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3.99 AVERAGE
3.99 AVERAGE
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
So beautiful. Just ordinary people living ordinary lives.
Kind of feels like a contemporary Mrs Dalloway, in which the author weaves through London on a hot June weekend, giving us access to the complex inner lives of a variety of characters, culminating in a party and a celebration that bring them all together.
I have a particular soft spot for Rosaleen 🥺🥺her speech on everything she could tell Phil about Dublin at the end made me cry
Kind of feels like a contemporary Mrs Dalloway, in which the author weaves through London on a hot June weekend, giving us access to the complex inner lives of a variety of characters, culminating in a party and a celebration that bring them all together.
I have a particular soft spot for Rosaleen 🥺🥺
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Not sure what the point of this was. Some brooding British characters not wanting to give up their independence and grow up I guess? Didn’t bond with them
Let me preface this by saying that this is a strong debut and I'm curious what the author has in store next. And now that that's out of the way - could we please, please, please, stop comparing debut authors to Sally Rooney?
I liked the summer, the heatwave, the whale in the Thames! I liked all that, how everything is constrained into a single weekend or so during the heatwave and how it shows the messiness of life and how we live with thousands of thoughts and issues at the same time, yet we try to be good people. So, yeah, loved all that.
I really liked the atmosphere and the mundanity of it all. I liked its realism because I'm a big fan of our messiness as human beings.
On the not so bright side, I did not connect with any of the characters - there are so many and we jump so fast through them that at first I was confused who is who and trying to get to know them. Too many characters, too little time. It felt unbalanced of sorts.
But as I said, quite a strong debut.
I liked the summer, the heatwave, the whale in the Thames! I liked all that, how everything is constrained into a single weekend or so during the heatwave and how it shows the messiness of life and how we live with thousands of thoughts and issues at the same time, yet we try to be good people. So, yeah, loved all that.
I really liked the atmosphere and the mundanity of it all. I liked its realism because I'm a big fan of our messiness as human beings.
On the not so bright side, I did not connect with any of the characters - there are so many and we jump so fast through them that at first I was confused who is who and trying to get to know them. Too many characters, too little time. It felt unbalanced of sorts.
But as I said, quite a strong debut.
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:
Yes
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
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:
Yes
this was definitely a page turner and it was fun and casual until it got pretty deep towards the end.
it was an exposition on navigating queerness in london with the backdrop of a hot summer and a whale stuck in the thames. it was neat to see this theme transcend across the different characters, despite their age.
it’s about ed and maggie who are on precipice of the end of their relationship, it’s about brothers phil and callum and how they navigate loneliness, depression, and their moms cancer. it’s about the marine biologist news lady and how she’s dealing with the whale stuck in the thames.
the ending was kind of messy and really felt a bit unresolved, but then again that’s how life is at times.
…
“the sad old PCs growling on their desks”
“he wants more from his weekend than this. he wants
more from his life.”
“but the words 'i love you’ are famously inadequate for describing the depth of the feeling. sometimes only gestures suffice.’
it was an exposition on navigating queerness in london with the backdrop of a hot summer and a whale stuck in the thames. it was neat to see this theme transcend across the different characters, despite their age.
it’s about ed and maggie who are on precipice of the end of their relationship, it’s about brothers phil and callum and how they navigate loneliness, depression, and their moms cancer. it’s about the marine biologist news lady and how she’s dealing with the whale stuck in the thames.
the ending was kind of messy and really felt a bit unresolved, but then again that’s how life is at times.
…
“the sad old PCs growling on their desks”
“he wants more from his weekend than this. he wants
more from his life.”
“but the words 'i love you’ are famously inadequate for describing the depth of the feeling. sometimes only gestures suffice.’
emotional
funny
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character