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The Worst Kind of Want
The Worst Kind of Want: A Novel | Liska Jacobs
4 posts | 3 read | 3 to read
A trip to Italy reignites a womans desires to disastrous effect in this dark ode to womanhood, death, and sex To cool-headed, fastidious Pricilla Messing, Italy will be an escape, a brief glimpse of freedom from a life that's starting to feel like one long decline. Rescued from the bedside of her difficult mother, forty-something Cilla finds herself called away to Rome to keep an eye on her wayward teenage niece, Hannah. But after years of caregiving, babysitting is the last thing Cilla wants to do. Instead she throws herself into Hannah's youthful, heedless worlddrinking, dancing, smokingrelishing the heady atmosphere of the Italian summer. After years of feeling used up and overlooked, Cilla feels like she's coming back to life. But being so close to Hannah brings up complicated memories, making Cilla restless and increasingly reckless, and a dangerous flirtation with a teenage boy soon threatens to send her into a tailspin. With the sharp-edged insight of Ottessa Moshfegh and the taut seduction of Patricia Highsmith, The Worst Kind of Want is a dark exploration of the inherent dangers of being a woman. In her unsettling follow-up to Catalina, Liska Jacobs again delivers hypnotic literary noir about a woman whose unruly desires and troubled past push her to the brink of disaster.
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review
BarbaraBB
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Panpan

A woman of 43 is solely busy with herself and her looks compared to teenage girls, all beautiful, slender, thin, blonde, with firm breasts, you name it. Then she meets this 17 year old Italian boy and with him the much needed affirmation that she‘s still attractive. There is no plot to speak of, and no characters beyond the looks. Oh and the boy couldn‘t have a driver‘s license since that‘s not allowed in Italy until 18. Whatever.

5feet.of.fury Oh ick 1y
squirrelbrain Ew. Lovely picture though! 🤣 1y
Cinfhen Stunning photo and hilarious review! I actually enjoyed every CRINGY moment but I agree, the MC was pretty despicable 🫣 1y
See All 11 Comments
Tamra Hmmmmm, pass. 1y
ravenlee Ick. 1y
TrishB Love the review ❤️ not tempted! 1y
Suet624 Wow. I had this stacked from some previous review. Thanks for sparing me. 1y
LeahBergen Yikes. 😬 1y
BarbaraBB @Suet624 Please don‘t bother! How are things in VT? 1y
BarbaraBB @Cinfhen maybe listening to it isn‘t as annoying as seeing it written, page after page 😂 1y
Megabooks I bailed on this for exactly the same reasons! Great review!! Vapid AF. (edited) 1y
86 likes11 comments
review
Cinfhen
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Pickpick

I can see why this book leaves people divisive - it‘s an uncomfortable premise. A middle age woman (43) lusting after a young boy (17). The same boy that her 15 year old niece is involved with. I was hooked and enjoyed every cringy moment. The writing was strong although the ending was a bit disappointing. Loved the audio narration by Hillary Huber.

Cinfhen I think this might work for you @KarenUK @BarbaraBB 1y
KarenUK Sounds a bit like a book I read years ago, that was definitely uncomfortable but well written… 1y
BarbaraBB Thanks, I think so too! #stacked 1y
See All 6 Comments
Cinfhen I‘ll have to check that one out @KarenUK 💛 1y
Megabooks I‘m stacking! 1y
Cinfhen I think you‘d like it too @Megabooks but it‘s a #BorrowNotBuy situation 😉 1y
70 likes1 stack add6 comments
review
The_Real_Nani
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Mehso-so

This fell flat for me. The ending seemed like an easy way out, and there was no real grappling with the consequences of Cilla‘s actions. I also found the plot uninspired.

blurb
The_Real_Nani
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I don‘t know what it is but lately, it feels like sex in books has become overdescriptive, even in so-called literary fiction. I‘m no prude but I appreciate subtlety and leaving something to the imagination. What do you think?

readingjedi It's one of those things that is so easy to do very badly but so hard to do well. I prefer the subtle, the suggestive, the 'what's NOT said' approach. 5y
7 likes2 comments