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3.54 AVERAGE
3.54 AVERAGE
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This was a story based on a sweet relationship between a kid and a librarian - nice. Throw in some bits about Russian revolutionaries, also nice. And it was partly a fun road trip story too.
My biggest gripe with this novel is the main character has a lot of self-pity and complaints about her life, yet she doesn’t seem willing to set anything into action to change the situation. That’s sorta just her personality, but it could get annoying at times.
My biggest gripe with this novel is the main character has a lot of self-pity and complaints about her life, yet she doesn’t seem willing to set anything into action to change the situation. That’s sorta just her personality, but it could get annoying at times.
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I'm giving the book two stars because I felt like it had potential. I liked the characters, I liked the idea, but the book sort of gave out about 100-150 pages in and never really recovered.
adventurous
lighthearted
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Yes
A better idea than a book.
I loved the idea of this book and the two main characters, especially Ian. But the book lacked substance and by the middle, it was just super repetitive. It would have made a better novella or even a better short story.
I loved the idea of this book and the two main characters, especially Ian. But the book lacked substance and by the middle, it was just super repetitive. It would have made a better novella or even a better short story.
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The story is kind of a farce and the premise is bad-parenting
I had to suspend a lot of disbelief here, but I did like this. First of all, I was annoyed by the stereotypical single-librarian-girl, who thinks about everything in terms of book characters, blah blah blah. And her handling of the whole situation that is the crux of the matter was.... over the top. (Although it did get me thinking about what I would do in a similar situation - and what the ALA ethics would say, too.) The road trip part was more fun. Very funny, and lots of awesome book references.
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
"You think you can't go home again? It's the only place you can ever go" (301).
The Borrower is an exploration of the concept of home and how it shapes us, even though we attempt to resist and defy home's influence. Lucy's character is shaped by her run-away Russian-father and Ian by his homophobic Evangelical overbearing parents. Through Lucy's and Ian's charming (though unrealistic) adventure, we see a desire to save the kids that cannot be saved, although this is ultimately futile; people can only be given the tools to save themselves (as Lucy realizes in the end). However, the book could have benefitted from strong revision. Lucy's stream of consciousness and lack of forethought were irritating at times and I grew frustrated with her character. Some of the places visited became monotonous and made me lose steam and focus. The book could have benefitted by delving more into Ian's own character development. Despite being the catalyst for the plot, he gets a frustratingly shallow dive into his relationship with his parents that could have benefitted from a deeper analysis.
The Borrower is an exploration of the concept of home and how it shapes us, even though we attempt to resist and defy home's influence. Lucy's character is shaped by her run-away Russian-father and Ian by his homophobic Evangelical overbearing parents. Through Lucy's and Ian's charming (though unrealistic) adventure, we see a desire to save the kids that cannot be saved, although this is ultimately futile; people can only be given the tools to save themselves (as Lucy realizes in the end). However, the book could have benefitted from strong revision. Lucy's stream of consciousness and lack of forethought were irritating at times and I grew frustrated with her character. Some of the places visited became monotonous and made me lose steam and focus. The book could have benefitted by delving more into Ian's own character development. Despite being the catalyst for the plot, he gets a frustratingly shallow dive into his relationship with his parents that could have benefitted from a deeper analysis.