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3.63 AVERAGE
3.63 AVERAGE
I thought the way everyone was stitched together for a fuller picture of everyone's lives was interesting. I just couldn't get invested in any one person enough to care about the story.
I find myself not satisfied, but not dissatisfied either
I find myself not satisfied, but not dissatisfied either
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I was really invested in this in the beginning but then got quite bored after a while. Even though I really liked the writing style, I didn't like all of the protagonists and I wish the book had focused more on one of their stories instead of telling them all. The individual storylines weren't resolved at the end and I couldn't relate to the characters very much
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
3.5 rounded up - I've been looking forward to this German translation of interconnected stories featuring 5 different modern German women trying to live the lives they want for a while! The cover just speaks to me - it's soo pretty! I wish I could have read this in the original German, the translator mentions at the end that it was a bit challenging to translate into English and I feel like that might have contributed to why I didn't connect fully with all of these stories. I definitely gravitated the most to Paula and Brida's stories. Paula experiences an unimaginable loss and her grief over the accidental death of her young child is palpable. Whereas Brida is an aspiring writer and really struggles with her career after she has children - even with the help of one of the most supportive men I've ever read about (my own partner is pretty amazing so I know men like Gotz exist!). Definitely recommend this book for fans of Girl, woman, other, The secret lives of church ladies or Alice Munro's Lives of girls and women.
Favorite quote:
"Did she think it was possible to have everything without any sacrifice, without any limits? Did she seriously believe she could have children, and art, and culture, and a husband, and sex and time to read and spontaneous getaways without having to pay a price?"
TW: infidelity, abortion, BDSM
Favorite quote:
"Did she think it was possible to have everything without any sacrifice, without any limits? Did she seriously believe she could have children, and art, and culture, and a husband, and sex and time to read and spontaneous getaways without having to pay a price?"
TW: infidelity, abortion, BDSM
This is a novel where the story is fully enmeshed in its structure. Each section follows a character mentioned in the previous section. We begin with Paula, a single mother, who has been seeing someone new. She remembers when her now teenage daughter, Leni, was born, her husband’s attention shifted from wife to daughter in a way that made Paula feel bruised. We are privy to intimate moments in her life, including her friendship with Judith and the dissolution of Paula’s marriage. The next section zooms in on Judith and so on, until five female characters have been explored. Beautifully rendered, this is a novel about the inherent complications in relationships and it puts marriage, friendship and motherhood under a microscope. This is definitely a character-driven novel and I found it quite difficult to put down, finishing it in a day. I so appreciated the overall sense of interconnectedness between characters and the shifts in perspective. Fans of Sally Rooney and Lauren Groff will enjoy. Thank you to HarperVia and NetGalley for the advanced review copy of this novel.
This story is about five German women who are having difficult relationships with their significant others, parents or friends.
Somehow the book made me feel that the author was patronizing women and blaming men for losing interest, cheating or having conservative views about how a woman should act and behave. I felt that the author was trying to feed me some feminist ideas which made me sceptical.
On the other hand, I liked how the stories of five women who seemed to be completely different intertwined in the most unexpected places. The writing was good, just a bit tilted.
Somehow the book made me feel that the author was patronizing women and blaming men for losing interest, cheating or having conservative views about how a woman should act and behave. I felt that the author was trying to feed me some feminist ideas which made me sceptical.
On the other hand, I liked how the stories of five women who seemed to be completely different intertwined in the most unexpected places. The writing was good, just a bit tilted.
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes