I need Meryl Streep to narrate my life. It's a hard book to rate because I don't think I would've liked this book if I hadn't listened to it on audio I need Meryl Streep to narrate my life. It's a hard book to rate because I don't think I would've liked this book if I hadn't listened to it on audio and if it wasn't narrated by Meryl Streep - it really is just a soapy story of family romance/history told while the family picks cherries from an orchard in Michigan. But something about the atmosphere and being steeped in it for 11.5 hours got to me.
I don't think I will reread Tom Lake because the story wasn't personally impactful enough to revisit, but it was a really lovely experience and made my commute much more bearable....more
Hunger Games, but for an adult audience and set in space. (Still a 16 year old MC though?) I blitzed through it in less than a day. I'm not sure how IHunger Games, but for an adult audience and set in space. (Still a 16 year old MC though?) I blitzed through it in less than a day. I'm not sure how I feel about it, so I'll give it a middle of the road 3.5 stars. Waiting to see if the series develops in its themes and characters. ...more
To use an extended metaphor--David Grann is weaving a tapestry. The story of the Osage murders is complicated, tragic, and nuanced, with double-crossiTo use an extended metaphor--David Grann is weaving a tapestry. The story of the Osage murders is complicated, tragic, and nuanced, with double-crossings and even triple-crossings. There are many characters with many backstories that all contribute to the tapestry that Grann is weaving together. However, he doesn't know when to snip his thread, so he keeps pulling it and pulling it and then weaving it into the piece a bit haphazardly. The end result is that the tapestry is messy. We lose the main picture amidst all the shoot offs and unnecessary stories. Instead of creating one cohesive piece, we have lots of little pieces that sometimes go together to bring depth to the story but oftentimes detract from the main picture.
This is a tragic story and one that should be told. I was merely disappointed with how Grann tried to tell it. It was clunky. Grann adds plenty of quotes and references to the many people that pop up in this story, but many times, these additions don't actually add anything to the plot. Plus, the birth of the FBI is barely in here. Where'd that go? The final third of the book, Grann starts speaking in the first person, which was a jolt. I felt like the third part should've been cut entirely. This was an interesting story, but it could've been told in about 50-75 pages, not 300.
Well, that was disappointing. So much happened in this book, but nothing really important. Yarros needed a good editor to chop about 200 pages out. AlWell, that was disappointing. So much happened in this book, but nothing really important. Yarros needed a good editor to chop about 200 pages out. Also, the pacing was really off. I think this was originally supposed to be two books (there is a part one and a part two), so the flow is strange. There wasn't much tension (especially compared to the first book), and it was hard to care about the politics. The characters were not great (the back blurb could be: "miscommunication ensues"), and the trope "the other girl" gets wayy too much screen time. I don't know how this is supposed to stretch for 3 more books. I'll read the next one, but maybe wait to borrow it from the library....more
Look - no one (I think) is arguing that this is the most prestigious piece of literature. But the vibes are great, and it has some very fun tropes. I'Look - no one (I think) is arguing that this is the most prestigious piece of literature. But the vibes are great, and it has some very fun tropes. I've been swamped in academic reading, and this was a welcome break. It's fast-paced, easy to read, and entertaining. I can't recommend this to younger readers, as it lands firmly in New Adult. All in all, there are worse ways to spend a Saturday, and I'd probably do it again....more
I feel like a lot could've been cut. Also what's with the characters all being retconned? Still, fun enough to keep me reading.I feel like a lot could've been cut. Also what's with the characters all being retconned? Still, fun enough to keep me reading....more
I think this book ends my "beach reads" phase because Happy Place just wasn't for me.I think this book ends my "beach reads" phase because Happy Place just wasn't for me....more
Not what I would consider good or "quality" literature, but vastly entertaining nonetheless.Not what I would consider good or "quality" literature, but vastly entertaining nonetheless....more
I don't know where to begin with this book. At its core, the book tackles "the danger of believing that following the rules can avert disaster." EssenI don't know where to begin with this book. At its core, the book tackles "the danger of believing that following the rules can avert disaster." Essentially, it came in for my middle-class sensibilities hot. I'll probably be thinking about it for a while.
The good: -I devoured this in less than two days. I could not put it down, despite it being a character-driven novel with very little plot. -I could empathize with every character in the novel, even the ones who were positioned as "bad." It's a squirmy kind of feeling to realize that you can see where a "bad" character is coming from, and Ng gave me lots of that feeling. -There are a lot of layers of complexity (this ends up being a negative too). Ng doesn't shy away from asking hard questions. -The writing was lush. The neighborhood felt real (because it was based on a real neighborhood). I want to dig out my grandfather's old film camera now and see if I can figure it out.
