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3.35 AVERAGE
3.35 AVERAGE
emotional
funny
lighthearted
reflective
sad
slow-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
Hmm OK where do I start with this? This book was recently longlisted for the 2021 Womens Prize and I have seen MIXED reviews across bookstagram, book twitter and goodreads. So I made myself go into this book not expecting much…
And for the most part it was good. The chapters were short and the story kept me enticed and interested. Without going too deep into the story, it’s basically about a young girl who is teaching in Hong Kong and moves in with a rich man who she ends up sleeping with. He goes back to London and she meets this girl and also starts sleeping with her and it all becomes a big, weird love triangle.
So as you can see the story is interesting and there are some real gems in this where the main character is discussing love/friendship/relationships etc and I feel like I really emphasised with those feelings.
YET…
I don’t really understand why the book was set in Hong Kong as there were no real cultural elements of the story that made it important for the book to be set here? Oh, and the main character was incredibly annoying. I also think that the book has been compared to Sally Rooney’s ‘Normal People’ just because this author is also Irish. THIS IS NOTHING LIKE NORMAL PEOPLE.
On the face of it, yes, I enjoyed it more than I thought. Is it the best book I’ve ever read? No.
Apologies for the rant, but this book is definitely one that I’d say read, just so you can say you’ve read it and join in the discussion!
And for the most part it was good. The chapters were short and the story kept me enticed and interested. Without going too deep into the story, it’s basically about a young girl who is teaching in Hong Kong and moves in with a rich man who she ends up sleeping with. He goes back to London and she meets this girl and also starts sleeping with her and it all becomes a big, weird love triangle.
So as you can see the story is interesting and there are some real gems in this where the main character is discussing love/friendship/relationships etc and I feel like I really emphasised with those feelings.
YET…
I don’t really understand why the book was set in Hong Kong as there were no real cultural elements of the story that made it important for the book to be set here? Oh, and the main character was incredibly annoying. I also think that the book has been compared to Sally Rooney’s ‘Normal People’ just because this author is also Irish. THIS IS NOTHING LIKE NORMAL PEOPLE.
On the face of it, yes, I enjoyed it more than I thought. Is it the best book I’ve ever read? No.
Apologies for the rant, but this book is definitely one that I’d say read, just so you can say you’ve read it and join in the discussion!
funny
reflective
medium-paced
For me is just a failed book attempt to copy Sally Rooney
I understand what the author wanted to do in this novel in which the main character has different emotional connections to two other characters but I feel that one of these relationships is very poorly executed and dialogues are meaningless
I understand what the author wanted to do in this novel in which the main character has different emotional connections to two other characters but I feel that one of these relationships is very poorly executed and dialogues are meaningless
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
2.5 rounded up to a 3
Hm that’s what I thought when I ended it Hm.
I didn’t enjoy the book for the first 150 or so pages because I’m ngl I wasn’t vibing with the main character. I also couldn’t really get into the writing style. Then the middle was good Ava was happy I liked the dynamic with Edith and even it was funny when all three were together. I also realized the character of Ava is twenty three and I can’t really blame her as much for her flaws. We’re all still trying to figure out life in our early twenties. But then the end just spiraled and I’m so confused. Can someone please explain to me what happened because I think I missed it.
Hm that’s what I thought when I ended it Hm.
I didn’t enjoy the book for the first 150 or so pages because I’m ngl I wasn’t vibing with the main character. I also couldn’t really get into the writing style. Then the middle was good Ava was happy I liked the dynamic with Edith and even it was funny when all three were together. I also realized the character of Ava is twenty three and I can’t really blame her as much for her flaws. We’re all still trying to figure out life in our early twenties. But then the end just spiraled and I’m so confused. Can someone please explain to me what happened because I think I missed it.
challenging
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Rare case of buying a book after returning the library loan. High-quality fiction.
Would have rated it 3 stars but the ending annoyed me.
Truly, not very exciting at all. I didn’t like any of the characters. I did end up enjoying Ava as a narrator a bit more towards the end because she was occasionally clever with a great one liner, but she was also an entirely unlikable character otherwise.
I can’t believe the author chose that ending. Literally so annoying.
Truly, not very exciting at all. I didn’t like any of the characters. I did end up enjoying Ava as a narrator a bit more towards the end because she was occasionally clever with a great one liner, but she was also an entirely unlikable character otherwise.
I can’t believe the author chose that ending. Literally so annoying.