Ace's Updates en-US Tue, 25 Jul 2023 08:39:37 -0700 60 Ace's Updates 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg Rating632042597 Tue, 25 Jul 2023 08:39:37 -0700 <![CDATA[Ace liked a review]]> /
Sashenka by Simon Sebag Montefiore
"The background research is impressive but to me Sashenka herself feels like a man's creation of a woman - not totally convincing."
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Rating632041963 Tue, 25 Jul 2023 08:37:06 -0700 <![CDATA[Ace liked a review]]> /
Sashenka by Simon Sebag Montefiore
"I am setting this one aside 30-odd pages in for two main reasons:

1) Pacing within scenes seems off and characters not quite believable.

2) Holy male gaze, Batman! Literally the first thing we learn about the (16-year-old) protagonist is her breast size. They are, in case you wanted to know (I didn't), "the fullest breasts in her class." As we are told from her own POV. Meanwhile her governess is off ogling the headmistress, or so I presume by the fact that when the author writes from said governess's POV, the headmistress's "bosom" is her only physical characteristic described.

With such a beginning, it seems just that this book was , though not based on those particular passages.

Okay, guys, here's a rule of thumb for writing from a female point-of-view: consider how often and in how much detail you would describe a male character's penis, from his own POV or that of another man. Write no more than that about your female characters' breasts when your POV is female.

Also, check out , because it is really good."
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Review5684649437 Tue, 11 Jul 2023 08:36:47 -0700 <![CDATA[Ace added 'Dancehall']]> /review/show/5684649437 Dancehall by Tim Stobierski Ace gave 5 stars to Dancehall (Paperback) by Tim Stobierski
bookshelves: poetry, glbt
Tim Stobierski’s poetry collection examines queer love. Split into five acts, it traces the arc of a relationship, vacillating between its most beautiful medleys (from the poem “Melody�: “the rain / played piano on my skin�) and its most dissonant (from the poem “Crease�: “I’ve been creased before; / it doesn’t hurt, I promise, / nearly as much as you would think.�). Dancehall is as much about intimacy as it is the ghost of that intimacy: The speaker analyzes this breadth of experiences with the perspective that comes from this relationship ending.

In a world where queer books are so often banned, Stobierski’s collection is especially important. It’s a worthwhile read for queer readers and allies alike.

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. ]]>
Review5684649437 Tue, 11 Jul 2023 08:34:56 -0700 <![CDATA[Ace added 'Dancehall']]> /review/show/5684649437 Dancehall by Tim Stobierski Ace gave 5 stars to Dancehall (Paperback) by Tim Stobierski
bookshelves: poetry, glbt
Tim Stobierski’s poetry collection examines queer love. Split into five acts, it traces the arc of a relationship, vacillating between its most beautiful medleys (from the poem “Melody�: “the rain / played piano on my skin�) and its most dissonant (from the poem “Crease�: “I’ve been creased before; / it doesn’t hurt, I promise, / nearly as much as you would think.�). Dancehall is as much about intimacy as it is the ghost of that intimacy: The speaker analyzes this breadth of experiences with the perspective that comes from this relationship ending.

In a world where queer books are so often banned, Stobierski’s collection is especially important. It’s a worthwhile read for queer readers and allies alike.

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. ]]>