Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.85 AVERAGE
3.85 AVERAGE
For awhile there I was only going to give 3 stars due to all the f-words and another dumb thing that seriously annoyed me, but in the end, the overall clever writing and how it ended pulled it back to 4 stars.
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
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
Well, this was a wild ride. I was engrossed by it, and definitely found myself in a state of enjoyable bewilderment a few times. And yes, I laughed out loud. The epistolary style works really well here, and everyone has a very distinct voice, both in dialogue and in email, etc. I loved it, honestly. SO funny and absurdist I almost couldn't even.
The satire is spot on in some respects, but misses the mark in others. The lampooning of the private school, soccer mom culture is perfect, and I love to hate so many characters. Seattle is lovingly skewered, and Bee makes the perfect straight man to the zaniness. That being said, the book loses a star because it falls down really hard in some areas. It is absolutely about rich white people, and while there were numerous chances for the author to expand her critique, she didn't, and clumsily. There are gaping holes where it seems like Semple set herself up to say something about the other 99% of the world, and just decided not to.
Also, the Indian secretary, the nervous Asian woman, and the fiery, dishonest Latino are all tropes best avoided. But, in the end, 4 stars. Recommended highly.
The satire is spot on in some respects, but misses the mark in others. The lampooning of the private school, soccer mom culture is perfect, and I love to hate so many characters. Seattle is lovingly skewered, and Bee makes the perfect straight man to the zaniness. That being said, the book loses a star because it falls down really hard in some areas. It is absolutely about rich white people, and while there were numerous chances for the author to expand her critique, she didn't, and clumsily. There are gaping holes where it seems like Semple set herself up to say something about the other 99% of the world, and just decided not to.
Also, the Indian secretary, the nervous Asian woman, and the fiery, dishonest Latino are all tropes best avoided. But, in the end, 4 stars. Recommended highly.
emotional
funny
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This was an interesting book and had good humor. It's kind of different, but it kept my interest.
inspiring
reflective
Painfully self aware satire of spoiled, shallow people. I quit reading after 70 pages. For all the in media res portions switching between characters, they mostly sound alike.
Powered through and finished the book. No one's a sympathetic character.
Powered through and finished the book. No one's a sympathetic character.
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I had a hard time getting into this at the beginning - the epistolary format had me really confused about who was who and what was happening - but I devoured the second half. This is a really unique, well written book