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The Unworthy
The Unworthy: A Novel | Agustina Bazterrica
15 posts | 13 read | 3 to read
The long-awaited new novel from the author of global sensation Tender Is the Flesh: a thrilling work of literary horror about a woman cloistered in a secretive, violent religious order, while outside the world has fallen into chaos. From her cell in a mysterious convent, a woman writes the story of her life in whatever she can finddiscarded ink, dirt, and even her own blood. A lower member of the Sacred Sisterhood, deemed an unworthy, she dreams of ascending to the ranks of the Enlightened at the center of the convent and of pleasing the foreboding Superior Sister. Outside, the world is plagued by catastrophecities are submerged underwater, electricity and the internet are nonexistent, and bands of survivors fight and forage in a cruel, barren landscape. Inside, the narrator is controlled, punished, but safe. But when a stranger makes her way past the convent walls, joining the ranks of the unworthy, she forces the narrator to consider her long-buried pastand what she may be overlooking about the Enlightened. As the two women grow closer, the narrator is increasingly haunted by questions about her own past, the environmental future, and her present life inside the convent. How did she get to the Sacred Sisterhood? Why cant she remember her life before? And what really happens when a woman is chosen as one of the Enlightened? A searing, dystopian tale about climate crisis, ideological extremism, and the tidal pull of our most violent, exploitative instincts, this is another unforgettable novel from a master of feminist horror.
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review
BarbaraBB
The Unworthy: A Novel | Agustina Bazterrica
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Mehso-so

I recently decided to stop reading dystopian novels for a while and yet I read this. I should have stuck to my decision. One can only deal with so much post apocalypse in this crazy world. So it is partly me but then again, the story is definitely not as good as Tender in the Flesh, the reason why I picked it up.
It‘s at least as gory in its details but that‘s about it. Too bad 🤷🏻‍♀️

Suet624 Ugh. I‘m sorry. 2d
sarahbarnes I hope your next read is better. 💕 1d
Reggie I didn‘t post about it but I totally dnf‘ed this. I couldn‘t make it to 20 pages. All the so-sos have made me feel better about it. 1d
See All 6 Comments
BarbaraBB @Reggie You‘re a wise person! Although the ending is kind of making up for the rest of the book. 1d
Bookzombie I think I‘m convinced to just return this one to the library with so many so-sos and a @Reggie DNF. I‘m having a hard enough time picking up books as it. 24h
Reggie @Bookzombie Awwww I‘m sorry. Maybe try a novella. I‘m gonna start Nat Cassidy‘s Rest Stop tonight. 20h
58 likes6 comments
review
britt_brooke
The Unworthy: A Novel | Agustina Bazterrica
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Mehso-so

⭐️⭐️.5
Never has a novella taken me so long to trudge through. The premise was super up my alley, but it‘s so slow with lots of plot holes … which, fine, whatever. It‘s a style choice. I just didn‘t care about this story at all. Total disconnect.

BarbaraBB Just started it - with low expectations because everyone seems to be disappointed about it. Especially after loving 3d
britt_brooke @BarbaraBB I hope you have a better experience!! 3d
71 likes2 comments
blurb
BarbaraBB
The Unworthy: A Novel | Agustina Bazterrica
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#WeeklyForecast 17/25

Back home after spending Easter at the coast. My plans are to finish Where the Forest Meets the River and the tagged book. If possible I‘d like to make a start in a #NYRB classic: The Mangan Inheritance.

LeeRHarry Really interested to hear your thoughts on Where the Forest meets the River and the Brian Moore book. 4d
vivastory I didn't even know about Mangan Inheritance. Lonely Passion etc was one of my favorites that our group read 4d
vivastory I'll also be keeping an eye out for your thoughts on the tagged... 4d
See All 9 Comments
vlwelser That Unworthy cover is 🔥 4d
BarbaraBB @vivastory For me too! That‘s why I bought Mangan Inheritance and it has been on my shelves ever since. So it‘s about time I‘d read it! 4d
BarbaraBB @vlwelser I love it too! 4d
BarbaraBB @LeeRHarry I‘ll keep you posted! 4d
britt_brooke That Unworthy cover is so much cooler/creepier than the US version. 🤩 3d
BarbaraBB @britt_brooke It‘s very creepy with cockroaches all over 😱 3d
70 likes9 comments
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Addison_Reads
The Unworthy: A Novel | Agustina Bazterrica
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Mehso-so

Because I loved Tender is the Flesh so much I went in with high expectations for this one, and I think that messed with my reading experience.

