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3.96 AVERAGE
3.96 AVERAGE
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
I loved this book. The vague confusion some of the characters experienced about other people and even themselves, while others had staunchly arbitrary judgement at their disposal, made the reality of close human relations palpable. I love that this book is a love story that takes you through the love sickness, the feeling of having the magic gone, and then the realization that even without the magic, there is still love. I thought the grieving that Therese (the main character) went through towards the end was really well written. I could feel it all along with her - the losing of herself to the grief and obsession followed quickly by the strength and vitality of her inner ego - and back again. I love that she was able to come back to the relationship after all her grief, after finding herself again, and after finding that once she had found herself, she still had the love - she was able to CHOOSE the relationship and choose it with a clear head.
Well done.
Well done.
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-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
I'm giving this 4 stars which is probably higher than it really deserves if I go by my normal star rating system where most books that are a good, fun read get 3 stars. Then 4 stars is if I learn a few things from the book. 5 stars if I learn a ton of things from the book OR if it made a substantial emotional impact on me.
Here's what I think: I didn't really learn anything from this book. Most of the book, objectively speaking, was just 2 women doing mundane and pretentious things like drinking wine and making small talk and buying expensive things. So why did I like it? Because, dear reader, it had style! It's like film noir if women were the main characters. And everyone loved them while they took the place of men, looking stoic and cool. Have you ever heard of anything better? However, similar to film noir, I didn't care too much about the characters. It just seems like film noir, at least to me, is always just about "vibes" and little else. I do think this book was about more than just "vibes" though. But I feel like you would have to take some pretty serious liberties through overwrought analysis to contrive more than common meaning out of this book, when in reality it just tells the story that everyone knows - of young and naive love that never really goes anywhere. But that's also why it's likable. It doesn't try to be anything more complicated than just a simple love story with great style. And it's definitely not something you see every day. That's enough for 4 stars in my opinion.
Here's what I think: I didn't really learn anything from this book. Most of the book, objectively speaking, was just 2 women doing mundane and pretentious things like drinking wine and making small talk and buying expensive things. So why did I like it? Because, dear reader, it had style! It's like film noir if women were the main characters. And everyone loved them while they took the place of men, looking stoic and cool. Have you ever heard of anything better? However, similar to film noir, I didn't care too much about the characters. It just seems like film noir, at least to me, is always just about "vibes" and little else. I do think this book was about more than just "vibes" though. But I feel like you would have to take some pretty serious liberties through overwrought analysis to contrive more than common meaning out of this book, when in reality it just tells the story that everyone knows - of young and naive love that never really goes anywhere. But that's also why it's likable. It doesn't try to be anything more complicated than just a simple love story with great style. And it's definitely not something you see every day. That's enough for 4 stars in my opinion.
challenging
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-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
It’s a classic lesbian novel, I quite liked it but I have to say that in this case the film is better than the book. Maybe it’s because Cate Blanchett…
dark
emotional
funny
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book is so valuable to queer history, especially towards queer women who often get lost in the cracks when queer history and anti-queer legislation comes up.
Some parts of the book are a bit slow, but I think that may be symbolic of Therese’s life as she tries to navigate growing up.
Definitely will be keeping this one on my bookshelf.
Some parts of the book are a bit slow, but I think that may be symbolic of Therese’s life as she tries to navigate growing up.
Definitely will be keeping this one on my bookshelf.
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes