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Girl, Woman, Other

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Penguin Readers is an ELT graded reader series for learners of English as a foreign language. With carefully adapted text, new illustrations and language learning exercises, the print edition also includes instructions to access supporting material online.

Titles include popular classics, exciting contemporary fiction, and thought-provoking non-fiction, introducing language learners to bestselling authors and compelling content .

The eight levels of Penguin Readers follow the Common European Framework of Reference for language learning ( CEFR ). Exercises at the back of each Reader help language learners to practise grammar, vocabulary, and key exam skills. Before, during and after-reading questions test readers' story comprehension and develop vocabulary.

Girl, Woman, Other, a Level 7 Reader, is B2 in the CEFR framework. The longer text is made up of sentences with up to four clauses, introducing future perfect simple, past perfect continuous, mixed conditionals, more complex passive forms and modals for deduction in the past.

Girl, Woman, Other is a powerful novel about race and the lives and journeys of twelve people. It celebrates the importance of coming together to share, love, and take care of each other.


Visit the Penguin Readers website
Exclusively with the print edition, readers can unlock online resources including a digital book, audio edition, lesson plans and answer keys.

128 pages, Paperback

Published September 8, 2022

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About the author

Saffron Alexander

3 books2 followers

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5 stars
187 (40%)
4 stars
153 (33%)
3 stars
97 (20%)
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23 (4%)
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 44 reviews
Profile Image for Coco.
16 reviews
October 29, 2025
Sehr besonders geschrieben, der Schreibstil ähnelt Gedanken und mündlichen Erzählungen, ohne Punkt und Komma. Jedes Kapitel gibt einen Einblick in das Leben einer starken Frau*, die Teil der schwarzen Community in Großbritannien ist. Perfekte Reiselektüre!
Profile Image for Realini Ionescu.
4,130 reviews20 followers
September 21, 2025
Girl, Woman, Other by Bernardine Evaristo Co-Winner of the 2019 Booker Prize https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of... and one of Barack Obama’s favorite books

10 out of 10





Even before opening this novel, it had seemed that it would be too much, indeed, since maneuvering the kindle, it opened by accident, I decided to try and see quickly if it is not my cup of tea – as I had been almost convinced – and when it proved not just readable, but captivating, the continuation was a sure thing, until I would run into some difficulty later in the narrative, once it started to be a self- fulfilling prophecy maybe, or just the number of strong, impressive women became too much, their amplitude overwhelming this reader, who would start feeling a sense of this being too artificious, elaborate, figures we would never see in real life, forgetting a few things in the process, such as the fact that cheaters in a story are not meant to be ‘real’, they would be by definition alien to a fifty-eight year old from a more or less traditional culture, just as they are for much of the world, for we are talking about characters that represent the change, the very edge of the new world, progress and liberalism…



Two Spirits is a notion that I have heard on the Bill Maher show, presumably it had been used by AOC aka Alexandra Octavio Cortez, the rising star of the liberal, or ultra-left wing of the democratic party, and it comes from something that Native Americans used and it could fit in the new world where we have her, him, and they, as one personage in this narrative wants to be called, and if for nothing else, Bernardine Evaristo is magnificent in that she will introduce readers to the new age of gender fluidity, terms, feelings, situations that announce the future – and the present in some parts of the world, though most will still be traditional for a long time…China has a campaign against effeminate men, never mind plunging into a gender-free universe – ‘gender is one of the biggest lies of our civilization’ we read, just as we find about quivergender as being the one that changes gender, from one moment to another, if I am not confusing this with one of the other astonishing new terms that we find here.

Quite a few, if not all the humans we find in this narrative are extraordinary, bring such a new perspective as to confuse some readers – one reason why it loses appeal for me in the second part, maybe the last quarter would surely be that this is such a different universe, that it could be impossible to keep breathing here, forget about understanding the language of these alien women or they, like Megan/Morgan, who starts as a girl and then moves into a different territory and she becomes ‘they’, which we could get, but only on the surface, it is impossible to try the archaic process of ‘identifying’ with the main protagonist, at least I do not see how things could just for one second to the next, in such fundamental ways…



