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4.19 AVERAGE
4.19 AVERAGE
It makes me realize how difficult being a parent, especially mothers.
challenging
emotional
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Loved this book. The plot twist and the name play is genius. I want to read the Spanish version.
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
emotional
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Cartea asta e dovada că e nevoie de un rating special pentru astfel de lecturi: 6⭐️
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-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
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
“The more we love a person, the more fragile and insecure we feel because of them. I felt then how important Alina's presence was in my life. There are beings without whom we simply cannot conceive of ourselves in this world. Alina was one of these for me. If she disappeared, a part of me would go with her.”
“It is always easier to blame others for what we cannot tolerate in ourselves, what we cannot forgive ourselves for.”
'If you don't leave home you suffocate; if you go too far, you lose oxygen, as Vivian Gornick said.
- I was surprised when the book seemingly ended during the rising action, especially since this is such a depressing novel and the author chose to end it on a happy moment. This was a slow read for me and I’m a little angry at the sudden ending.
Interesting how the story didn’t end with the newborn dying. I assumed that would happen and then the grief that followed would result in tied up storylines and life lessons. I can only imagine that Ines eventually died, they paid off the credit card debt, and the husband didn’t cheat on his wife with the nanny because the two women got closer after the seizures. - The pigeon symbol was really interesting, as was the stuff about the cuckoo, and mothers choosing to care for children that weren’t their own (like the nanny and Ines, or the narrator and Nicolas). The parts with the narrator and her mom were the most interesting to me. She was reminded that it’s a two way relationship and she started to appreciate and Miss her mom as she began to care for Nicolas. At the same time, the mom worked at the feminist clinic and valued her daughter’s opinion to not have children.
- I didn’t dislike the narrator but she didn’t have much of a personality besides having her shit together compared to everyone else. She seemed a little pretentious, but then again, so did everyone else. I think that made the story seem less realistic when they were all so similar.
I don’t see why the narrator and Dorris hooked up and then ending seemed to hint that she was in love. Did this happen because they had a connection or because they saw value in each other as women? - Strange and sad book, but interesting.
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes