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4.01 AVERAGE
4.01 AVERAGE
funny
hopeful
informative
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I love ergodic literature, I love literature with specific language rules, and I find the challenge of writing a book with progressively fewer letter conceptually interesting and a good writing exercise (it emphasizes the important of word choice beautifully!) but Ella Minnow Pea is beyond an interesting writing exercise, a deeply compelling book and a beautiful read. While the overarching plot of blatant religious authoritarianism is perhaps not unique or anything new, the deconstruction of a society that worships a singular genius to the level of religious fervence is resonant enough in today’s political climate to be deeply moving, and I thought was executed well, even if simple (I especially liked watching the days of the weeks and months attached to each letter grow more and more absurd). The character work is also really lovely for such a short piece, I found myself deeply empathetic to Ella’s whole family and the progressive inclusion of more and more of her neighbors, who were all simply, but sharply drawn. Ella hoping in one of her letters that ‘v’ will not fall so that she can still say I love you to her mother was a small and simple moment, but a way to cut to the core to what is important about language and communication.
Come for an interesting concept, stick around for well written prose and characters, and walk away after a few hours with a neat little novel that I’m sure I will continue to think about for weeks.
Come for an interesting concept, stick around for well written prose and characters, and walk away after a few hours with a neat little novel that I’m sure I will continue to think about for weeks.
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Fascinating concept, impressive execution, dry-ish formatting that, though necessitated by the execution, didn't lend itself to me actually fully enjoying the book. As a linguistic experiment and a quick, quirky read? Absolutely. As a pleasure read? Maybe a bit of a stretch.
challenging
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
A technical marvel. That anyone could have imposed these linguistic rules on themselves and created something anywhere close to this is staggering.
hopeful
inspiring
fast-paced
2nd read on June 7th 2025. Such a good book! And an original idea. I love it.
this is, hands down, one of the best novels i've read in my entire life. it speaks of totalitarianisnm, the beauty of language, isolation, the beauty of community, the eternal struggle for perfection, and is done with magnificent technique, for how is a book to be written with a fifth of the alphabet excluded? i absolutely loved the last page: in a fit of passion, a man composes a life saving sentence, writing in fifteen seconds what a machine took almost three months to do. humans are creators, writers, poets, and we are not to be kept. this novel was magnificently crafted, and the story it tells is comical at some points, terrifying at others, and heartwarming at every one of them. it's scarier than "1984" at some points, i tell you. beautifully made, and it's so easy to read, i breezed through it just as the sun rises outside my window. fucking hell.
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
A super enjoyable romp with wordplay, and the too-familiar unintended consequences of zealotry and censorship amid the silly circumstances of a lexical loving locale. A playful must-read for word nerds.
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
adventurous
funny
informative
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
challenging
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
sad
A clever and creative little book that has a lot of fun playing with language while at the same time a harsh commentary on the results of allowing all political power to collect in the hands of the few.