Reviews - Year of the Monkey

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886 reviews for:

I’m not sure three stars or 5 stars is a fair rating. This book is like reading a really long beautiful poem. It’s very hard to follow and it took me a really long time to finish but I enjoyed dipping in and being immersed in Patty Smiths dreams. I adore the way she describes little details. (Just Kids is amazing.) This was just a bit harder to follow the narrative because it was part dream, part autobiographical.

2283473a's review against another edition

4.0

First time I read something by Smith and she didn't disappoint. This is a enjoyable and thoughtful novel looking back at the year of the monkey, 2016. With elements of absurdism and magic realism Smith tells the story of travelling up and down the west coast of America.

saltedpretzel_'s review against another edition

3.0

slow-paced

bw_'s review against another edition

3.0

emotional hopeful reflective fast-paced

kayarosee's review against another edition

5.0

emotional hopeful mysterious reflective fast-paced

I feel like I may have a skewed vision of this book because I lived in Santa Cruz for 6 years and I grew up going to ocean beach so the beginning of the book spoke to me in a way that I have never felt before. It was amazing to hear what Patti had to say about this places that I hold so near and dear to my heart. It is also interesting to read this book when we are now in the beginning of our second term with Trump in office and how so many of her observations of that time are ever so present today. I also love the mixture between dreams and reality. Another stellar read from Patti a true gem.

zvzka's review against another edition

4.75

emotional informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

frasersimons's review against another edition

3.0

So, I don’t know anything about Smith. I really liked the voice and diction chosen, imbuing the recounting of her year with a phantasmagorical quality. Some of it is substantively compelling, other times it gets by on the lyrical musicality and imagery. Paired with Polaroids in the folds, I found it a quick and worthwhile read, but I can’t say it ever exceeded the expectations established from the outset. Consistency is nothing to sneeze at, though.