We are given a touching novella about fighting to find the light and happiness even when you are dealt a hand that is dark and full of sorrow. This is my second read by this Author and I really enjoy their righting style, again they deliver in originality and touch on cultural history.
The Author will have you feeling every bit of anguish and hope as we are told Mercy’s story from her POV. We follow Mercy throughout her life and through her difficult journey of breaking free from her generational curse.
This Author amazes me with their attention to detail and descriptions, as well as their talent of writing about sensitive topics with care and relatability.
https://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.png00S. Bittleshttps://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.pngS. Bittles2022-03-29 07:53:392022-03-29 07:53:39Weep, Woman, Weep: A Gothic Fairytale about Ancestral Hauntings by Maria DeBlassie – Review by S. Bittles
I generally enjoy feminist gothic horror and this book is no different. It’s more or less a novella given its short length. I really just wanted more pages so that there would be more depth to the story, as some parts of the story felt a bit rushed. Still, the writing was beautiful, and I enjoyed the magical realism as well as the themes of intergenerational trauma and grief. A haunting but moving story.
https://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.png00Netania Limhttps://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.pngNetania Lim2022-03-28 08:41:592022-03-28 08:41:59Weep, Woman, Weep: A Gothic Fairytale about Ancestral Hauntings by Maria DeBlassie – Review by Netania Lim
Weep, Woman, Weep: A Gothic Fairytale about Ancestral Hauntings by Maria DeBlassie – Review by YellowTulips11
I was very intrigued by the premise of the story of a woman fighting and resisting the constant haunting of La Llorna. As a child, I too, grew up hearing the tales of the woman in white weeping for her lost children by the river. I couldn’t wait to see where this story would lead.
The story takes place in the town of Sueño, New Mexico. I was immediately drawn to the friendship and solidarity between the two characters, Mercy and Sherry. It made me think of my own childhood best friend and I related to the characters’ growth together. I wish the story delved a little deeper into the personal journeys of the girls as they faced the many challenges in their lives. I clearly understood the many emotions Mercy had throughout her life during her times of strife and grief and found myself rooting for her success as the story progressed. Sherry’s story wasn’t as detailed and I found myself wanting to know much more about her life and everything going on inside of her.
Due to the short length of the book, parts of the story felt rushed. I had a hard time following the story at certain points, as the storyline digressed multiple times in the same paragraph. Mercy bounced around a lot as she described things and events. It was then I realized the story is written as if you are having a conversation with Mercy and she is telling you the tale herself. Just as the stories of La Llorna are passed down verbally, generation after generation, Mercy was passing her story down in the same verbal context. I felt the connection to “Weep, Woman, Weep” just as I felt to my own ancestral stories from generations before me. It definitely left me wishing the story was longer with more details of the characters’ lives and a glimpse into the future and how it turned out.
https://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.png00YellowTulips11https://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.pngYellowTulips112022-03-26 07:47:492022-03-26 07:47:49Weep, Woman, Weep: A Gothic Fairytale about Ancestral Hauntings by Maria DeBlassie – Review by YellowTulips11
I really enjoyed this book! It was short, and I honestly would have given it 5 stars if it could’ve been longer so that more detail could have been given for some of the events, but I still recommend it. I was looking for something different than other books I have been reading lately and this did not disappoint.
One of the things that I enjoyed about this book the most was the magical language used in the descriptions. I could see the vivid images in my head and some of them made me laugh or smile. One of my favorite lines in the book was “the mountains just behind the Rio Grande that turned pink and red like a schoolgirl thinking dirty thoughts when the sun rose and set each day”. As a person who has lived in the southwestern part of the United States, I absolutely loved this description!
