Brilliant and heartwrenching. I still think about some of these stories. Roxane Gay is a master at talking about women. These stories just pull every emotion out of the reader.

I'm clearing out books that I requested ages ago and have been on sale for years! I really enjoyed this title.

There was much to enjoy here, but I found I couldn't connect with it. I'd read more from this author in the future though.

Roxane Gay is utterly brilliant, as is this book! Hard-hitting. Emotional. Challenging. Just brilliant.

Timely. Disgusting. Poignant. Not sure why it took me so long to read this. Sorry!! One note - the kindel version was poorly formatted, and it became quite annoying after a while.

This was my first exposure to Roxane Gay and I was not impressed. I don't get the rave reviews or the appeal at all.

Purchased this book for personal library. I am a huge fan of this author and am always thrilled with what she presents for female empowerment.

Roxane Gay might just be the best living writer in America today. Her prose is unmatched. Everyone alive should read everything she writes.

I've seen a lot of reviews say these stories are same-y and hard to keep straight, but I didn't really find that at all. Maybe it's because I related so hard to many of the stories harrowing aspects, and maybe it's because I put so much distance in between most of the stories. I will say the first half of the collection, in my opinion, is not as strong as the second half, but that, again, may also be due to the distance. I'd be interested to see if this collection sticks with me in a memorable way, and may report back later in the year (since I find only a handful of stories in short story collections have stuck with me over time).

<p>(I continue with books I got from <a href="http://www.netgalley.com">Netgalley</a>, never read, and then later took out from the library to review.)</p>

<p>The stories here are hard and sad and difficult, like the women, who, of course, are difficult because we blame women for their faults, for the faults of others inflicted against them, for the faults of the world that weigh down on their, and only their, shoulders. It is not a book for those who need comfort. It is not a beach read, or a cozy Christmas time blanket curled up read (when I read it) either. I read it and felt sad and powerless and lay under my blanket and hurt. </p>

<p><a href="https://www.librarything.com/work/18043256/book/162809400">Difficult Women</a> by Roxane Gay went on sale January 3, 2017.</p>
<p><small>I received a copy free from <a href="https://www.netgalley.com/">Netgalley</a> in exchange for an honest review, although I read a copy from the library not the netgalley one.</small></p>

Not an easy, but a worthwhile one! Roxane Gay's books never disappoint and keep getting better

I wasn’t able to read this book. I find stories of child or sexual abuse just too much to read. I know this is a stick my head in the sand view but my heart cannot handle it

As usual, Roxan Gay gets under your skin and stays there. A heartwrenching, beautiful collection of stories about women and all of the many lives we lead.

This one just didn't resonate with me. I struggled to read it only plodding along as far as I did because I had enjoyed Bad Feminist a lot. Chose not to finish or give a public review as I feel I'm probably very in the minority.

Some of the stories were so sad and other hard to believe. Must read with an open mind.

A powerful collection of hard-hitting stories centred on the theme of the difficulties women face when they search for or assert their independence.

Gay is not afraid to take risks. Her exploration of the multi-faceted lives women lead questions our preconceptions about likeability. What makes women likeable? More importantly, why are women who do not fit the restrictive mould society expects them to adhere to labelled “difficult”?

Anyone familiar with Gay’s writing, particularly her essay collection Bad Feminist and debut novel An Untamed State, won’t be surprised by the intertwining of sex and violence. These are stories of love, loss, trauma, abuse, motherhood and sex. They feature women who have privilege, women who live in poverty, women who are single, in relationships or who are married, and women who are dealing with past trauma.

The standout stories for me are I Will Follow You and Requiem for a Glass Heart. I Will Follow You sees two sisters, who survived being held captive as teenagers, struggle with relationships in adulthood. Their experience has obviously changed their perception of men. Requiem for a Glass Heart, with its glass woman married to a flesh and blood man, has a touch of magical realism about it.

That some of them were previously published in places like the Oxford American, The Mississippi Review Online and the Minnesota Review left the collection with the potential to feel disjointed. Almost in defiance, Gay weaves her words in a manner that asks “why did you ever doubt me?” Difficult Women is as cohesive as it is masterfully written.

These women are not difficult, but if society insists on viewing them as such then you can expect them to act “crazy”, “loose” or “frigid”. Ask and you shall receive, right? And, yes, this is Gay at her sarcastic best.
Gay deftly switches between the first and third person, ensuring each of these women is distinctive in the process. Gay’s deep dive into what it means to be a “difficult woman” and its intersection with race and social class is as haunting as it is captivating.

A bunch of super depressing stories about women in super depressing situations that aren’t about them being “difficult”. I don’t even feel like this was truly a feminist work. Every woman in it has had a crap hand dealt to her, is on the receiving end of all sorts of abuse and subjugation, and only do something about it when it’s basically come down to the last straw. I would’ve liked to have seen more stories about women refusing to let themselves be put into these situations, rather than all of them being about women who let everyone else dictate their lives up until the last minute. I did rather enjoy the stories (I like depressing stuff, what can I say?), I just didn’t think it was marketed exactly right. If you are a fan of Carol Joyce Oats I would suggest picking up this anthology, but if you’re looking for optimistic, kick-ass, feminist women, I don’t think this is the book you’re looking for.

Received via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.