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tashaseegmiller's review
5.0
The magic that is contained in this book is unlike anything I've read before. Bender weaves in emotion and voice and uncertainty in this coming of age story as Rose tries to negotiate what she can do with the world around her, ultimately discovering that the journey to discover the true nature of someone is a long process. I loved this book and want to read more of Bender's writings.
sparkandfade's review
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Interesting ideas presented, but took me a while to finish because the pace was quite slow in a way that did not hold my attention, personally. Of note is that there is no use of quotation marks, which threw me off in my reading at the beginning, but I got used to it quickly and found that it contributed to the strong introspective mood of the book. One thing that did take me out of my reading was some of the sentence fragments. The ending did not quite make sense to me; the last sentence left me feeling dissatisfied and disgruntled.
offbrandmusclemilk's review
2.0
uh, wtf? I liked the book okay for a bit, but it ended so abruptly with no explanation to certain things that were extremely important during the story. plus, the synopsis I read made it sound like her gift was going to change her world in some positive way, but really she just kind of exists with it.
mayflowergirl74's review
1.0
I hate to give a book only one star, but the more I read, the less I was able to like this. I’m not a huge fan of magical realism, and yet I can usually appreciate it, but not here. Rose’s gift—or her affliction—is interesting enough, but her experience with it didn’t feel like enough to carry an entire book. Others in this book have similar gifts/afflictions, and these come to light in some of the most depressing and apathetic ways. Nobody in this family fights for much or for one another. Except for perhaps Rose’s mother, they just sort of exist. Fight for your marriage?—nah. Fight for your kid/sibling?—nah. Explore a gift that could have life altering effects for good?—nah, skip that too because it could turn into something inconvenient. And if that weren’t enough, the lack of quotation marks making it more difficult to read really did me in
elliejabuelly's review against another edition
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
jess_mango's review
4.0
I have an affinity for food-related reads and also for magical realism novels. That and the fact that I really enjoyed the 2 previous Aimee Bender books that I've read, lead me to seek out her latest "The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake." While at its heart, "Sadness" isn't about food as much as some other food-focused novels, this novel does present an interesting concept. At the age of 12, Rose can start tasting the emotions of the person who made the food she is eating. This leads her to discover that her mother is sad and having an affair and that the guy making the chocolate chip cookies at the local bakery is angry. This new skill greatly disturbs Rose. The novel shifts to focus more on other areas of Rose's life (her crush, her family etc) rather than focusing solely on her strange new ability. <<>>
thepetitepunk's review
3.0
picked this up because i was looking for some magical realism but this is not magical realism. it is fully fantasy, with superpowers.
a unique premise but too many unexplained ends.
a unique premise but too many unexplained ends.
bdog's review
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5