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3.35 AVERAGE
3.35 AVERAGE
Dismal and dark! What an apt picture of Chicago in the winter.
challenging
dark
funny
tense
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
This is the kind of book that started of really strong for me, but then fell super flat toward the middle, and then completely fell apart at the end. Millie, a thirty-year-old who hasn't quite found her footing yet, struggles to make it in a temp job she hates following a breakup. She's given ridiculous, menial tasks until she's forced out of the position and has to figure out what to do next. Butler's satire of the millennial and the workplace is scathing and, at first, humorous, but the story became one-note too quickly. Millie went from an interesting character to a chore to listen to. Questions of her mental health/need of medication/therapy were tossed away within the story, which I know is something that happens often in real life, but it just isn't necessarily something I want to read about for 200 pages. I wasn't rooting for Millie, mostly because I found her unsavory in a kind of dull way, nor was I rooting for anything or anyone else in the book. I was mostly just waiting for it to end. 3 stars for the first half though. This would've been great as a stripped down short story.
dark
funny
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Work sucks. Capitalism sucks. I always love a Halle Butler book
books like this aren’t really my fav to read but i do like them because they make me feel better abt myself. the main character is.. relatable in ways but also not likable. character driven
Whew ok. Butler’s writing really appealed to the most cynical version of myself. I related to the main character but also grew tired of her. But I grow tired of my own whiny ass so.
medium-paced
"It's like sucking on a rock and pretending it's candy talking to this guy."
"She'd gotten it out of her system, knew what it was about, and no longer needed it. The 'it' being vulgar and desperate ways of living justified by the false pretense of non-conformity as a sign of intelligence and authenticity."
"She'd gotten it out of her system, knew what it was about, and no longer needed it. The 'it' being vulgar and desperate ways of living justified by the false pretense of non-conformity as a sign of intelligence and authenticity."
funny
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes