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3.87 AVERAGE
3.87 AVERAGE
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
informative
inspiring
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Ending felt incomplete
reflective
medium-paced
What in the and it was all a dream kinda shit was that
This book was great, right until the twist at the end. Also, don’t read this book if you have been through the experience of having an absent parent. The main character’s mother is not great, but yet the main character basically apologizes to her at the end for not being a supportive enough daughter. We don’t have to forgive parents.
Diana’s life is on track, she’s progressing in her career and about to go on holiday with her boyfriend, Finn, who might be planning to propose. But then coronavirus cases increase and Finn, a doctor, feels he shouldn’t leave. So Diana travels to the Galápagos Islands alone, only to end up stranded due to the pandemic. The island paradise contrasts with the snippets of what it’s like on the frontline in the form of emails from Finn. With little money, lost luggage and a language barrier the dream getaway isn’t exactly as planned.
I found it an really interesting novel, covering the current pandemic in a unique way.
At times I did feel like I was reading Wikipedia, with the potted history of Toulouse-Lautrec and Charles Darwin’s visits to the Galápagos Islands. But that aside it was an original story. I won’t say more, as I don’t want to spoil it, but I would definitely recommend it.
I found it an really interesting novel, covering the current pandemic in a unique way.
At times I did feel like I was reading Wikipedia, with the potted history of Toulouse-Lautrec and Charles Darwin’s visits to the Galápagos Islands. But that aside it was an original story. I won’t say more, as I don’t want to spoil it, but I would definitely recommend it.
3.5 stars, really. Listen, I usually will sing praises for Picoult all day long. Her last novel? I didn’t even finish. I miss Nineteen Minutes and My Sister’s Keeper Picoult. Small Great Things and that sort. So, when I started this novel, I was all HELL NO but kept going. Halfway thru I was like WTF and by the end, a sobbing mess. Introspection doesn’t come easy for me. Change is even harder. A novel with a protagonist that has the world by the balls and still changes her life? That’s a superhero.
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
⭐️⭐️⭐️ 3.5/5: my first Jodi! And definitely not my last. This was a rollercoaster of a book. Depicted during the COVID pandemic and told from the perspective of an art professional living in NYC, this book sets up a story of the break of the virus coming while the protagonist and her doctor partner have made plans to travel to the Galápagos Islands. Prior to them leaving her partner must stay and deal with the incoming ICU cases and she decides to go on the trip solo. She ends up stuck there after shut downs occur. This is a story of physical and emotional survival while dealing with the grief and loss of COVID which we all have very fresh wounds that still exist to this day. There is a twist halfway through the book that had me gasping for air and mouth agape. There is something to be said about how to interpret the characters of the first half of the book in a psychological sense but that will go into spoiler territory. The second half was not as exciting as the first and seemed a little repetitive for me. I also felt like we could have got much closer with the character and her relationship at the end of the novel. Would have like to see that a little more flushed out. Overall great time with Ms. Picoult and excited to dive into her other works!
emotional
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated