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3.54 AVERAGE
3.54 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
3.5 stars. I have so many conflicting feelings about this book. It was interesting and made me think about things but also at times I was left wonder "exactly how much longer is left in this audiobook?" which is never a good feeling. As others have pointed out this is really about Lucy's coming of age instead of Ian's. Sometimes Ian just feels like a plot device to get her to figure her life out. But at the same time I have no idea what I would do if I were in Lucy's place... though it probably wouldn't involve accidentally kidnapping a library customer.
adventurous
funny
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This story made me so incredibly anxious. I am not built for stories about crime. The two main characters were extremely well rounded and interesting, as were all of the side characters. No doubt in my mind that the author is an incredible writer. I thought the side plot of the Russian ancestry was definitely interesting. At some points it dragged on when I was just so anxious to see how it would turn out. I’m glad I read it, but I like her other two novels better.
adventurous
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book was about a lot of things and I have to commend the author for tying most of them together. A directionless somehow-librarian somehow-kidnaps/aids and abets a 10-year-old probably-queer runaway child and they end up on a road trip together. The mafia and immigration and religion and disability and theatre and smarmy men all make appearances too. Some of it felt like a stretch but I also have to admit that grand journey/road trip fiction isn’t usually my thing. It took a while for the action we knew was coming to start, which gave us a feel for the characters but also made the beginning drag a little. The plot believability wasn’t always where I want it to be but that’s also why I quit more fiction than I finish, so that’s not a problem everyone will have. This book is over a decade old so maybe I’m basing believability on too modern a standard. Either way, it was entertaining and I didn’t quit and that says more than you might think it does.
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
challenging
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
As a lover of children's literature, I appreciated this narrator — a children's librarian — as well as the author's use of famous children's books. The pace of the book is inviting and I was eager to find out what happened. It was just toward the end that I grew annoyed with the narrator, and not in a good way. The ending was satisfying though, the characters, rich, and the narrative, often funny and always interesting.
*Note: I actually listened to this book on CD, rather than reading it.
*Note: I actually listened to this book on CD, rather than reading it.
adventurous
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I loved this book. It was so inventive and exciting and I loved the theme of books saving children's lives. I also thought the chapters that she interwove based on the style of other books was a really amazing touch. So many details that made the book one I will be thinking about for a long time. Highly recommend and I can't wait to see what she writes next!