This is a bleak story full of things I normally like in a dystopian read. Plus, the addition of a creepy, religious cult just made me even more interested when I started this one. However, for such a short book, it took me forever to read this one, and I was just never fully invested.

BarbaraBB That‘s too bad, I‘ve been looking forward to it. 1w
29 likes1 comment
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elizabethlk
The Unworthy: A Novel | Agustina Bazterrica
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Pickpick

Listened to the audiobook a few weeks back and WOW. I think this may be better than Tender is the Flesh, which I also loved. Post-apocalyptic nuns is an incredible vibe, and also this made me cry. All the content warnings apply, but this was so good.

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vlwelser
The Unworthy: A Novel | Agustina Bazterrica
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Pickpick

This is pretty creepy. I devoured it.

#Aardvark @AardvarkBookClub

#BookSpin @TheAromaofBooks

Cathythoughts Stacking !! 2w
TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!! 2w
38 likes1 stack add2 comments
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britt_brooke
The Unworthy: A Novel | Agustina Bazterrica
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I feel like I‘ll never finish this book. (That‘s my 11 year old in the yellow jersey. For the OGs: that‘s my youngest. He was 2 when I joined this lovely community).

BarbaraBB He‘s growing up so fast! 2w
Suet624 I‘ve loved watching your kids grow up. 2w
See All 11 Comments
BarbaraBB It‘s sad but also good and it stays just as good when they‘re older ❤️ 2w
britt_brooke @Suet624 Thank you, sweet friend! 🩷 2w
britt_brooke @BarbaraBB Definitely bitter sweet. They‘ll be in the same school together in the fall so I‘m pretty happy about that! 2w
BarbaraBB That‘s good, them being together ❤️ 2w
Hooked_on_books This one was a rough go for me. I felt like I would never finish it, either. 2w
britt_brooke @Hooked_on_books It was a real struggle for such a short book. 2w
Reggie I remember that photo where ya‘ll are on vacation and they‘re on each side of you barely coming up to your waist, rocking the crocs. Now they‘re probably taller than you. Where does the time go? 2w
britt_brooke @Reggie Yes!! 😭 You have a good memory! It‘s wild. This one just turned 11 and is already 5‘5.” They‘ll both pass me this year. When the kids are as big as you, parenting is strange! 😂 2w
62 likes11 comments
blurb
britt_brooke
The Unworthy: A Novel | Agustina Bazterrica
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More severe storms, including a very ominous rotating wall cloud, and a possible tornado, has left us without power. Book light to rescue. Readers are always prepared! It‘s supposed to rain all night. Flash flooding is the issue now. This spring really sucks so far. ⚡️☔️💡📖

Suet624 Oh boy. I‘m sorry. 3w
Texreader Yikes!! 3w
Ruthiella Hoping for the best possible outcome! 🙏 3w
See All 26 Comments
ericarobynreads Oh no! I hope the storm passes without getting worse! Thinking of you!! 3w
britt_brooke @Suet624 @Texreader @Ruthiella @ericarobynreads Thank you! 🩷 The worst has passed, thankfully! Now buckling down for a bunch of rain. Again. It‘s been a tiring weather week. 3w
Bookzombie Glad the worst has passed. We are in Indiana and agree about this spring. 3w
britt_brooke @Bookzombie Hoping we all get a break soon. 🩷 3w
Susanita That sounds scary! I hope the storm soon passes all the way out of the area. 3w
britt_brooke @Susanita Thank you 🩷🩷 3w
AmyG Hope all turns out okay. 3w
DaveGreen7777 Hope you get your power back soon! 🙏 3w
Trashcanman Wish you and the family the best. ❤️ 3w
dabbe Wowza! Stay safe! 💙💚💙 3w
BarbaraBB Stay safe 🤍 3w
squirrelbrain Glad the worst is over. ❤️ 3w
Bookwomble Good to hear the worst is safely over. I hope the rain doesn't become another worry. Good weather for reading, though 😊 3w
LeahBergen I‘m glad the worst is over! ❤️ 3w
Meshell1313 Oh no. Stay safe! 3w
Cathythoughts Take cares. Gorgeous pic though ❤️ 3w
Gissy I hope everything went okay and safe 3w
britt_brooke @DaveGreen7777 @Trashcanman @dabbe @BarbaraBB @squirrelbrain @Bookwomble @LeahBergen @Meshell1313 @Gissy Thank you! All good. We lost power for 17 hours but it‘s back now. Tons of huge trees down in our neighborhood, but not at our house, thankfully. 3w
britt_brooke @Cathythoughts You‘re too kind! 🩷🩷 All is well now. Power back after 17 hours! 3w
dabbe BTW, lovely picture of you! 🩵💚💙 3w
britt_brooke @dabbe You‘re so sweet - thank you! 🩷 3w
Gissy @britt_brooke 🙌❤️❤️❤️ 3w
80 likes26 comments
review
Hooked_on_books
The Unworthy: A Novel | Agustina Bazterrica
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Mehso-so

I LOVED Tender is the Flesh, so I jumped on this when I saw it was the author‘s latest. I went in blind, so I at first enjoyed trying to puzzle out what was happening, but I eventually got a little bored and never quite recovered.

