This was a fantastic feminist tale where men literally build their idea of a perfect woman (the body of a grown woman with the mind of a child) who ends up expressing what she wants loudly and clearly, things that are normally reserved for men.

The true “horror” here is a woman expressing autonomy over herself and how the men in this book try to wilt her power and make her smaller.

I especially liked that, for a lot of the book, we only get their perspective. When we get the perspective of Bella, we realise that they were very unreliable narrators and didn’t honestly tell their story.

I was not enjoying the book that much until I got to Bella’s POV and then it all made sense! I read this so I could watch the movie, which I’m very excited for.

Obviously I loved the amazing film and couldn’t miss the chance to read the book it came from. Super weird but super amazing!!!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for letting me read this book in exchange for my feedback.

Very different from the film, but no less good. I loved the almost metafictional twist, and found this to be funny, bizarre, engaging and vivid. The pacing was good, and I enjoyed the almost surreal elements and the steam-punk-esque world building.

I must admit that the writing style and book structure just didn't mesh with me and this took me a while to get through, however, Poor Things provides a satirical and intriguing reworking of Frankenstein. I enjoyed the exploration of identity and societal expectations.

Such a great read! Absolutely without a doupt a recommendation!
If one saw the movie or not does not matter, the book is stunning itself.
Thanks to Bloomsbury Publishing Plc an Netgalley for the ARC!

Having read Alasdair Gray previously (the fantastic Lanark), I really wanted to read the Poor Things book before seeing the movie. I'm delighted I did, as I really appreciated how the movie was adapted. I thought the movie was great but still preferred the book - getting inside the characters' heads was delightful and quite hypnotic. The book also has a bit of a twist compared to the movie which I preferred.

Gray does an amazing job of bringing the bizarre and surreal characters and plot to life. Even if you've seen the movie (or especially if you have) I recommend picking up the book - it adds another layer to the story I think many people will appreciate (it's also not quite as explicit as the movie if you had mixed feelings about that!).

I loved this! Such a clever and multi layered pastiche of gothic literature. I'm glad it's getting a re-release in light of the movie, because it deserves more attention

I recommend reading this before seeing the film (if at all possible). It’s unusual but gripping- I adored the protagonist in the end though I must admit it wasn’t a light read!

I really liked the idea behind this book as I loved the book Frankenstein, however, I did find it a little bit difficult to read.

Weird, surreal, a sort of literary steampunk. A love letter to Glasgow, a mix of genre. A book I loved much more than the movie even if Emma Stone was a perfect Bella.
Read it because it's worth the time you will spend wondering and having fun.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

An absurd and illogical story.
Godwin Baxter, a talented surgeon, transplants the brain of a newborn child into a brain dead mother and re-animates her back to life
Meet Bella Baxter, a female ‘Frankenstein’s monster’
Bella was an amazing character, being brought back from the dead and being offered the offered the opportunity to embark on a journey of self discovery. She was naive, headstrong with an appetite for knowledge and growth.
It’s an insightful read into consent, sexual liberation, female empowerment, identity and choice.
“You think you are about to possess what me have hopelessly yearned throughout the ages: the soul of an innocent, trusting, dependent child inside the opulent body of a radiantly lovely woman”
It’s a book with a book, with drawings and journal entries, with an amazing alternative perspective at the end that questions everything you’ve read so far.
It’s surprisingly funny and imaginative even if it is a bit shocking and you never really reach a satisfying conclusion.
Thanks #alasdairgray @bloomsburypublishing & @netgalley for an interesting thought-provoking read

This is such an odd book, but weirdly compelling. I suppose it could be described as metafiction, as you become aware you are reading a piece of fiction within the fiction. It’s dark, disgusting and oddly humorous. What really struck me was the infantilation and objectification of Bella Baxter, how men tried desperately to make her fit a mould and she just violently didn’t. I rooted for her and came away from this profoundly satisfied.

I was really hopeful for this, it looked intriguing and like something I would enjoy. Unfortunately I really struggled through it. The writing style just didn't work for me, probably more of a personal thing.