The immense benefit is that most of the central figures are women and lesbian – it would have been very different, a paradigm shift if they were men, though the under-signed has had two radically different experiences, one less enchanting with Shuggie Bain, winner of last year’s Booker, but the other one, an exhilarating, enthusing read in the Winner of the 2018 Pulitzer Prize, Less by Andrew Sean Greer http://realini.blogspot.com/2018/04/l... which has a phenomenal hero, with his peacock (was it that shade, tone?) blue suit, humor, exquisite adventures and brilliant verb and verve



Some are frightening, which makes sense and adds complexity to the saga, which would have been less enticing, were women to be all role models and men cast as chauvinist pigs (which we mostly are) and Nzinga would rival any evil male character, although she comes across as a statuesque, ‘swamp-diva-voodoo-queen’ that takes Dominique to Texas, in a trailer park, where they are supposed to have the ideal love life, which seems to come true, until the former shows her true colors, becomes more than possessive, and takes her partner into bondage, slavery to the point where we have a hostage situation and abuse for years, until the latter manages to escape to California and rebuild her life…

We have women, ancestors that come from all over the world – perhaps this could be seen as a drawback, if we are to talk about an ‘ordinary’ saga, this would look like checking the boxes, and including one from Ghana, another from Nigeria, Ethiopia, even Barbados and Montserrat, but seeing the ambition, the magnitude of this opus, that appears to be anew classic, the author is seen frequently on the BBC by this reader, then it is probably as it should be – covering many faiths, with various political affiliations



One of the splendors of the book is this quote ‘It's so crazy that the disgusting perma-tanned billionaire has set a new intellectual and moral low by being president of America’ which has more than delighted me, together with this new world which is presented, with its new vocabulary – ‘polyamory, Unfuckwithables, nano-electronics integrated into neural pathways, implanted at the cellular level a month after conception, self-growing self-repairing, we'll all be cyborgs’ and the vast canvas on which all of this is painted, with the pain caused by oil companies in the Niger delta, where one of the grandparents dies trying to illegally refine diesel from the oil which pollutes everything down there…

There is frustration, when one reads about one of the twelve, LaTisha, who could do so much with her life, but then she is impregnated as a teenager, because her partner says he will pull out, does not want to use a condom, which is not manly in his distorted, vicious view, and he does not, so there is a first child, then another, after having sex in the back of the car, which could seem as impulses, the urge to have sex getting the better of one, but to add to this a third child, before reaching twenty one appears not just excessive, but infuriating…and this says so much, or everything, about this reader, who has been into very risky situations, indeed, there have been three abortions, only he did not have to suffer the consequences – yes, paid for the procedures, in the last case, it was in fact because when married, the spouse had been in an x ray room, and they said that it would be a risk- so he does not see it from the point of view of the woman, but expresses criticism from the side lines, saying she should have been more protective of herself, but it is so easy to be a back seat driver and offer precious advice, when one does not do what one preaches and all that…in conclusion, this is such a dazzling novel that it could be the ‘victim of its success’ in that it is such a wild, rollercoaster ride that some, like the under signed, may not be able to take all this with ease, and feel the need to take some weed to interiorize all this universe, and since there is none and it is still illegal here, this is a challenge

http://realini.blogspot.com/2022/03/r...

Profile Image for Melvina Amjad.
8 reviews
December 28, 2024
I grabbed the book two years ago due to the fact that it talks about London, its history, black women, politics, and fiction. I was super thrilled to start reading it last year. The writing style was something I struggled with a lot!!! I couldn’t keep up with the storyline, narration, or even some characters. I felt that I chose the wrong book. Amma and Carole’s stories were super profound and touching which encouraged me to read more. The lack of punctuation and capitalization made me lost! I had to spend some time to get used to her writing style which I appreciated later on as the stories started to connect and become clearer. With that being said, some details were unnecessary and made me as a reader even more lost! Some chapters were more thrilling than others. I had to leave the book for 5 months, and read other books to get encouraged to finish it. I really loved the historical elements! They added much depth to the story and characters. For the after party, I was super confused and I grappled a lot with what the characters had to say. Yaz was my favorite character. I loved that she’s feisty, brave, bold, and funny. Also, I appreciated the mention of movements such as PLO and feminism. I learned so many things about London! Thanks to Bernardine.
It’s such a good book. It’s definitely a new way of writing, and it needs some years to get “approved” by some classic readers.
7 reviews
April 12, 2025
man* taucht je Kapitel in das Leben einer anderen Person ein und bekommt so Einblicke in verschiedene Leben und Perspektiven, was das Buch wirklich besonders gemacht hat, Hauptpersonen sind v.a. weibliche POC
Profile Image for Alba Bassets.
17 reviews2 followers
April 29, 2024
Evaristo acts like a gorgeous spider knitting her web, and you end up trapped in it, at her mercy. And it's fantastic.
At the beginning it took me a while to get used to her writing style, but it grew on me and I now think it makes the book even more special.
Profile Image for River.
117 reviews1 follower
September 11, 2023
So basically the entire book is one sentence cus for some reason Evaristo doesn't use punctuation?
Profile Image for Julia Zimmer.
58 reviews
May 1, 2024
I fucking LOVED IT!
Obviously I've heard soooo many good things about it but once I started reading it I wasn't so sure. I really had to get used to the writing style that I learned to love pretty quickly! This book was out of my comfort zone for sure, just because it's so hard for me to remember names and this book has like a million of them. I've learned so many things and would definitely read it again, SO WORTH IT!
Profile Image for MarionaRebull.
191 reviews
August 17, 2025
Alguns plots més delulus que altres però guai coneixer a tanta gent i estar per aquí i per allà.

