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The Pisces

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The Pisces

By: Melissa Broder
Narrated by: Isabella Inchbald
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About this listen

Longlisted for the Women's Prize for Fiction 2019

Profoundly modern, deeply disturbed and darkly comic, The Pisces is about heartbroken PhD student who over one summer falls in dangerous, ecstatic love with a merman.

Lucy, staying in a beautiful home overlooking Venice Beach, can find no peace from her misery - not in therapy, not in Tinder hookups, not in her sister's dog's unquestioning devotion, not in ruminating on the ancient Greeks. Yet everything changes when Lucy becomes entranced by an eerily attractive swimmer one night while sitting alone on the beach rocks....

Pairing neurotic hilarity with pulse-racing carnality and fierce feminism, The Pisces is hot, bothered and unforgettable. Traversing the lines between fantasy and reality, it explores the questions of how and why we stay alive. This fairy-tale romance with a merman could just be the sanest and most human novel you listen to all year.

©2018 Melissa Broder (P)2018 Audible, Ltd Contemporary Fiction Fiction Genre Fiction Heartfelt Fantasy Merfolk

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All stars
Most relevant  
This book was...interesting. In chapter 12 the dialogue is tedious as there was a repetition of two words to move the conversation along, said and asked. Maybe it wouldn't have gotten on my nerves too much if I had read the book, rather than listened to it. There are more descriptive words to use in the English language than repeating said and asked after every other snippet of dialogue.

Not too sure...

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I struggled with the protagonist as I found her irresponsible and completely self absorbed. Her lack of care for the animal in her charge was disturbing. I felt more for the dog than I did for her.

Disappointing

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Touches on feminism, erotica, modern dating and mental health with some references to classics, Once I made the connection to historical Siren stories it made much more sense, tries to be a male siren tale, yet I felt too many themes and plots meant the book is confusing as the language is too modern particularly the erotica

Really didn’t get this book until the last few chapters

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I think it's such a shame Melissa Broder gets a lot of negative comments under her work. I never understand why people dislike complicated / unlikable main characters. How boring would the world be if every novel has a perfectly unflawed narrator. Personally, these types of books are my absolute favourites. I could replay this over and over. Truly outstanding.

My favourite find from 2024.

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Maybe a bit disturbing at times and with more graphic sex than is needed, but still the best read of my summer.

Funny and insightful in an eerie fascinating way

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Someone said that you either love or hate this book. But for me, it really worked. It’s a short book with a little going on at times, but it was an enjoyable read and I really liked the ending.

Either love it or hate it

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I was recommended this book and thought I’d download it to listen whilst out walking.
I have to admit, it took a while to get into it and whilst I do like most genres and different types of books, I did feel this was a bit… a bit, hmmm I don’t know how to explain it. For one I am no prude but it has a-LOT of sexually explicit language. I let my husband listen to a bit and he couldn’t stop laughing at the boldness of words and how the were spoken. There was also a part in the story where 2 people were having a conversation and it kept saying ‘he said’ and ‘I said’ after every exchange. A small thing if reading but when listening to - was just so distracting.
I felt the main character was self pitying , moaned about everything and was never happy. It made me not really take to her, even though I wanted to. She made me cringe. I have read other reviews that say this is a must read and I have to admit that there were chapters that I really enjoyed.
The story was very interesting but it fell short of being my ‘must read’

I enjoyed parts, but….

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really didn't enjoy this. strange mix of graphic sex and internal stream of consciousness thoughts, magical realism and Greek myth metaphors.

just bad

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an unusual book which I didn't particularly like as the protagonist is unlikeable, coarse, cynical and tragic. however it does shed light on the dependency of women on men and how incredibly insecure they are. the story arc with Theo is clever , though in itself really weird

unusual book

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I’d been meaning to read this for ages and thought it would be right up my street, but I really didn’t get much out of it (disclaimer: I did not finish the last few chapters!!). Found it difficult to get through - a mix of cringe and embarrassment for the main character and exasperation at what the story was trying to get at? Some of the insights about depression were relatable but otherwise I don’t have much to recommend …

Not for me

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