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fourstringspark's review against another edition
3.0
This is not a book about Buddhism. Bombs, yes. Buddhism, no. It’s a novel of idealism and disillusionment (and terrorism), set in the Pacific Northwest in a dystopian near-future. Veselka is very impressive in this debut. Her writing is wickedly funny at times, and she excels in her scene setting. My attention wandered toward the end, but overall I enjoyed this.
megatsunami's review against another edition
3.0
I feel weird giving this book the same number of stars as "The Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder" because there's an obvious difference in literary quality; but that doesn't necessarily translate into a difference in how much I enjoy a book.
Things I liked: The people felt like real people that I might actually know. I liked the subcultural (punk, vegan, goth, lefty, etc.) atmosphere which felt familiar to me. In some ways I resonated with the concerns of the (somewhat mentally unstable) main character, the sense that action feels meaninglessness in the face of violence and social/ economic injustice.
Things I didn't like: Too nihilistic. At times, the book worked a little too hard at being deep and poetic. I found myself reading quickly because I kind of wanted to get to the hopeful part (I was hoping the end would be hopeful, which it kind of was) rather than enjoying the story.
Things I liked: The people felt like real people that I might actually know. I liked the subcultural (punk, vegan, goth, lefty, etc.) atmosphere which felt familiar to me. In some ways I resonated with the concerns of the (somewhat mentally unstable) main character, the sense that action feels meaninglessness in the face of violence and social/ economic injustice.
Things I didn't like: Too nihilistic. At times, the book worked a little too hard at being deep and poetic. I found myself reading quickly because I kind of wanted to get to the hopeful part (I was hoping the end would be hopeful, which it kind of was) rather than enjoying the story.
joannavaught's review against another edition
4.0
if the fictional restaurant rise up singing isn't a tribute to/parody of red and black cafe, i'll be damned.
local girl does good. this was a great read.
local girl does good. this was a great read.
mrsthrift's review against another edition
5.0
this was my first book of 2012. i decided to re-read it as one of my last books of 2012, so i'll be revisiting it soon. i don't think i've ever read a book twice in one year in my entire adult life, so that's big.
I have actually spent the past eleven months trying to figure out what to write about this book. I wanted to wordsmith the perfect things to make you understand it, to understand me. holding this book and reading it, i felt a way that i haven't felt since the first time i read geek love (that's not a literary comparison; i am talking about my feelings). i felt like this book was written exactly for me. this is exactly the book i wanted to read, with exactly the characters and plot i didn't even know i wanted to read. i'm sure it's not for everyone, and a "good book" is subjective, but to me, this book is perfect. i have thought about it every day since i started it.
but i can't tell you why. i don't want to summarize the plot or talk about the style because this book feels like more than the sum of its parts. i don't want to write down my favorite parts because it feels like cheating.
honestly, writing this feels like wearing my heart on the outside of my body. i am seriously emotional about this book. if you read this book, i kind of don't want to know because it will be like you know too much about me. xo.
I have actually spent the past eleven months trying to figure out what to write about this book. I wanted to wordsmith the perfect things to make you understand it, to understand me. holding this book and reading it, i felt a way that i haven't felt since the first time i read geek love (that's not a literary comparison; i am talking about my feelings). i felt like this book was written exactly for me. this is exactly the book i wanted to read, with exactly the characters and plot i didn't even know i wanted to read. i'm sure it's not for everyone, and a "good book" is subjective, but to me, this book is perfect. i have thought about it every day since i started it.
but i can't tell you why. i don't want to summarize the plot or talk about the style because this book feels like more than the sum of its parts. i don't want to write down my favorite parts because it feels like cheating.
honestly, writing this feels like wearing my heart on the outside of my body. i am seriously emotional about this book. if you read this book, i kind of don't want to know because it will be like you know too much about me. xo.
thomcat's review against another edition
3.0
The author is from Portland; this novel and that city are filled with quirky characters. I enjoyed the story, the turnabout when harmless pranks became harmful, but after that point the author lost me. The main character ponged between angst and apathy with too high a frequency for me, until some of the more stabilizing characters reappeared near the end. I'll probably check out a future book from this author, but cannot gush about this first effort.
gjacks's review against another edition
slow-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
1.0
Horrible book. So pretentious. Made me laugh 1x so it gets 1 star
nikkihayes's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Loveable characters? No
1.0
Pretentious, trying too hard, and dull.
merricatct's review against another edition
3.0
This was really well-written, and I found it really compelling - but I also didn't really like it. I almost felt forced to read it, and I don't know if it's because it was fascinating or because I was hoping to make some sense of it. Probably both. The main character seems to be going through a mental breakdown as the world around her devolves into dystopian violence, but the people around her seem oblivious to what's going on, instead focusing on their sex parties and vegan recipes and yoga classes. There's a farm commune, revolutionary parents who relive their child's unfortunate and early death from years ago, domestic terrorism, rat cemeteries ... this was a very odd book.