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4.0 AVERAGE
4.0 AVERAGE
Parts of this felt overwrought and melodramatic, but it was still full of beauty and wisdom.
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
“The pearls weren't really white, they were a warm oyster beige, with little knots in between so if they broke, you only lost one. I wished my life could be like that, knotted up so that even if something broke, the whole thing wouldn't come apart.”
While reading this, I had flashes of other great writers and works of literature, elements of Matilda, Gone Girl, The Goldfinch, Alice Hoffman, and Elena Ferrante. And yet, this book is uniquely its own style of family drama. SO lyrical in its portrayal of heartbreak and the shattering of youth. It illustrates moments of stunning beauty amidst such abject despair and darkness.
While reading this, I had flashes of other great writers and works of literature, elements of Matilda, Gone Girl, The Goldfinch, Alice Hoffman, and Elena Ferrante. And yet, this book is uniquely its own style of family drama. SO lyrical in its portrayal of heartbreak and the shattering of youth. It illustrates moments of stunning beauty amidst such abject despair and darkness.
dark
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Suicide, Violence
This book is dark, disturbing and depressing. But beautiful.
The relationships in this book are flawed and dysfunctional. It shows the struggle Astrid faces in dealing with the influence that Ingrid has on her life. Even when she wants nothing to do with Ingrid, all of her decisions speak to the influence she still has on Astrid's life. Each new foster home she goes to brings more characters, more heartbreak and more difficult actions on Astrid's part. It is easy to relate to the characters in this book while entirely disliking them or their life decisions.
I don't know if I would recommend this book to anyone. I find it hard to recommend books with dark themes. Not everyone enjoys it. But if you don't mind the dark themes and dysfunctional family dynamics, this book is a good read.
The relationships in this book are flawed and dysfunctional. It shows the struggle Astrid faces in dealing with the influence that Ingrid has on her life. Even when she wants nothing to do with Ingrid, all of her decisions speak to the influence she still has on Astrid's life. Each new foster home she goes to brings more characters, more heartbreak and more difficult actions on Astrid's part. It is easy to relate to the characters in this book while entirely disliking them or their life decisions.
I don't know if I would recommend this book to anyone. I find it hard to recommend books with dark themes. Not everyone enjoys it. But if you don't mind the dark themes and dysfunctional family dynamics, this book is a good read.
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Janet Fitch tells the coming of age story of Astrid Magnussen with impeccable prose and thoughtful reflection. From the plot, the characters, to the writing, there is nothing I can fault, and I found every line mesmerising, as much those describing the Los Angeles surroundings, as those depicting Astrid's ever-changing features.
We follow Astrid from age 12 to roughly 20 - starting from a time that she shares with her mother, Ingrid, a strong, independent artist, a thought leader within her circle and a woman who accepts no compromises. Blinded by her passion for a man who rejects her, Ingrid murders him, resulting in imprisonment and Astrid moving from foster family to foster family.
This is most definitely a sad story. There is hope, and there is character development throughout keeping it on a long-term upwards trajectory, but there are a plethora of challenging and heartbreaking moments. Astrid's lie is shaped by all of the 'mothers' she encounters, the bad sculpts her resiliency, while the good evolves her understanding of herself and allows her to become someone she's proud of. But there is plenty of trauma.
I thought it was especially interesting to see this shaping of Astrid, how she takes a little from every person she encounters. Her mother describes her as attaching herself to anyone who gives her the least bit of attention, and that is genuinely the case - we see her imitating the adults around her, trying to live according to their expectations. And yet she also has a rich inner life, she reflects upon these changes, the relationship with her mother and how her actions have affected her, and she values authenticity through wanting her inside to match her outside.
It's a book that made me consider the impact of parents in the formative years, as well as the strength of character required to surpass that level of education. The discussion of inner lives of artists, Ingrid's disconnect from the real world and Astrid's escape into her own mind made me reflect about whether this is a quality of a crutch. Each woman we encounter also has their own baggage that they inflict about Ingrid, and these naturally can bring about their own discussions, such as traditional family values and religion, making money through upcycling, or becoming fully dependent on one's partner.
A beautiful book that I happily recommend if you want to savour breathtaking prose that will speak to both your heart and mind.
We follow Astrid from age 12 to roughly 20 - starting from a time that she shares with her mother, Ingrid, a strong, independent artist, a thought leader within her circle and a woman who accepts no compromises. Blinded by her passion for a man who rejects her, Ingrid murders him, resulting in imprisonment and Astrid moving from foster family to foster family.
This is most definitely a sad story. There is hope, and there is character development throughout keeping it on a long-term upwards trajectory, but there are a plethora of challenging and heartbreaking moments. Astrid's lie is shaped by all of the 'mothers' she encounters, the bad sculpts her resiliency, while the good evolves her understanding of herself and allows her to become someone she's proud of. But there is plenty of trauma.
I thought it was especially interesting to see this shaping of Astrid, how she takes a little from every person she encounters. Her mother describes her as attaching herself to anyone who gives her the least bit of attention, and that is genuinely the case - we see her imitating the adults around her, trying to live according to their expectations. And yet she also has a rich inner life, she reflects upon these changes, the relationship with her mother and how her actions have affected her, and she values authenticity through wanting her inside to match her outside.
It's a book that made me consider the impact of parents in the formative years, as well as the strength of character required to surpass that level of education. The discussion of inner lives of artists, Ingrid's disconnect from the real world and Astrid's escape into her own mind made me reflect about whether this is a quality of a crutch. Each woman we encounter also has their own baggage that they inflict about Ingrid, and these naturally can bring about their own discussions, such as traditional family values and religion, making money through upcycling, or becoming fully dependent on one's partner.
A beautiful book that I happily recommend if you want to savour breathtaking prose that will speak to both your heart and mind.
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes