★★☆☆☆ Not Recommended
(Modern Fantasy) In which an obnoxious art dealer joins a self-help group for women who’re afraid to create. (8,431 words; Time: 28m)
"Hideous Flowerpots," by Susan Palwick [bio] (edited by C.C. Finlay), appeared in Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction issue 03-04|18, published on February 27, 2018 by Spilogale Inc.
Mini-Review (click to view--possible spoilers)
Pro: In the end, the magic tape turns Lauren into a better person.
Con: It’s 95% message, with almost no action.
Given how Lauren is depicted in the story, it’s very hard to believe she’d have the kind of conversations she does with the women in the group. Or that she’d attend at all. That Lauren herself can’t believe she’s doing this doesn’t help; it just makes it an instance of “You Can’t Fire Me, I Quit.”
Reading about the redemption of a really disagreeable protagonist always has the problem that it's not much fun reading about an awful person being awful.
Other Reviews: Search Web, Browse Review Sites (Issue 03-04|18)
Susan Palwick Info: Interviews, Websites, ISFDB, FreeSFOnline
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Con: It’s 95% message, with almost no action.
Given how Lauren is depicted in the story, it’s very hard to believe she’d have the kind of conversations she does with the women in the group. Or that she’d attend at all. That Lauren herself can’t believe she’s doing this doesn’t help; it just makes it an instance of “You Can’t Fire Me, I Quit.”
Reading about the redemption of a really disagreeable protagonist always has the problem that it's not much fun reading about an awful person being awful.
Other Reviews: Search Web, Browse Review Sites (Issue 03-04|18)
Susan Palwick Info: Interviews, Websites, ISFDB, FreeSFOnline
Follow RSR on Twitter, Facebook, RSS, or E-mail.
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