Nava a posar 4 però el final se m’ha fet llarguet😭😭😭😭
Profile Image for Roisin.
2 reviews1 follower
February 4, 2024
So good ! Was a bit confused at the beginning then it all started to make sense. Kind of wanted to cry at some stages, really made me think of my mum/nana/friends etc
2 reviews
March 24, 2024
While the book does an amazing job at addressing diversity and tells an accurate portrayal of different women’s experience, from different backgrounds, making it super relatable, it wasn’t the kind of book that I “couldn’t put down”, mostly because it has no narrative structure like a classic novel I seem to prefer. However, that being said I loved how all of the stories seemingly entwined as the book unfolded. Some chapters were definitely most gripping than others but overall it was an enjoyable read and would recommend if your someone who doesn’t need a specific plot.
Profile Image for Lauren Pitt1.
88 reviews2 followers
May 28, 2023
This is hands down one of the best books I've read. I've never read anything like it before in terms of how it's written with no grammar and themes it covers. The way the author manages to connect all the characters is so clever. I couldn't put it down. And it made me think about things I hadnt before. Loved it and would recommend everyone read!!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
16 reviews1 follower
December 10, 2025
This book made me realise how diverse a life path can be, how differently some hardships can play out despite having the same root (rascism, mysogyny, addictions, sexual/gender identity etc....).
I learnt a bit about life at different eras despite the book being more character focused, learnt that beng black comes in different shapes and forms, different backgrounds and leading to different futures. same goes for being a woman. That it is a part of you, always visible for the best and worst but not necessarily a personality trait or not all you are (Carole).
I learnt how strongly implanted can certain beliefs be, and how much denial they can cause despite not always being filled with hate (Bummi).
I learnt how....this one is hard to put in words but uh....how no matter how strong you are, how strong you've been, love, infatuation, admiration makes you vulnerable. We all have weaknesses and not being able to face it will make you dug your own grave, or help someone do it for you (Dominique).
I learnt how some unhealed wounds implant weaknesses, that lead to serious issues, that follow you for the rest of your life. That anyone can betray you. Nothing leads to nothing with humans and some people have AUDACITY. (LaTisha)
Also, dumb but necessary, not eveything can be an aesthetic or an era, performative activism is...it helps but yk...(Yazz).
Anyways, this was amazing to read.
* i loooooooved her writing style. love how, despite being confusing at first, it makes you feel like you are fully part of the story. aware of everything. You travel through heads, eras, places, thoughts, feelings and the story just evolves, unfolds itself in your head.
* i love how the book wasn't only about being black or being a woman. it feels more about humans that happen to be women, and black. how did that impact their lives. from english born to the first immigrants, but kept character focused, fun and realistic. relatable.
* i love how we got chapters about 3 people that are somewhat connected, in different manners. Mothers and daughters to grandmas and friendships. How we get to read about what happened to someone who crossed path with someone we were just reading about
* the only "negative" point for me is that it gets confusing at times. like i can't tell who's talking of when/where we are
33 reviews1 follower
August 19, 2024
L'ho letto in lingua originale. È molto legato al contesto inglese e al momento storico (2019), al punto che mi chiedo se lettori non familiarizzati con esso possano cogliere alcune sfumature. È così "English-centered" che inizialmente ho un po' faticato ad appassionarmi ai primi due personaggi, dei prototipi della Londra contemporanea e progressista, nonostante lo stile sia indubbiamente scorrevole e piacevole. Ma poi il racconto parte e diventa magnetico.