BarbaraBB That‘s too bad. I had high expectations but will temper them 3w
49 likes1 comment
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AbstractMonica
The Unworthy: A Novel | Agustina Bazterrica
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Mehso-so

The first half was hard to get through. There wasn‘t too much going on, and everything had to be figured out with little to no context. Once the story started picking up (and by that I mean the characters started interacting) I began to enjoy it more. It‘s a very short story, so I wish it would have moved quicker and had more of a developed back story. It was a bit predictable, but otherwise still enjoyed the ending.

review
ReadingOver50
The Unworthy: A Novel | Agustina Bazterrica
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Pickpick

Written with a lyrical, beautiful tone, the content of this book is of a horrible dystopian society. The world has all but been destroyed by environmental disasters. The humanity that remains is not doing well and it brings out the worst in people. The story was very descriptive at the expense of plot. But the last half of the book became more intriguing with the arrival of a new character.

And yes, my dog tried to eat my book

AnnCrystal 😳😂💕🐾💝. 4w
54 likes1 comment
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sebrittainclark
The Unworthy: A Novel | Agustina Bazterrica
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Pickpick

4/5

In a post-apocalyptic world after climate change destroys civilization, a woman keeps a secret journal in the mysterious and brutal Sacred Sisterhood.

The writing is brutally evocative of the end of the world. The horror and narrators rushed secrecy permeate every line. It was an unsettling read that will stick with me.

So many content warnings on this one.

#netgalley

vivastory I saw this at B&N last weekend and was surprised it's being released in paperback! With how popular Tender etc is I figured that the publisher would go for hardback only for first run, but kudos for them. 1mo
41 likes1 comment
review
Sara_Planz
The Unworthy: A Novel | Agustina Bazterrica
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Pickpick

This one was very dark and will stick with me for a long time. This bleak look at what is left of humanity also offers a look at the importance of love. Add in the fact that this story is based around a cult, which made it a book I knew I would sink into. Bazterrica explores feminism, power, and morality in only the way she can, and this book feels highly fitting in the times we are currently in.

41 likes1 stack add
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Megabooks
The Unworthy: A Novel | Agustina Bazterrica
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It‘s going to be a good month!! #aardvark

JamieArc I‘m so curious about The Unworthy. 2mo
Jess I bought The Unworthy last night or that would have been my pick. I‘m looking forward to it. I chose Jane O but love how much horror this book club has. Enjoy! 2mo
Sace I was really tempted by The Unworthy but that sneak peek gave me the heebie jeebies 😂 2mo
See All 13 Comments
Megabooks @Jess I‘m about to finish Jane O on audio. It‘s really good!! 2mo
BarbaraBB Oow interesting. I loved 2mo
vlwelser I want both of these. The selections this month are 🔥 2mo
Megabooks @vlwelser 💯💯 2mo
Megabooks @BarbaraBB @JamieArc I‘ve heard it‘s really dark but has amazing world building for such a short novel. (A lot like Tender!) 2mo
Megabooks @Jess I just finished Jane O and really enjoyed it! I hope you like it too! 2mo
Jess Good to hear. Looking forward to both of these! 2mo
BarbaraBB That sounds good. I preordered the paperback! 2mo
Megabooks @BarbaraBB hey friend! Sent you an email. I‘m so sorry I haven‘t been around in the last month!! It has been really hard adjusting to all the changes here. I hope I haven‘t damaged our friendship and that you‘re doing okay. Miss you!! 💜💜 2mo
BarbaraBB @Megabooks Of course you haven‘t dear Meg! I completely understand and will write back later today. Missed you too 🩷🩷 2mo
74 likes13 comments
review
underground_bks
The Unworthy: A Novel | Agustina Bazterrica
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Mehso-so

The author of Tender Is the Flesh returns with a post-apocalyptic cult of unholy terrors. As literary horror, I appreciate the disturbing and grotesque connections drawn between climate change, religious extremism, the oppression of women, the mutilation of the natural world, and the renewing and transformative power of love in action…but, as dystopia…to me, this felt derivative of The Handmaid‘s Tale and Oryx & Crake, without the political depth.