Description:
Fairly metatextual (am I using that right?) - contains multiple narrators and multiple stories/versions of the same story. The main narrative is Archibald McCandless', and tells of how his wife, Bella Baxter, came to being in a very Frankenstein-like way. Nothing about this can be trusted, and I suspect even the author's notes/references are largely fabricated, although some might be true?

Liked:
Archibald's story is fun and fast-paced, with parts of a bunch of other books/stories woven in. Bella is a compelling character in both his and her own narratives. The book is larger than life and batshit insane; it was fun to read something that really doesn't take itself very seriously. At the same time, however, there are clearly serious messages to be delivered. At its best, reminded me of classics like Gulliver's Travels.

Disliked:
The fragmentation inherent in a narrative structured like this makes it kinda unsatisfying. At times political/moral messages seemed heavy-handed. I would have loved to have seen more of Bella's development within McCandless' story: I was kind of gearing up for extended allegory as she matures, but this felt a little like a school story which skips a few semesters or years. I want linear growth, damn it! I know that's very boring and predictable but it's SO satisfying :P

Would recommend. Expect insanity, trust no one!

I've not read any Alasdair Gray previously so can't say how this stacks up to his other novels. What I can say is that this is an entirely curious novel and quite how it has been turned into a film has me intrigued.

We begin with the story of Bella Baxter as told by her second husband, Archie McCandless. This is a parody/retelling of the Frankenstein story with Bella as the "monster". The story is told as a mixture of letters and recollections which makes for a strange mish-mash which is thankfully easy to follow.

We then have Bella's letter to her descendants which gives an entirely different story.

The "footnotes" make up a large part of the book and go into quite some fictional detail making it quite difficult to categorise this book. I can't say I found it hilarious either. I think I was more puzzled and intrigued than anything. However it is well written, easy to follow and different to anything else I've read this year. Definitely worth a read and I'll definitely watch the film.

Thanks to Netgalley and Bloomsbury for the advance review copy ahead of the film release in January 2024.

Wow - what a read! First time for me with Alasdair Gray and still reeling somewhat from Poor Things.

Across three sections, we meet Bella Baxter, an incredible 'creation' presented to us by Godwin Baxter, a man who claims to have brought her dead body back to life. All very Frankenstein and, through body horror and a touch of the occult, we're taken into a seemingly macabre world. But then point of view shifts and we're with womanising Duncan Wedderburn who whisks Bella off on a tour through Europe and Russia.

We end back with Bella whose own narrative, written years later, seems to counter the story told so far. We're left with unreliable narrators, satire, black humour - all told in a compelling, fast paced style.

I'm not sure I loved the book but I'd recommend it as a totally unique story, told with wit and verve.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this eARC of 'Poor Things' by Alasdair Gray.

So I'm torn. I was excited for this because of the movie with Emma Stone and I'll be honest I went into this blind. And I really didn't enjoy this. The writing style and just everything about this book made me severely uncomfortable and I just wanted to dnf every 2 minutes.

I was very excited when hearing about this book however my excitement waned when reading it. It was definitely different in a good way. However was unable to keep my full attention.

Coincidentally I already planned my next read to be Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. Which will perhaps make me appreciate Poor things more.

I'm also interested to see how this book translates on screen due to the disjointed nature of being made up of many parts/stories/perspectives.

I enjoyed the majority of "Poor Things" by Alasdair Gray and I really hope that the upcoming film will clear up any unanswered questions I have. It is utterly bonkers and I enjoyed the fresh look at the Frankenstein-esque creations. I got a lot of the references - Godwin Bysshe Baxter - all pointing towards Mary Shelley. The narratives in the form of letters was hilarious but the last third turned serious and talked about Victoria McCandless's medical career. This was a massive achievement but felt out of character with the rest of the book.

Fun take on Victorian novels and the myth of Frankenstein, revisited as Bella Baxter, a young woman with a voracious sexual appetite and the brain of an infant. Thought-provoking with conflicting angles and POVs.