Tuttavia, mi perplime un po' la scelta stilistica degli a-capo senza maiuscole e senza uso di punteggiatura (tranne virogole e trattini). Dopo un centinaio di pagine mi sono abituata ma all'inizio mi sembrava un po' una posa stilistica forzata, sebbene magistralmente gestita e diretta, e forse non completamente giustificata come necessaria: insomma una sorta di vezzo estetico. Mi piacerebbe confrontarmi con altri lettori e lettrici per sapere cosa ne pensano di questo aspetto.
Rilevante la capacità di descrivere la psicologia e le emozioni dei personaggi.
Profile Image for Bakabakalex.
33 reviews
September 2, 2025
One of the most creative writings, and by far the most heart warming, at times terrifyingly shocking, and mostly incredibly realistic book i've read. It goes full circle and by the end of the story, the author connects us all through the simple words : this is not about feeling something or about speaking words, this is about being together. Nor is it about capital letters and ponctuation haha !
Wow.
Profile Image for Charlotte Hukvari.
65 reviews
March 27, 2024
I love it. It truly is “triumphant” as the Sunday Times said. My only tiny issue with it is that it gets a little bit difficult to keep track of all the characters as you progress. They are all brilliant and fun and interesting and yet I had difficulty separating them from each other’s stories by page 300. However, a brilliant read and I’m very happy I bought it.
Profile Image for Charley.
41 reviews
November 18, 2024
I struggled with the book to start with, it didn't seem to have a plot or direction, which I am used to with my usual reads, but towards the middle of the book I started to enjoy the shorter interlinking stories and how they are all connected.
As it was an audiobook I struggled with all the relationships as I couldn't refer backwards.
45 reviews4 followers
December 1, 2024
It is an interesting and multifaceted novel with an enjoyable and unique writing style. However, its dense, flowing narrative can sometimes cause you to miss details, meaning you might need to flip back now and then. Some storylines come across as exaggerated—likely on purpose—but they add to the book's lively and thought-provoking nature.
Profile Image for Manahil Fatima ✧.
19 reviews1 follower
January 12, 2024
OMG tbh this deserves 10 stars but since I can't over here just think that I gave this book 10 stars cuz this is honestly such a great and inspiring book
I LoVeD it 🤌👌
Imma go ahead on Google and search up all the book according to my age to read cuz she might be my new fav author
Profile Image for Julia Cardoso.
57 reviews
March 28, 2024
I found it really hard to get into a reading flow because most punctuation marks were missing (only question marks and commas are used) but its a wonderful, interesting book that will make you see how much life every single person carries with them
Profile Image for Darlene MacNeill.
69 reviews
May 8, 2025
It was a pleasant read. Each chapter dove into the life story of a character giving it a short story feel. There wasn’t a huge overarching plot, but rather a series of mini plots that bumped into each other. I enjoyed it.
21 reviews
May 30, 2025
This book feels a bit harder for me to review. Some of the stories in here are absolutely amazing, while others seem to pail in comparison. This book was quite inspiring for me, and a very different way to write a novel.
Profile Image for Chantal.
44 reviews
June 27, 2025
Die Kurzgeschichten der Charakteren waren wirklich gut. Manche haben sich etwas gezogen, dafür waren andere wieder umso spannender.
Ein Buch, das die „Erwartungen“ an Frauen, Feminismus und Widerstand gut auf den Punkt bringt!
48 reviews
October 19, 2025
I absolutely love this book. The challenges of each generation, the discrimination faced, the hopes that the next generation would have it easier and then the corresponding challenges that came for them. The startling reality that we really are only a few degrees away from one another.
Profile Image for Naomi Plant.
7 reviews2 followers
January 5, 2024
Really challenged my expected norms of writing styles, which was incredibly refreshing. This book really makes you examine your beliefs.
26 reviews
March 17, 2024
Didn’t really get the hype. Nicely written but never really got into it
Displaying 1 - 30 of 44 reviews

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