For a quick, magical read, I highly recommend this book!
https://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.png00Shai Floreshttps://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.pngShai Flores2022-03-25 07:55:562022-03-25 07:55:56Weep, Woman, Weep: A Gothic Fairytale about Ancestral Hauntings by Maria DeBlassie – Review by Shai Flores
This story was simply amazing! Reading the first page, I was immediately drawn in. I love Mercy’s voice and the storytelling she does. I adore the reality in the relationships, and the way the story touches on all the ways that things were different then. I loved reading about Mercy’s dreams and her fighting spirit even as her dreams changed because reality struck. I just really truly love everything about it, I was absolutely enthralled from beginning to end.
https://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.png00Jo Frizzellhttps://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.pngJo Frizzell2022-03-24 08:04:402022-03-24 08:04:40Weep, Woman, Weep: A Gothic Fairytale about Ancestral Hauntings by Maria DeBlassie – Review by Jo Frizzell
This was slightly out of my comfort zone. I was hesitant about choosing to read this book, but am so glad I went with it! Definitely not what I expected, but in a good way. I felt all kinds of emotion while reading this book. I read it in an afternoon! I just couldn’t put it down! So I you’re trying to decide if you really want to read it, just do it! You’ll be glad you did.
https://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.png00Jamie Truexhttps://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.pngJamie Truex2022-03-24 08:00:082022-03-24 08:00:08Weep, Woman, Weep: A Gothic Fairytale about Ancestral Hauntings by Maria DeBlassie – Review by Jamie Truex
Sadness and madness, the curse of La Llorona, also known as the weeping woman, is the plague of a small New Mexican town. Mercy is a young woman who is determined not to fall as the women before her have. Will she succeed? Will she stumble?
Weep, Woman, Weep was a quick enjoyable read. It did take me a moment to really get into the story, at first, I found it a little difficult to follow. I did quickly adjust to the writing style and found myself sucked into it the story and unable to put the book down. The struggles Mercy talks about as well as experiences are relatable, as well as thought provoking. The struggle to be happy and succeed, not let the bad moments keep you down is something anyone is something anyone can at the very least understand, many having experiences it in there own lives. While I think this story could be even better if it was expanded into a longer novel and had the time to go into more depth, I did feel it was worth the time it took to read.
https://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.png00Sarah Kinghttps://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.pngSarah King2022-03-24 07:50:272022-03-24 07:50:27Weep, Woman, Weep: A Gothic Fairytale about Ancestral Hauntings by Maria DeBlassie – Review by Sarah King
This book is set around two young women in a small town haunted by La Llorna. Mercy and Sherry were the best of friends. Until they weren’t. Until her.
I truly loved this book and how it showed you can overcome anything that is in your way. Regardless of what past or being that is trying to stop you.
“All you can do is make your own miracles and let people live out their lives however they plan to.” That quote hit home with me. I recommend this book to anyone who feels stuck because not even La Llorna can stop you. Review by @michellerenee6590
https://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.png00Michelle Marlowhttps://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.pngMichelle Marlow2022-03-23 08:42:002022-03-23 08:42:00Weep, Woman, Weep: A Gothic Fairytale about Ancestral Hauntings by Maria DeBlassie – Review by Michelle Marlow
3.5/4 stars Reading the description of this book, I had very high hopes for the story. The beginning of the book took me a little bit to get into. But once I did, I felt the story was rushed. There was so much character development missed due to the length of the book. I would’ve liked to see more details not only about the culture where the book takes place, but the people in the book as well.
https://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.png00Daryian Lucashttps://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.pngDaryian Lucas2022-03-23 08:02:042022-03-23 08:02:04Weep, Woman, Weep: A Gothic Fairytale about Ancestral Hauntings by Maria DeBlassie – Review by Daryian Lucas
5/5 This is an amazing read, that one can finish fairly quickly. The writing style is well done, and once I got into the story, I could not put it down till I was finished. It’s a thought provoking read that makes the reader consider generational trauma, and what it means to take charge of one’s own happiness. The main protagonist is Mercy, and we fallow her narrative about her time as a young girl and into adulthood. She explains to the reader who La Llorona is, why it’s dangerous for the women in town to get to close to the river, and why she collects her own tears in jars. This book is a great read all through out the year, but I imagine this is the type of book is an even better read while on vacation or on a nice summer or spring day. Overall, I recommend this book to those that would like a light read and gets them thinking.
https://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.png00Emily Beehlerhttps://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.pngEmily Beehler2022-03-23 08:00:422022-03-23 08:00:42Weep, Woman, Weep: A Gothic Fairytale about Ancestral Hauntings by Maria DeBlassie – Review by Emily Beehler
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