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4.16 AVERAGE
4.16 AVERAGE
Damn this is good. She’s got such an unique voice…so many brilliant brilliant (yes I mean to say it twice) sentences in this book. Clever, erudite, sad, funny, insightful, packed with wit. A favourite author of mine called Claire Fuller (read all her books too) described it as The Bell Jar meets Fleabag. I can’t think of any better way to describe this.
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-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
this is so sad and funny at the same time. will definitely come back to this book in my 40s.
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
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
A long, low mood - but never flat. Lines that made me cackle. Great writing with lots of nuance. I didn’t love the ending with the _____ so u lose a star, sorry.
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Meh
6/10 : This book has been everywhere, all over BookTok & Bookstagram, plus the wait list at the library for me to get this book has taken months. I was fully geared up to love this book, based on the hype alone, yet… for me, it fell flat. Martha has something wrong with her, mentally, an affliction she has struggled with from a young age, to varying degrees, sometimes rendering her housebound & hopeless. Martha & her sister Ingrid didn’t have the most traditional upbringing, their father was a poet with writers block, their mother a sculptor, repurposing junk in her garden studio, with a Do Not Disturb sign on the door. Martha has known Patrick, whom she married, since childhood, & he seems to loves her unconditionally, no matter her sorrow or bliss. However, the cracks start to show, more & more, leaving Martha reflecting & exploring her mental state. Her affliction is never named in the book, leaving the reader to ruminate, & although any book destigmatising mental health issues is helpful, to me, honestly, there didn’t feel like there was much point to this, other than it’s OK to not be OK. Like I said, this book just fell flat for me, I know others adored it.
I had to DNF this at about 70 pages . I just couldn’t get on board with the writing style, the plot or the premise of the story.
I had some high hopes after seeing this book all over “Book Tok” & people raving about it.
But nope not for me unfortunately.
I had some high hopes after seeing this book all over “Book Tok” & people raving about it.
But nope not for me unfortunately.