Three Fallen Women

by Amy Guth (Goodreads author)

book data

27 ratings, 4.56 average rating, 6 reviews (more data...)

rating	frequency	%
5		62%
4		29%
3		7%
2		0%
1		0%

edit

published

October 2nd 2006 by So New Media

binding

Paperback, 200 pages

url

http://www.sonewpublishing.com

isbn

0977815145 (isbn13: 9780977815142)

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

find at: Amazon | Half.com | Barnes & Noble | Abebooks | compare prices…

new topic
discuss this book

There are no discussion topics on this book yet. Be the first to start one »

friend reviews

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

lists with this book

This book is currently not featured on any Listopia lists. Add this book to your favorite list »

other reviews (showing 1-20 of 74)

sort: default (?) | date
filters: all | text-only

12/03/07

Katie Schwartz rated it:

Read in January, 2007

recommends it for: Lovers of dark beautiful fiction

Amy spins a yarn like nobody's business. She's exquisitely dark in all the right ways. Each character has heart and soul and purpose. If you haven't read it, READ IT.

Like this review? yes (1 person liked it)

1 comment

12/27/07

Jason Pettus rated it:

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 some...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)

Like this review? yes

add a comment

10/29/08

Ayse Canan marked it as to-read

bookshelves: to-read

I want to read this book but can't find it anywhere online!! I've asked So New Media if they'll ship to the Netherlands and got no answer, as for Amazon, it's out of stock... any idea how I could get it?

Like this review? yes

3 comments