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3.91 AVERAGE
3.91 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
super interesting and unique book- a trumpet to hail the oncoming battalion of eco-fiction coming our way!
catton is incredibly funny in her exhausting presentation of the millennial activist. having sat in on the kind of meetings that take place in the book, it’s hilarious reading a sly and very accurate pastiche on them- if you can even call them that. the characters are well fleshed out & i will always enjoy the undercut best friend overshadowing by her more charismatic counterpart and catton does this brilliantly.
of course, you cannot review birnham wood without addressing the ending. holy shit. that’s the best words i can use for how it makes me feel. unexpected but it worked - the bleak ending is a fantastic reminders that billionaires are poison on earth & also that this book very much is a thriller.
catton is incredibly funny in her exhausting presentation of the millennial activist. having sat in on the kind of meetings that take place in the book, it’s hilarious reading a sly and very accurate pastiche on them- if you can even call them that. the characters are well fleshed out & i will always enjoy the undercut best friend overshadowing by her more charismatic counterpart and catton does this brilliantly.
of course, you cannot review birnham wood without addressing the ending. holy shit. that’s the best words i can use for how it makes me feel. unexpected but it worked - the bleak ending is a fantastic reminders that billionaires are poison on earth & also that this book very much is a thriller.
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
funny
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
crazy ending i never expected anyone to die and while i didn’t think it would work out for our rebels i did not expect them to lose this existential battle like that
love the political discussions and the care in showing each characters motivations in a way that built so naturally. multiple twists i never saw coming
love the political discussions and the care in showing each characters motivations in a way that built so naturally. multiple twists i never saw coming
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
dark
medium-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
Interesting characters at the start. I love how she delved into left wing ideologies, including the complexities of white men wondering how they fit, but the writing was so dense and overly complex. Needed editing.
challenging
dark
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I really wanted to love this one. I did love the writing and the conplex, indepth characters. I loved the switching between narrators and I loved the political left wing ideologies. I especially love the concept of Birnam Wood a gorilla gardening group.
What I didn't love was the slow start and the ending. I got really into the story in the middle and was excited to see where it went. But then it just fizzled for me. It lost the intensity because it became to far fetched and kept trying to reach new heights with each reveal and twist of the plot. Catton foreshadows that the book will just end, that it wont fade out or slowly come to a conclusion. And it did just end. But it didn't end with the bang I expected. It didn't have any resolution really. It just ended.Not in an overly thrilling way either, just in an oh look everyone is dead kind of way.
What I didn't love was the slow start and the ending. I got really into the story in the middle and was excited to see where it went. But then it just fizzled for me. It lost the intensity because it became to far fetched and kept trying to reach new heights with each reveal and twist of the plot. Catton foreshadows that the book will just end, that it wont fade out or slowly come to a conclusion. And it did just end. But it didn't end with the bang I expected. It didn't have any resolution really. It just ended.