Favorita

by Michelle Steinbeck, Jen Calleja (Translator)

Praise for Michelle

'Brilliant and completely unique' SOPHIE MACKINTOSH
'Michelle Steinbeck is the lovechild of Robert Wasler and a witch' CAMILLA GRUDOVA

'I'm sorry, your mother was murdered.'

Fila's mother Magdalena caused chaos every time she appeared in her daughter's life. Fila hasn't seen her in years, not since she disgraced their family by advertising her brothel in the newspaper.

Now, news comes from Magdalena is dead. It's time for Fila to finally face her family history.

Fila collects her mother's ashes and sets out, urn in tow, to retrace the whirlwind life of the woman last known as Favorita.

Part hallucinatory road trip, part feminist revenge Favorita is a wild, furious and mischievous novel from an incendiary new European talent.

Genres: Feminism, Contemporary, Fiction, Literary Fiction, German Literature, Roman

392 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 30, 2024

About the author

Michelle Steinbeck was born in Lenzburg in 1990, studied creative writing in Biel and lives in Basel and Zurich. She works as an editor at Fabrikzeitung and is organiser of Babelsprech, a forum for young German language poets. Her prose, poetry and dramas have been widely published in anthologies and magazines, performed on stage and broadcast.

From Darf publishers (UK) 2018 catalogue:
http://darfpublishers.co.uk/Catalogue...

Reviews

[June · Rating 4 out of 5]

Schwankte beim Lesen zwischen „Ich breche ab“ und „Oh diesen Satz muss ich mir raus schreiben“.

[Olaf Gütte · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ein beachtenswerter Roman über Femizid
mit etwas überraschendem Ausgang.

[Maren Lemb · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5 stjerner

Fabulerende, legende, flydende, skørt litterært værk om kvindedrab, hævn og patriarkatet med en sjat magisk realisme.
Blev liiidt lang og svær at følge med i, da jegets virkelighed bliver mere og mere forvrænget, så jeg blev ind imellem hægtet lidt af.

[Milena · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ich war beim Lesen schon lange nicht mehr so zwiegespalten darüber, ob es mir gefällt oder nicht.
Hätten es mir nicht mehrere (vertrauenswürdige) Freundinnen empfohlen, ich glaube, ich hätte es nicht weitergelesen.
Ich habe lange gebraucht, um mich in die Geschichte hinein zu finden und um mit der Protagonistin zumindest etwas sympathisieren zu können bzw. an ihrer Geschichte interessiert zu sein.
Nach etwas mehr als der Hälfte ist die Storyline dann tatsächlich spannend und interessant geworden, sodass ich es schlussendlich in wenigen Tagen fertig gelesen habe.
Leider hat der Schreibstil mir nicht gefallen. Es fällt mir schwer genau zu benennen was mich daran so gestört hat. Es war teilweise die unnatürliche/unpassende Wortwahl, sodass vor allem zu Beginn der Lesefluss oft gestört wurde. Aber auch die verschiedenen Erzählstränge, welche nie wirklich konsequent zu Ende erzählt wurden, haben mich manchmal gelangweilt und oft irritiert.
Schlussendlich würde ich das Buch dennoch empfehlen, weil ich das Thema "Femizide" als wichtig empfinde und es mir gefallen hat wie clever verschiedene Generationen und Klassen durch dieses Thema miteinander verbunden wurden.

[nins · Rating 4 out of 5]

reread für mini semarbet und es schwankt wieder zwüsche ‚das buech isch e slay‘ und ‚das buech het so viel, wos nur aschniedet und nit würklich usgibig behandlet‘.

[Stella Røhl · Rating 3 out of 5]

Temaet vedr den politiske splittelse i italien efter anden verdenskrig var spændende nok. Spøgelseselementet havde jeg det lidt specielt med

[Lois peper - boekig · Rating 3 out of 5]

First 200 pages were 5 stars!! But 150 pages in the middle felt like a completely different book 💔 overall i did enjoy most of it

[Chanel Chapters]

Writing style isn’t for me- also no quotation marks

[Kylie Brand · Rating 1 out of 5]

Super hard read. Erratic and difficult to follow. Very heavy on the hallucinatory trip aspect.

[Benja · Rating 4 out of 5]

zackig, absurd, relevant und unterhaltend af - hatte mich schon beim lyonerfarbenen telefon was am anfang klingelt

4,5/5

[Marcus (Lit_Laugh_Luv)]

Oh this cover… knowing I’ll have to order it all the way from the UK… oh I’m crushed (it’s so beautiful I could cry)

[Rachel Louise Atkin · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF at 110 pages. I found this so dull I couldn’t continue through the whole thing

[Louisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ich liebe die Sprache, die Bilder, die Michelle Steinbeck malt.

„Der Morgen blendet, der Himmel ist frisch gewaschen.“

Aber mir waren es zu viele wabernde, nicht zu Ende geführte Erzählstränge. Ständig musste ich mich fragen: Dieser Satz, ist das Realität, Fantasie, Traum, Wahnvorstellung? Ich weiss es nicht und wünschte, ich könnte es klarer fassen, das Buch gedanklich zu einem Ganzen zusammenbringen.

[Melina_Rae · Rating 4 out of 5]

Was ein feministischer Fiebertraum zu einem noch immer so aktuellen Thema: Femizide.

[Leah · Rating 2 out of 5]

War mir zu crazy und konstruiert. Das Thema ist natürlich trotzdem wichtig, deshalb 2 Sterne

[Isabel Herrle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wunderschöne poetische Sprache, wichtiges Thema, aber zwischenzeitig sehr langatmig und die politischen Thesen am Ende kamen mit etwas plakativ

[Lara · Rating 4 out of 5]

„Sie haben unsere Mütter und Grossmütter verfolgt und deren Mütter davor - natürlich haben sie Angst vor unserer Rache.“

[Otto · Rating 3 out of 5]

Michelle Steinbeck schreibt einen Roman gegen den Femizid, gegen die Unterdrückung der Frauen durch die Machomänner, für Frauensolidarität.
Das Ganze aufbauend auf einem - laut Nachwort der Autorin - tatsächlich stattgefunden Mord an einer jungen Frau im Nachkriegsitalien.
Diese teil phantastische Geschichte über Frauenpower hat mir durchaus gefallen, die 3 Generationen Frauen und deren unterschiedliche Verarbeitung und Umgang mit Unterdrückung liest sich gut. Aber echte emotionale Verbindung zum Geschehen des Romans stellt sich nicht her. Also der letzte Kick zur wirklichen Güte des schriftstellerischen Erzeugnisses fehlt für mich. Ob da der Betroffenheitszorn der Schruftstellerin im Weg steht, oder ob über den Versuch, ein künstlerisch ansprechendes Werk zu schaffen die Authentizität der Erzählerin verlorenging, weiß ich nicht.

Derzeit (2024) auf der Nominiertenliste zum Schweizer Buchpreis.

[pia-lina · Rating 2 out of 5]

ich verstehe dieses buch gar nicht. es ist sehr fiktiv, irgendwie real, aber irgendwie auch verwirrend. manchmal ein bisschen wie ein fiebertraum.

es liest sich sehr gut, es ist spannend. doch inhaltlich habe ich wenig verstanden. das thema femizide und weiblichkeit konnte ich schon greifen, aber es hat mich eher mit vielen fragezeichen zurückgelassen.

[☆Julia☆ · Rating 4 out of 5]

die meiste Zeit hab ich mich über den unnötig übertriebenen Schreibstil und über die Protagonistin aufgeregt, aber das letzte Viertel der Geschichte ist so trippy, dass es dann irgendwie auch egal ist. mir ist immernoch schwindelig darum 4/5

[Judy · Rating 3 out of 5]

das Buch behandelt ein Ultra wichtiges Thema (femizid) und ich liebte die rage und Rache, mir war’s aber bissl zu weird und zu Teilen verwirrend, Grenzen von Realität und Traum verwischen sehr

[greta]

unfortunately this book wasn't for me. i had to dnf at page 64. 😭 i couldn't get on board with the writing style. the way it was written sometimes was a bit confusing and the topics out of place. the fmc would talk about one thing, then next thing you know she goes on about another thing.

it also didn't grip me the way i thought it would based on the description. i thought it was gonna be more intriguing and mysterious, but so far all we got was family drama and i didn't particularly care about that aspect.

i think if you love books about family drama, parent neglect or overall toxic relationship with parents, this one might be for you!

[Gabriella Parodi · Rating 4 out of 5]

This probably the craziest story I’ve read in a wild. Not in a bad way either. There was a lot going on but I liked that it was mainly focused on femicide and trying to get revenge for those women, though there are a lot of other things going on in the book. I do wish the ending wasn’t so abrupt. I think if the fascist boys talked less then there would have been more time for a a less rushed ending.

[Anja Nicolaus · Rating 4 out of 5]

Eine fantastische Tour de Force nach und durch Italien, von den Nachkriegsjahren bis in die heutige Zeit, vorbei an Prostituierten, Deserteuren, Faschisten, Mysogonisten, Geistern und toten Müttern.
Der Roman hat seine Längen, ist aber auf jeden Fall lesenswert, angenehm skurril und gleichzeitig sehr zeitkritisch.

[suzannah ♡ · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF’d at 132 pages. I just couldn’t get into it and struggled with the writing.

[Ruby Jensen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loooooved and devoured!!!!!!!!! Reminded me of Mariana Enriquez and Reservoir Bitches!!!! Which is like an incredible mix!!!!!! Femicide is fucked up. The world is fucked up. And I loved this book

[Robyn · Rating 2 out of 5]

