Scan barcode
jayisreading's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
2.5
I’ll be very honest— I would never have bothered picking this novel up if it weren’t for the fact that it was selected for a book club I somewhat recently joined. Reading the synopsis, there wasn’t anything that particularly stood out to me, so I had low expectations. This ended up being the right call, as I didn’t feel disappointed or felt that my time was wasted. I didn’t find Small Pleasures especially remarkable in either narrative or characters, but this is definitely more a matter of personal interest than anything. I think some readers may find the mystery and eventual romance compelling, and I will say that it is refreshing to have a struggling protagonist who is somewhat older (forty, if I’m remembering correctly). And, to Chambers’ credit, I did like her prose enough. She took a rather quiet and restrained approach that was slightly reminiscent of Kazuo Ishiguro, and I thought she did a good job maintaining that tone while still being able to capture the intense emotions that Jean (the protagonist) felt.
Before reading, I decided to check the reviews out, and I was surprised to see a relatively large number of reviewers who criticized the ending. This somewhat colored my reading experience, especially because I was keen to find out why so many people disliked it. All I can say is that if an afterword is required to explain the ending, then something needs to be reworked (and I will say the ending was unsatisfying). That being said—and to kind of defend the author—I can kind of see why she made this decision, especially considering that she did some foreshadowing at the very start of the novel. Another critique I have that I didn’t see as many people address was how the author decided to handle a lesbian relationship. I didn’t like that it was used as a plot twist, along with the fact that it was somewhat villainized (to me, at least).
I would say take this review with a grain of salt, considering the circumstances that led to me reading it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Abortion
Moderate: Infidelity, Sexism, Rape, and Medical content
Minor: Cancer, Toxic relationship, Lesbophobia, and War
bug_lightyear's review against another edition
3.25
I quite enjoyed the first half of the book where it's a nice and quaint story with an intriguing thing going on.
But then it turns into a love affair with a married man, who is the husband of the main character's new friend, and when we understand that the "virgin birth" is actually likelyrape of an unconscious young woman by a mentally ill tennager it suddenly becomes quite horrific as a looming possibility and it doesn't feel adressed seriously enough.
This book has many disabled/sick/chronically ill characters as well as lesbian characters, which should be great, but they are written to be detestable, annoying, and the fault for everything going wrong in everyone else's life.
I don't think I ever read a book where main characters have rheumatoid arthritis, and after my own experience in a rehab clinic I was interested to read about my counterpart in a 1950's sanatorium. But this place is used as the backdrop for a very sordid plot twist where the bad guy is a mentally ill teenager.
The lesbian love story could have been sweet, but the lover is portrayed as an annoying and dirty character who is just wrecking the almost perfect marriage of the main character's new friend.
We need more disability and queer rep in books, but not like that.
Finally the afterword feels quite tone deaf to me. The author heard about a tragedy fitting her timeline and uses it as a looming catastrophy about to happen to the characters, but we never read what happened. In the afterword the author writes that it was a horrific event that traumatised a generation of people, families and victims who still recount the events all these decades later. To have this traumatising event used as an "interesting" narrative device felt quite insensitive to me.
But then it turns into a love affair with a married man, who is the husband of the main character's new friend, and when we understand that the "virgin birth" is actually likely
This book has many disabled/sick/chronically ill characters as well as lesbian characters, which should be great, but they are written to be detestable, annoying, and the fault for everything going wrong in everyone else's life.
I don't think I ever read a book where main characters have rheumatoid arthritis, and after my own experience in a rehab clinic I was interested to read about my counterpart in a 1950's sanatorium. But this place is used as the backdrop for a very sordid plot twist where the bad guy is a mentally ill teenager.
The lesbian love story could have been sweet, but the lover is portrayed as an annoying and dirty character who is just wrecking the almost perfect marriage of the main character's new friend.
We need more disability and queer rep in books, but not like that.
Finally the afterword feels quite tone deaf to me. The author heard about a tragedy fitting her timeline and uses it as a looming catastrophy about to happen to the characters, but we never read what happened. In the afterword the author writes that it was a horrific event that traumatised a generation of people, families and victims who still recount the events all these decades later. To have this traumatising event used as an "interesting" narrative device felt quite insensitive to me.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Abortion, Lesbophobia, and Rape
gekesanne's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
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
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Lesbophobia
Minor: Rape
skudiklier's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
I'm worried I'm too emotionally invested at the moment to be writing this review; I don't know how to write about how this book made me feel without writing about the ending. I'll spoiler warning it at the end here, but just know that all spoilers in it are very vague.
Overall I liked this book. I knew absolutely nothing about it going in--not the premise, not the genre, nothing. I picked it solely based on the cover. Throughout the first half of it I just felt a sort of rising tension, as I waited for the shoe to drop. This book was well-written and while the ending devastated me, I don't think it should have been changed.
This book makes me want to read more by this author, because I really liked how well it showed tiny social things that feel hard to capture/explain but can make a real impact on how a situation feels or a relationship progresses. Small things that Jean worries over momentarily, that just felt really well-done.
Honestly the ending just is so sad. I wasn't prepared. I wish I'd paid more attention to the dates so that I could have seen it coming. It makes sense as a story but I'm just too close to these characters right now, I feel too sad for them. It made it so I couldn't give this book five stars.
Overall I liked this book. I knew absolutely nothing about it going in--not the premise, not the genre, nothing. I picked it solely based on the cover. Throughout the first half of it I just felt a sort of rising tension, as I waited for the shoe to drop. This book was well-written and while the ending devastated me, I don't think it should have been changed.
This book makes me want to read more by this author, because I really liked how well it showed tiny social things that feel hard to capture/explain but can make a real impact on how a situation feels or a relationship progresses. Small things that Jean worries over momentarily, that just felt really well-done.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Abortion, Death, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Dementia, Infidelity, Medical content, Rape, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexism, Antisemitism, Death of parent, Grief, and Sexual content
Minor: Lesbophobia, Cancer, and Incest
mirrortower's review
emotional
mysterious
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
thought this would be gayer
Content Warnings
Moderate: Chronic illness, Abandonment, Sexual assault, and Pregnancy
Minor: Sexual content and Lesbophobia
shonagh_catherine's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
This novel contained some of the most enchanting descriptions of domestic life - the descriptions cherished the 'simple pleasures' one may find in the most seemingly banal tasks and there is something about that which is simply enchanting.
The character studies and relationships are natural and drag the reader into the story with our emotions being strung along watching these relationships develop. The variety of mother-daughter relationships explored and ultimately juxtaposed are enlightening, reassuring, and somewhat familiar to read.
However, whilst I enjoyed large parts of this book I have some issues with how the plot developed: specificall I was uncomfortable with the use of and treatment of certain characters who represent some marginalised groups within society who eneded up used as plot devices and were treated somewhat distastefully.
As for the last chapter... well I think ultimately that chapter is open to what the reader brings to it - I would argue the reader is invited to write their own ending to the novel (whether it be optimistic or not.) That being said I appreciate the issues many readers have felt with the final chapter which nearly seems to swallow whole and distort the optimism of the previous chapter.
Overall the novel has some gorgeous prose, littered with delicate descriptions of domestic life and the importance of friendships especially for those who are isolated. However, the novel also has some harsh interjections of crule reality and it reminds the reader that there may be a more sinister side to life which I found jarring at times given the over all tone of the novel.
The character studies and relationships are natural and drag the reader into the story with our emotions being strung along watching these relationships develop. The variety of mother-daughter relationships explored and ultimately juxtaposed are enlightening, reassuring, and somewhat familiar to read.
However, whilst I enjoyed large parts of this book I have some issues with how the plot developed: specificall I was uncomfortable with the use of and treatment of certain characters who represent some marginalised groups within society who eneded up used as plot devices and were treated somewhat distastefully.
As for the last chapter... well I think ultimately that chapter is open to what the reader brings to it - I would argue the reader is invited to write their own ending to the novel (whether it be optimistic or not.) That being said I appreciate the issues many readers have felt with the final chapter which nearly seems to swallow whole and distort the optimism of the previous chapter.
Overall the novel has some gorgeous prose, littered with delicate descriptions of domestic life and the importance of friendships especially for those who are isolated. However, the novel also has some harsh interjections of crule reality and it reminds the reader that there may be a more sinister side to life which I found jarring at times given the over all tone of the novel.
Content Warnings
Minor: Lesbophobia, Homophobia, and Ableism
alisonannk's review
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism, Toxic relationship, Mental illness, Misogyny, Pregnancy, Rape, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Ableism, Abandonment, Blood, Chronic illness, Death, Abortion, Confinement, Medical content, Medical trauma, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Toxic friendship, Cancer, Grief, Homophobia, Infidelity, Lesbophobia, Body shaming, Dementia, Outing, and Toxic relationship
bibliothecolle's review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity and Abortion
Minor: Animal cruelty, Rape, Sexual content, Lesbophobia, and Dementia
christinereichard's review
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
A message I can always greet with open arms: Find the small pleasures in life, and recognize that little joys are often just as rewarding as big joys. Slow-paced, but the mystery of the virgin birth was a great draw.
I know a lot of people hated the ending, but I think it only drives the message home. Yes, the ending with Howard was shocking and sudden. But my takeaway was that the spontaneity of life is everpresent and we should enjoy what we have while we can.
I would've restructured it though. I wouldn't have mentioned the train crash at the beginning of the book, and instead placed it right after the final chapter. That way, the "enjoy what you have while you can" message would still be there (sorry), but the date would be re-emphasized to show readers that Jean's article was pushed off the paper's front page. Double whammy.
I know a lot of people hated the ending, but I think it only drives the message home.
I would've restructured it though. I wouldn't have mentioned the train crash at the beginning of the book, and instead placed it right after the final chapter. That way, the "enjoy what you have while you can" message would still be there (sorry), but the date would be re-emphasized to show readers that Jean's article was pushed off the paper's front page. Double whammy.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Forced institutionalization, and Mental illness
Minor: Death of parent, Lesbophobia, Abortion, Rape, Toxic relationship, and Chronic illness
sophie_kean's review
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.75
- The ending - I found unneccesary and frustrating alongside all the unfinished plotlines in the book
- All of it was pretty predictable
- I found most of the characters that we spent time with a bit dry (I would have loved it if we got some actual insight into
- The depiction of lesbians??? I mean. It had the potential to be such an interesting and exciting plot but it just became a brief, fairly tragic side plot with a good dose of stereotypical lesbian villainization.
- I did enjoy bits of it - I think it just wasn't the story I wanted to read. The story was set up with a really interesting premise and I had so much hope for the potential characters and relationships, but it just focused on the things that I a) don't care about b) have heard before or c) found offensive (and I don't think just because it's set/marketing itself as historical fiction)
- Other people seem to love it so I'm sure it was doing many things right (I enjoyed the writing, the characters at the start, moments of the mother/daughter relationship discourse) but there was too much that was predictable, dull and low-key offensive for me to properly enjoy it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abortion
Moderate: Ableism, Lesbophobia, and Rape