The negative: -Ng, despite trying to make a nuanced novel, felt like she was setting some characters up to be "good" and "bad." (I'm using a lot of scare quotes in this review, but I feel like you'll understand if you've read the book.) It's clear where she fell on certain topics, especially on the adoption plot. I found myself rooting for the "bad" side because of how much Ng was trying to malign their side. -Mia was a Manic Pixie Dream Mom, and I'm not sure if I loved the way the trope has evolved. (I wasn't a fan of MPDG to begin with.) -Some characters were dropped (my boy Moody. We're told that Pearl and Moody are best friends, but we don't actually see that.) Also, Lexie had an unconvincing character arc (crash?). -The ending. (Or lack thereof). I understand open endings, but this one could've been less... open.
It's almost a 5 star read, but the heavy-handed characterization and the open ending knock it down to a hearty 4.5 for me....more
I really wanted to like this one, but it didn't work for me. There was a disconnect between the title and the contents of the book; it felt more like I really wanted to like this one, but it didn't work for me. There was a disconnect between the title and the contents of the book; it felt more like a personal memoir with some nature allusions thrown in for good measure. Also, it felt kinda depressing for most of it (being set in lockdown times). The chapters didn't flow well, and the writing was kinda rough at parts. I loved the author's recent essay in the NYT, though....more
Miller takes many liberties with the story of the Iliad, but I didn't mind it too much. I can see why this book is so popular, but it didn't resonate Miller takes many liberties with the story of the Iliad, but I didn't mind it too much. I can see why this book is so popular, but it didn't resonate deeply with me. The characterization is simplistic and the writing is a little flowery....more
I was going to give this two stars because everyone seemed to love it so much, but that was just too high for a book I hated so much. I feel like I reI was going to give this two stars because everyone seemed to love it so much, but that was just too high for a book I hated so much. I feel like I read a totally different book than everyone else did.
The good: -I liked the different methods of storytelling. You get various cutscenes into video games, different character's POV, even a few second-person chapters. It's different and interesting. -the sprawling scope (30 years) -a surprisingly good discussion on cultural appropriation vs. appreciation when it comes to art "The alternative to appropriation is a world where white European people make art about white European people, with only white European references in it. Swap African or Asian or Latin or whatever culture you want for European. A world where everyone is blind and deaf to any culture or experience that is not their own. I hate that world, don’t you?"
The issues: -The characters are toxic. I hated all of them, and there was zero character development over the whopping 400 pages. -It was 400 long pages. -Okay but seriously, the characters were horrible. I understand that not every character has to be likable, etc., but I think Zevin was trying to make them sympathetic. Sadie is manipulative, would rather ghost people and be passive aggressive than *simply communicate,* Sam is always throwing a pity party, but he won't tell his friends that he is struggling, Marx is a playboy who supposedly matures (but we don't actually see that), and Dov is just horrible from all sides. -Zevin tries to be progressive (a couple comments about how a character's decision to carry a pregnancy is "her choice because it's her body,") and Sadie doesn't believe in the institution of marriage, but Zevin has no issues romanticizing non-consensual BDSM (view spoiler)[ between Dov and Sadie. Dov is a married man with a kid and also Sadie's professor. There is a power imbalance among so many other wrong things, and Zevin will not come out and say that that's terrible and wrong. In fact, Sadie is shown to have a good friendship with Dov at the end of the novel. (hide spoiler)] -Sam is very possessive of Sadie, and this is portrayed as cute (view spoiler)[and he's rewarded for this possessive behavior at the end of the book (hide spoiler)] -Miscommunication. The conflicts revolve around miscommunication, and that's just an exhausting trope after a while, when one simple conversation could've solved everything. -Melodrama. Also, there is every CW in the book. -White homophobic mass shooters. Why? Idk. It felt heavy-handed. -What was the point? I don't know. (Does every book need to have a clearly-spelled-out point? Not necessarily. But I wanted something more than this book gave me, especially after I endured those characters for 400 pages.)
Bonus issue: -Some passages were just bad. Zevin is also fond of using uncommon words and stringing them together. There are also a few passages where it feels like Zevin has dropped the character's voice and is just preaching herself.
All in all, this one was decidedly not for me....more
Most of what Clear has to say has been said before by others, but I liked this book. It was a little long for the things that were said, but it's an eMost of what Clear has to say has been said before by others, but I liked this book. It was a little long for the things that were said, but it's an easy read, mildly inspiring, and provides helpful plans and strategies to get started....more
This is a hard book to review. It's sprawling in scope, from the 1920s through the end of the second World War. Its cast of characters is large. The WThis is a hard book to review. It's sprawling in scope, from the 1920s through the end of the second World War. Its cast of characters is large. The Whalebone Theatre traces the lives of one main family, the Seagrave family, as they grow up. The main character, Christabel, is a precocious child. When a whale carcass washes up on the shore, she claims it for her family. Eventually, she and her half sibling and cousin make a theatre out of the bones. While exceedingly slow and meandering, I enjoyed the mood of this first half of the novel. It is atmospheric, if not bacchanalian at parts.
This is a debut novel, so I expect the writing to be a little clunky, but it does suffer from overly-decorated writing as well. There is lots of alliteration: "She spies snowdrops simpering," "buzzing of a bluebottle battering," etc.) Awkward descriptions abound: "The pale gingeriness that makes him so translucent in civilian life is eradicated by his military outfit, which fills him out, makes him a reassuring presence." And the absolute worst example is this: "he has been captivated by the sight of a huge moon rising over the trees that surround the house. A giant disc, toenail yellow, heaving itself slowly into the night sky. Such effrontery in its bare-faced blankness." Anyone who calls the moon a "toenail yellow disc" should be ashamed of themselves.
It's also written in many different forms. There are many points of view, and sometimes we take a break from the writing to tell the story through newspaper clippings, lists, journal entries, letters, and other methods of communication.
I took issue with how Christabel talked, especially as a 4 year old and 12 year old. (For example, this is typical dialogue for her: "Rules should always be fair. That’s the English way. I’m going home now because I am hungry, but it is still my whale. By which I mean to say: it will be my whale. I’ve merely got to figure out how, and if I have to talk to the King directly, so be it.”) She seems to be an adult in the body of a child, and you can tell that Quinn hasn't found her voice while writing children yet.
The second half of the novel suddenly becomes a WWII spy novel. It was a jolting transition, and while faster-paced than the initial half, felt uninspired. The magic of the novel is in the dreamy and fluid childhood idylls.
The novel feels cozy, though it isn't. It is often harsh and cold. But Quinn never pushes the boundaries to make this novel actually say something. She briefly alludes to queer relationships, the struggles of POC fighting for countries that don't accept them, and women secretly serving on the battlefront, but never takes a stance or develops any of it. It's like she's trying to prove she can tackle hard issues and themes without actually tackling them. This, ultimately, is what holds the novel back. Quinn can set a scene, but she can't say anything meaningful about the scene she's set. ...more
This isn't peak literature, but it excels in the YA thriller genre, so it gets 4 stars from me. There are some weird plot things that you have to overThis isn't peak literature, but it excels in the YA thriller genre, so it gets 4 stars from me. There are some weird plot things that you have to overlook, and the first half drags a bit, but the last half is exciting. The end is satisfying and not too far-fetched. The characters all annoyed me (has the author ever seen a family actually talk to each other?) but again, it's a YA novel. It's a great light, entertaining read in between some denser textbooks....more
This is well-written, the plot is tight, and the characters are insane. The first half was a bit of a slog to get through. Once I got through the firsThis is well-written, the plot is tight, and the characters are insane. The first half was a bit of a slog to get through. Once I got through the first have (in 5 days), it took me 1 day to finish the rest of the book. However, there was no redeeming element to it all. The characters (every single one of them) are utterly unlikeable and really despicable. While it was interesting to read about their antics, there was no ultimate point to it. Sure, everyone got their just desserts at the end (not justice-system wise, but personally), but it was so unsatisfying. ...more
Not going to rate this one, but I read it in the span about 6 hours. Heartbreaking and hopeful. I did feel like the author needed more time and distanNot going to rate this one, but I read it in the span about 6 hours. Heartbreaking and hopeful. I did feel like the author needed more time and distance before writing the end of the book. I appreciated the footnotes and afterword about places where her memory diverged from her family's or friends'. There has been some chatter on how truthful or exaggerated parts of this book were - but a memoir writer is mostly writing ~her~ felt experience, so it didn't bug me. Everything felt quite plausible. I'd recommend it, with the caveat that some things are very graphically and gruesomely described....more