What a let down. This is my reminder not to buy books just because they have cool covers. ESPECIALLY if they're billed as a 'feminist revenge fantasy'.
I don't even know if this will count for the Reading Around the World Challenge as most of it is set in Italy, not Switzerland!
The premise seemed interesting, I thought it would be an intricate look through the past. However, there was almost no information about Fila's childhood apart from some very brief flashback-style pieces of exposition.
Instead it was full of random filler and weird scenes that added nothing (apart from to maybe illustrate how imaginative the author is).
Irritatingly, Michelle Steinbeck includes a tribute to Metropoliz, the former salami factory in Rome turned into a squat - and she completely neglects the fact that the real version was inhabited by a lot of disenfranchised Romani people and run by Popica, dedicated to improving Romani lives. She turns it into a flat, glib idea of 'girl power' with no regard to race or social power. This seems to be an ongoing issue in these 'feminist revenge weird girl' books.
We have no idea what Fila is like as a person. As far as we know she has no friends, job, home, hobbies or interests because these things aren't touched on at all. She also seems to have precious few opinions or thoughts because she just drifts along following what everyone else does.
The ending was an even bigger infuriation. Michelle Steinbeck perpetuates the idea that if we kill a few Bad Men, we will eliminate all structural issues in the world and live happily ever after. Maybe because she doesn't have the talent to write something more incisive or complex than that?
What could've been interesting and compelling turned into a moralistic, simplistic and fetishised revenge fantasy. Worst of all, it was an absolute chore to read.

[Ida Bejder · Rating 4 out of 5]

4⭐️ Hvor ville den mange ting og hvor var det vildt, at det alligevel (næsten) fungerede! Det her var en fabulerende, feministisk, fantastisk familiesaga/kvindekampsroman/mordgåde/retsagsdrama. Det var en wild ride, en feberdrøm beboet af spøgelser, prostituerede, fascister, hekse, kommunister, tigere, raketter og alt derimellem. Slapstick-humor, næsten filmisk/tegneserieagtigt skrevet. Du aner ikke, hvad der venter dig.

Den sidste stjerne mangler fordi jeg blev ret overstimuleret og deraf udmattet undervejs. Men ærligt, vi mangler overstimulerende bøger som denne.

[aemynadira · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's a wild, messy, & totally unpredictable ride through a woman's attempt to understand a mother she barely knew. Fila grew up with her grandmother, who made sure she believed her mother Magdalena was nothing but trouble, loud, irresponsible, & best kept at a distance. But when both women die & Fila learns her mother's actually murdered, everything she thought she knew starts to crumble. What begins as a quest for answers leads her from Switzerland to Italy, where she discovers her mother was a famous brothel-keeper called Favorita, & that her most recent lover is probably the one who killed her. The story spirals into something way stranger than a typical revenge plot. There are separatist communist women avenging murdered girls, fascist deserters, ghost sightings, drug-fueled parties, & even space rockets somehow. It's less a straightforward mystery & more a fever dream road trip through folklore, politics, & rage.

The feminism in this book isn't subtle at all. It's loud, angry, & all over the place. Fila stumbles into a world where women are constantly being failed by men & by systems that were never designed to protect them. The group of communist women she meets aren't just grieving abstractly; they're actively hunting down the men who hurt them, keeping lists & taking names. It's blunt & unapologetic, & yeah sometimes it's like the book's shouting its message at you: women shouldn't have to live in fear & the men who think they can get away with violence the worst. But there's something refreshing about how direct it is. Fila doesn't just learn about her mother's life, she starts to understand the impossible position women like her were put in, & how easily a woman's story gets twisted by everyone except the women who actually lived it.

The story reminds you that grief doesn't follow a neat path, & neither does justice. Fila's journey doesn't give her clean answers or easy closure, & the people she meets along the way are all carrying their own versions of loss & fury. The lesson here isn't some tidy takeaway about forgiveness or healing. It's more about the power of refusing to stay silent, even when your voice shakes or the world around you seems completely absurd. We learn that searching for truth about someone you love can mean entering spaces that are uncomfortable, bizarre, & even dangerous, but there's value in seeing it through anyway. It made me think about how women's histories get buried so easily, & how sometimes you have to go a little crazy just to dig them back up.

[Lyana A. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fila was raised by her grandmother, Lavinia. She barely knew her mother, Magdalena, who was loud, chaotic, and wasn't the best example in Fila's life. Fila hadn't seen her since she brought shame on the family by advertising her new brothel in the local newspaper, but a sudden call from Italy arrives with a warning: Magdalena was murdered.

Without much to anchor her in her Swiss home anymore after her grandmother died, she sets off to Italy to uncover the truth about the life of her mother, a woman last known as Favorita.

This book was quite a ride. Strange and hallucinatory, I was frequently baffled while reading it. The initial section covering Fila's childhood and the family drama Magdalena caused was compelling. But the journey en route to retrace her mother is what kind of took me out of the story at times, because it feels like a fever dream.

There are parts where she sees her mother and grandmother again - whether it was her imagination or something that might have happened in the past, I couldn't really tell. Fila also meets women who used to work for Favorita. Then they end up in a stand-off with soldiers, followed by Fila's obsession with the murder case of a village girl known as The Beautiful Sisina. There's also Italian folklore, twentieth-century political history, and feminist activism thrown into the story.

It does seem like three or four plots are jostling for space in one book, and it reads like it, too. The writing style tends to leap between topics, which results in a slightly exhausting reading experience. This may be a book about an unsolved murder, but it's not for fans of straight-up whodunnits. It's better suited for those who are happy to relinquish all their expectations of where a story is likely to go.