charleyroxy's review
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
Content Warnings
Moderate: Rape