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3.29 AVERAGE
3.29 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
emotional
medium-paced
I read this as it was on the Woman's Prize Long List for 2020.
The writing style is something I would normally be into, but I am at a loss to what the point of this book was. I believe we are beyond the point of realizing that white women do not need to write every story they hear about. The horrors the school girls went through on the page when told by a WW, in the end just felt like tragedy porn. I am sure the author had good intentions, but this is not enough when you are telling someone else's story.
The writing style is something I would normally be into, but I am at a loss to what the point of this book was. I believe we are beyond the point of realizing that white women do not need to write every story they hear about. The horrors the school girls went through on the page when told by a WW, in the end just felt like tragedy porn. I am sure the author had good intentions, but this is not enough when you are telling someone else's story.
Interesting but not sure an old Irish lady is the person to tell the story of a Nigerian schoolgirl abducted by Boko Haram...
dark
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
actual rating 3.5 stars
Okay, so that was another mixed read for me. I went into it initially with high expectations, mostly because O'Brien is one of the most praised authors of the century. I will admit that this is my first book by her, and even though I really really enjoyed her writing, I can't say I was overall impressed.
When I decided that this was going to be my next read, I looked at a few reviews of the book, and most of them addressed the same issue, namely O'Brien being an old, white Irish lady writing about a Nigerian teenager. This is something I'm generally not in favour of, as I find that such depictions lack the nuance, sensitivity, and liveliness of an Own Voices depiction, but I decided to keep an open mind and approach this as objectively as possible. The truth is that those who were apprehensive about this book were right: somehow, despite the power of the story itself, this book is almost entirely forgettable. I just know that in two months time I will barely remember anything from this. I know it's a bizarre thing to say about a book with a premise such as this, but it's the truth. Despite the beautiful prose and the hard-hitting story, it is not a book I am likely to remember.
Many readers seemed to have an issue with O'Brien's writing as well, her use of metaphors or allegorical writing. I had no such issue, and I generally loved her writing style (I read the Greek translation of the book, so this might have something to do with it - once again, a good translation can really elevate a book). Ultimately, I just don't think the author and story were a good fit, but I am definitely not done with O'Brien's books just yet.
Okay, so that was another mixed read for me. I went into it initially with high expectations, mostly because O'Brien is one of the most praised authors of the century. I will admit that this is my first book by her, and even though I really really enjoyed her writing, I can't say I was overall impressed.
When I decided that this was going to be my next read, I looked at a few reviews of the book, and most of them addressed the same issue, namely O'Brien being an old, white Irish lady writing about a Nigerian teenager. This is something I'm generally not in favour of, as I find that such depictions lack the nuance, sensitivity, and liveliness of an Own Voices depiction, but I decided to keep an open mind and approach this as objectively as possible. The truth is that those who were apprehensive about this book were right: somehow, despite the power of the story itself, this book is almost entirely forgettable. I just know that in two months time I will barely remember anything from this. I know it's a bizarre thing to say about a book with a premise such as this, but it's the truth. Despite the beautiful prose and the hard-hitting story, it is not a book I am likely to remember.
Many readers seemed to have an issue with O'Brien's writing as well, her use of metaphors or allegorical writing. I had no such issue, and I generally loved her writing style (I read the Greek translation of the book, so this might have something to do with it - once again, a good translation can really elevate a book). Ultimately, I just don't think the author and story were a good fit, but I am definitely not done with O'Brien's books just yet.
emotional
informative
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
This was a bit too disjointed and brief for me to fully get into the story although I think it got better as it went along.
I don't think O'Brien is a bad writer but this just didn't work for me.
challenging
dark
emotional
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
challenging
dark
emotional
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated