Three Fallen Women

by Amy Guth (Goodreads author!)

published	October 2nd 2006 by So New Media
binding	Paperback
isbn	0977815145 (isbn13: 9780977815142)
ebook
url	http://www.sonewpublishing.com
pages	200
description	Amy Guth's violent and shimmering debut novel is the story of three women caught in the vortex of breaking down. For Helen,a painter reawakening after...more [close] Amy Guth's violent and shimmering debut novel is the story of three women caught in the vortex of breaking down. For Helen,a painter reawakening after a long period of self-destruction, peace is the choice between the love of her life and her new-found freedom. For Carmen, addiction will define the final throes of her broken heart. And for Frieda, the perfect housewife, catharsis is defined by sex and murder. Three Fallen Women unapologetically weaves graphic adventure with heartbreak and sweetness to fashion a new brand of fiction. Equal parts feminist battle cry, anti-love story, and twisted metamorphosis, this is a novel that refuses conventional storytelling and lands a hard suckerpunch in the gut of the patriarchy. Amy Güth has garnered a solid reputation in indie-lit circles as a consistently dynamic and entertaining live performer. Her readings are nothing short of performance art spectacles, including audience participation, props, and a punk rock energy that always attracts a large and enthusiastic crowd. Her debut novel brings that same energy to print. [close]
date added	06-21-07 edit book

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Jason rated it:

12/27/07

Read in December, 2007

(My full review of this book is much longer than GoodReads' word-count limitations. Find the entire essay at the Chicago Center for Literature and Photography [cclapcenter.com:].)

As a lot of CCLaP's readers are probably already aware, one of the first rules of artistic criticism is that the reviewer in question is never supposed to inject their personal lives into their essays, write in the first person, or other such things that unduly call attention to themselves; it's a rule I sometimes b...more (My full review of this book is much longer than GoodReads' word-count limitations. Find the entire essay at the Chicago Center for Literature and Photography [cclapcenter.com:].)

As a lot of CCLaP's readers are probably already aware, one of the first rules of artistic criticism is that the reviewer in question is never supposed to inject their personal lives into their essays, write in the first person, or other such things that unduly call attention to themselves; it's a rule I sometimes break here, specifically in the hopes of creating a more conversational and intimate relationship between you and me here at the site, although a rule as well that I try as much as possible to obey, because it's a good rule and there's a reason it exists. So what to make of a book, then, that deeply speaks to a reviewer and resonates with them, specifically because of it mirroring so much of their own real past? Do you convey some of that story to your readers, in the hopes that they understand more about why you enjoyed the book so much? Or do you stick to the "no personal stories" rule of artistic criticism, and maybe not ultimately convey what's so great about the book in question?

It's a subject that's come up with today's book, in fact, the black-as-coal Three Fallen Women by Chicago author Amy Güth, a novel that's going to terrify some of you while making others think, "My God, she's talking about me." Although deeply flawed in certain respects (but more on that in a bit), this look at three people who have hit rock-bottom in the past and are struggling to recover is going to profoundly resonate with a certain amount of people out there, undoubtedly a higher percentage here at CCLaP than among the general population; and what's more, it will resonate in a way that these people don't usually talk about in public, a dark way that reflects all the fears we have about ourselves on our worst days. It is a frustrating book, an addictive book, a book I seemingly can't stop thinking about even days after I've finished, even with all of its problems (and there are quite a few); it's a book that's sure to stir debate, no matter if that's a book club in question or your own inner brain in the middle of the night.

And in fact this is one of the first surprising things to learn about Three Fallen Women, of its extremely dark and intimate nature; and that's because......less

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