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4.0 AVERAGE
4.0 AVERAGE
dark
slow-paced
Absolutely beautiful.
Love the poetry and metaphors. Definitely enriched this novel.
The character development of the main character was perfect. We see Astrid go from the young, unconditional love, to adolescent bitterness, to the mature understanding and independence.
Love the poetry and metaphors. Definitely enriched this novel.
The character development of the main character was perfect. We see Astrid go from the young, unconditional love, to adolescent bitterness, to the mature understanding and independence.
I read this to compliment some ideas I am gathering about narcissism and mothering and Fitch offers a decent portrayal of that. The rest of the story was disappointing, despite its readability, which is why I'm struggling with how to rate this. The journey of the child, Astrid, through foster care is predictably dire. Either California's foster care system in the 90's was *very* different from other states' systems or Fitch knows nothing about it. For sure there are bad foster parents, but as a former foster parent myself, I know there are basic housing requirements and oversights that would have prevented nearly all the situations Astrid encounters. (Fitch partially solves these problems by making her social workers inept idiots who never visit the houses where she lives.) There is a truly disturbing, overly-explicit sexual relationship with a man in his 50's and another later on, all dealt with as if Astrid is just unusually sophisticated and sexually competent. So many of the truly disturbing things that happen to Astrid are dismissed out of hand as she moves on to her next tragedy. Any one of the horrifying things that Astrid deals with would be enough for a novel. This just feels like overkill. Ugh.
Ausführlichere Rezension folgt, aber wow.
Wenn ihr Bücher lesen wollt, darüber, wie es ist, Mensch zu sein, dann lest das hier.
Wenn ihr Bücher lesen wollt, darüber, wie es ist, Mensch zu sein, dann lest das hier.
When you read a book and you're 10 years older than you were when you first read it, your opinion (obviously) changes.
There's no doubt that the prose in this book is beautiful. However. I found it almost exhaustively beautiful. How many times can Fitch compare Ingrid's hair to milk? Metaphors and similes permeate this book so much that you can almost wring them out.
Astrid constantly seems to think the world owes her something. Yeah, she's been dealt a shitty hand, but it's not like she tries to change anything. For the most part, she simply takes it. She's a WHITE GIRL. Obviously, kid's gonna have some privilege. She thinks she deserves so much, but has she given anything at all to the world? Another thing I noticed the second read-around was how unreliable she is as a narrator. She loves her mother. Then she doesn't. Oh, but she needs her mother. No, she doesn't. Her mother never bends her rules. Oh - wait, I guess sometimes she does. With the constant back and forth, how could anyone trust what she thinks? I'm not sure if this is on purpose to reflect how naive Astrid is as she grows up, but she certainly doesn't change. In the end, sure, she's on another continent, away from her mother, but she still wants to back there with her when BY NOW she should know EXACTLY what would happen if she went back to her mother.
Ingrid is a despicable person. She judges absolutely everyone and seems to think she is somehow above everyone she meets, including her daughter. She's too good for anyone. Then, Barry breaks down her ethereal wall, and she's pissed. So she spends the next 9 years making sure everyone knows how powerful she is. She's a truly awful mother. Selfish. No regard for others.
I feel like, as a feminist, I should give this book five stars, but no. My feminism does not include being an awful person and judging everyone I lay eyes on. Nor does it include being a wet mop.
I'm giving this three stars because it's clearly elicited a strong response from me. If I can hate a character this much and rant about it on Goodreads, it's good writing and strong characters. However, I'm taking two stars away this time because MY GOD not everything is as white as milk or smooth like silk or dark chocolate.
There's no doubt that the prose in this book is beautiful. However. I found it almost exhaustively beautiful. How many times can Fitch compare Ingrid's hair to milk? Metaphors and similes permeate this book so much that you can almost wring them out.
Astrid constantly seems to think the world owes her something. Yeah, she's been dealt a shitty hand, but it's not like she tries to change anything. For the most part, she simply takes it. She's a WHITE GIRL. Obviously, kid's gonna have some privilege. She thinks she deserves so much, but has she given anything at all to the world? Another thing I noticed the second read-around was how unreliable she is as a narrator. She loves her mother. Then she doesn't. Oh, but she needs her mother. No, she doesn't. Her mother never bends her rules. Oh - wait, I guess sometimes she does. With the constant back and forth, how could anyone trust what she thinks? I'm not sure if this is on purpose to reflect how naive Astrid is as she grows up, but she certainly doesn't change. In the end, sure, she's on another continent, away from her mother, but she still wants to back there with her when BY NOW she should know EXACTLY what would happen if she went back to her mother.
Ingrid is a despicable person. She judges absolutely everyone and seems to think she is somehow above everyone she meets, including her daughter. She's too good for anyone. Then, Barry breaks down her ethereal wall, and she's pissed. So she spends the next 9 years making sure everyone knows how powerful she is. She's a truly awful mother. Selfish. No regard for others.
I feel like, as a feminist, I should give this book five stars, but no. My feminism does not include being an awful person and judging everyone I lay eyes on. Nor does it include being a wet mop.
I'm giving this three stars because it's clearly elicited a strong response from me. If I can hate a character this much and rant about it on Goodreads, it's good writing and strong characters. However, I'm taking two stars away this time because MY GOD not everything is as white as milk or smooth like silk or dark chocolate.
read this a WHOLE bunch of years ago and was pretty squicked out by the emotional sitch. Don't want to read again.
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
beautiful prose backed by a plot of self destruction
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Drug use, Physical abuse, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Grief, Murder, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Abandonment
Moderate: Death, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Infidelity, Alcohol
Minor: Medical content
four and a half stars … four and three quarters stars .. 4.999999 stars
Parts of this felt overwrought and melodramatic, but it was still full of beauty and wisdom.
dark
emotional
reflective
sad