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3.67 AVERAGE
3.67 AVERAGE
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
The blurred line between novel and memoir (is it?) made this endlessly entertaining, relatable, and utterly perfect. Listened to it slower than my usual books in order to savor it. Also listened to a bulk while shoveling snow, and what a meditative way to pass the time.
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I found this book hard to follow, and a librarian once told me that life is too short to read books you’re not enjoying.
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Felt like listening to a woman locked down in covid with a parrot and a younger man. Felt like her mind was everwhere, reflecting on her life experiences, jumping from one issue to another other.
There is no plot...maybe that's the point, as most people's life didn't have a plot during covid.
Not a book for me, dnf at 79%, wanted to like it. Maybe we feel like this about books about covid lockdowns, as we are trying to move foward?
There is no plot...maybe that's the point, as most people's life didn't have a plot during covid.
Not a book for me, dnf at 79%, wanted to like it. Maybe we feel like this about books about covid lockdowns, as we are trying to move foward?
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Late in the book our unnamed narrator tells the reader, "for the writer, excessive rumination is a must." In this novel, Nunez ruminates about the Covid pandemic and its effects on those living in New York City at the time. We know that the narrator is a writer and teacher (a bit autobiographical) and she often inserts references to famous writers. There isn't much of a plot, if you consider a plot waiting to see what happens when she is asked to house sit indefinitely in an elaborate apartment with a parrot who has his own room and a college student with emotional problems. This book is all about her observations on human nature, interactions with friends and writing which Nunez does so well. I didn't love it as much as her National Book Award winning, [b:The Friend|40164365|The Friend|Sigrid Nunez|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1544364669l/40164365._SY75_.jpg|56847766] but I definitely appreciated the writing.
Lastly, I liked that she names all the friends in this book after flowers and when talking about hydrangeas which she sees on her frequent walks,she mentions that they are known as hortensia (which is my given name), of the garden. Not too many people know the latin name for my namesake flowers.
Favorite quotes:
Attributed to Edna O'Brien: "The reason love is so painful is that it always amounts to two people wanting more than two people can give." (133)
"Too many people failed to calculate that having a baby meant one day having an adult." (126)
"Young born to privilege, raised in privilege, and forever railing against privilege." (132)
"Insomnia is the inability to forget." (146)
Lastly, I liked that she names all the friends in this book after flowers and when talking about hydrangeas which she sees on her frequent walks,she mentions that they are known as hortensia (which is my given name), of the garden. Not too many people know the latin name for my namesake flowers.
Favorite quotes:
Attributed to Edna O'Brien: "The reason love is so painful is that it always amounts to two people wanting more than two people can give." (133)
"Too many people failed to calculate that having a baby meant one day having an adult." (126)
"Young born to privilege, raised in privilege, and forever railing against privilege." (132)
"Insomnia is the inability to forget." (146)