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stephsbooktalk 's review for:
Man o' War
by Cory McCarthy
This has been on radar for quite sometime and I thought the Transreadathon was the perfect time to read it!
This was narrated by actor and performer E.R. Fightmaster. As soon as the book started, I knew I would be able to breeze through this. Their voice was so calming and relaxing to listen to. You couldn't help be drawn to their voice. They were able to bring out the emotions that River was going through over the course of the book.
This book takes place over the course of a few years. Starting when River was in high school and ending in the year 2030. I am not transgender nor has ever questioned by sexuality or identity but this book explored the complicated feelings of one who is questioning themselves. High school is a hard time for a lot of teenagers and I can imagine when you are questioning your identity that can make it even harder.
This was narrated by actor and performer E.R. Fightmaster. As soon as the book started, I knew I would be able to breeze through this. Their voice was so calming and relaxing to listen to. You couldn't help be drawn to their voice. They were able to bring out the emotions that River was going through over the course of the book.
This book takes place over the course of a few years. Starting when River was in high school and ending in the year 2030. I am not transgender nor has ever questioned by sexuality or identity but this book explored the complicated feelings of one who is questioning themselves. High school is a hard time for a lot of teenagers and I can imagine when you are questioning your identity that can make it even harder.
"How did you ever put with me? I was a miserable ass when I lived here?"
"That's far too simplistic for what you were back then. You are a man o' war - gorgeous, intense and occasionally you sting"
I thought McCarthy did a speculator job getting into the head of a teenager during that time. I saw a review that said that "Cis people, especially, have absolutely no baseline for what the transition process feels like or looks like" which is 1000% perfect true. That is the importance of reading and diversifying your reading so you can educate and learn and try to have some sort of understanding of what individuals go through. And I love the call back to the marine life throughout the book (including the quote that I provided).
River and Indy's relationship was a rocky one at first but in the end Indy was the one who was in their life and there when they needed them the most. Friendships and relationships change over time and I thought it felt realistic when they did have a break up but then reconnected years later.
The reason why this is not rated higher is that there was time in the middle where I lost what was happening. Might have been a me issue but it was just not memorable as the beginning and the end were. This totally is a me thing. There are a lot of fabulous reviews for this and I encourage you to check them if you are unsure if this is something you want to read.
I love that we got a full circle for River's life in less than 350 pages or 10 hrs of audio. We got to see the beginning of their journey until they are in their adulthood ultimately happy with their family.