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3.88 AVERAGE
3.88 AVERAGE
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
funny
informative
mysterious
medium-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
adventurous
challenging
dark
funny
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Drug use, Murder, War
Minor: Miscarriage
challenging
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This novel reads a lot like Vonnegut, whose works I enjoy equally as much as I enjoy Didion. The politics and storyline are complex, and the narrative structure is (intentionally) fragmentary —while it is not an “easy” read, it is certainly entertaining and of course has striking prose. Joan Didion is a master, I don’t know what else to say. This would ultimately benefit from a reread, as I am sure I will in the future.
informative
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
informative
reflective
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I want Didion to write my obituary
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
okay i definitely didn’t understand this-i think i would’ve enjoyed it more if i knew what was going on but i was mostly just confused- still want to read other joan didion though (would give it a 3.25 ⭐️ if i could)
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
“as the granddaughter of a geologist i learned early to anticipate the absolute mutability of hills and waterfalls and even islands. when a hill slumps into the ocean i see the order in it. when a 5.2 on the Richter scale wrenches the writing table in my own room in my own house in my own particular welbeck street i keep on typing. a hill is a transitional accommodation to stress, and ego may be a similar accommodation. a waterfall is a self-correcting maladjustment of stream to structure, and so, for all i know, is technique. the very island to which inez victor returned in the spring of 1975…is a temporary feature… in this light it is difficult to maintain definite convictions about what happened down there in the spring of 1975, or before.”
dark
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes