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celiacs's review against another edition
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
3.5
thepagelady's review
4.0
Book Review of Reptile Memoirs by Silje O. Ulstein
One night while having a party in her basement Liv sees a nature show about pythons. From that night on she becomes obsessed with having one as a pet. When Liv and her roommates buy a snake and bring Nero home, Liv develops an extremely close bond with Nero.
Liv has a lot of secrets.
Thirteen years later Liv is in the grocery store arguing with her daughter about a magazine. Frustrated and mad she leaves her daughter in the store and goes home leaving Iben to walk the few blocks home. But Iben never comes home. Is she trying to teach her mother a lesson or did something bad happen to her?
This is definitely a unique read. It's told from 5 different POVs and the timeline moves around! In the beginning it was a little hard to keep track of all of the characters and I had to go back and reread a few chapters but after that it went pretty good! This is going to be one of those books that some people just aren't going to like and the others are going to love. It was a little disturbing at parts and having some of the story told from the point of view of the snake was a little weird! But overall I enjoyed the story! It stands out more because it is unique and well written! The character development also stands out for me, it's one of those books that focuses heavily on the character's actions and motives so you really get the chance to get to know them!
‘A biting and constantly shifting tale of family secrets, rebirth, and the legacy of trauma, Reptile Memoirs is a brilliant exploration of the cold-bloodedness of humanity, and the struggle to mend broken lives and families.”
I couldn't say it any better! Happy reading everyone!
One night while having a party in her basement Liv sees a nature show about pythons. From that night on she becomes obsessed with having one as a pet. When Liv and her roommates buy a snake and bring Nero home, Liv develops an extremely close bond with Nero.
Liv has a lot of secrets.
Thirteen years later Liv is in the grocery store arguing with her daughter about a magazine. Frustrated and mad she leaves her daughter in the store and goes home leaving Iben to walk the few blocks home. But Iben never comes home. Is she trying to teach her mother a lesson or did something bad happen to her?
This is definitely a unique read. It's told from 5 different POVs and the timeline moves around! In the beginning it was a little hard to keep track of all of the characters and I had to go back and reread a few chapters but after that it went pretty good! This is going to be one of those books that some people just aren't going to like and the others are going to love. It was a little disturbing at parts and having some of the story told from the point of view of the snake was a little weird! But overall I enjoyed the story! It stands out more because it is unique and well written! The character development also stands out for me, it's one of those books that focuses heavily on the character's actions and motives so you really get the chance to get to know them!
‘A biting and constantly shifting tale of family secrets, rebirth, and the legacy of trauma, Reptile Memoirs is a brilliant exploration of the cold-bloodedness of humanity, and the struggle to mend broken lives and families.”
I couldn't say it any better! Happy reading everyone!
fckinkiz's review
emotional
mysterious
tense
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
3.5
barbiegirl1993's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
thisislauraw's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Spanning multiple points of view and two timelines, this is a mystery/thriller that almost feels like literary fiction. It's beautifully written, in juxtaposition with a lot of the dark subject matter.
The 'reptile memoir' sections, written from the point of view of a python, were interesting and unexpected.
I enjoyed the story and the way the threads wove together throughout, although there were some sections that made for uncomfortable reading. The final few chapters wrapped everything up neatly but abruptly.
Overall, this was a solid read and I'll be looking out for more of the author's work.
The 'reptile memoir' sections, written from the point of view of a python, were interesting and unexpected.
I enjoyed the story and the way the threads wove together throughout, although there were some sections that made for uncomfortable reading. The final few chapters wrapped everything up neatly but abruptly.
Overall, this was a solid read and I'll be looking out for more of the author's work.
lyktestolpe's review against another edition
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Er ikke en stor krimleser, men ble nysgjerrig på denne og hørte den på lydbok. Godt skrevet med mange twister underveis. Fint grep med at fortellingen bytter mellom fortid og nåtid så vi sakte får se hele bildet av hva som har skjedd. Noen ting trekker ned: boka føles litt for lang, og noen av fortellerstemmene mindre spennende enn de andre. Ronja er en litt flat karakter, og hennes eneste personlige konflikt er en flørt med en kollega som ikke ga meg så mye. Å ha slangen som en av fortellerstemmene er kreativt, men jeg vet ikke hvor mye det tilførte, og jeg tror faktisk jeg hadde likt boka bedre om det hadde forblitt et mysterium hva slangen mente om menneskene og situasjonene den var i. At den fikk være det den er: er dyr vi ikke kan forstå. Syntes kanskje det ble litt vel utrolig til slutt - hvor diger er egentlig denne slangen?
Høy sjokkfaktor, her tipper jeg folk vil være forskjellige om de orker å lese eller ikke. En del ganske drøye ting som skjer, men jeg synes de reddes av godt språk og en forfatter som ikke overbeskriver det drøye.
Høy sjokkfaktor, her tipper jeg folk vil være forskjellige om de orker å lese eller ikke. En del ganske drøye ting som skjer, men jeg synes de reddes av godt språk og en forfatter som ikke overbeskriver det drøye.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Body horror, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Sexual violence, and Child death
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Drug use, Mental illness, and Incest
soederbacka's review against another edition
4.0
Obehagligt på bästa sätt. Mycket utstuderat och välskrivet. Behandlar tunga trauman. Två tidslinjer och flera berättarperspektiv, så stundom tappade jag lite bort mig. De bästa avsnitten var själva kräldjursmemoarerna, där vi får ta del av en pytonorms inre värld.