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3.57 AVERAGE
3.57 AVERAGE
Haunting fluidly shifting prose gives way to a meandering tale that concludes in the most satisfactory way.
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
i am going to be thinking about this book for a very long time.
Weaving tragedy, fairy tale, and myth to cover a whole lot of thorny family ground. It is so easy to spoil this book in a review so I’ll just say well done brilliant effing book.
Weird and wild and probably not for everyone but this book blew my mind.
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-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
My rating for this book has fluctuated over the last few days as I came to the end. And I think 3 is about right. Because although I wouldn’t say I enjoyed the book, I also don’t dislike it.
The writing is beautiful - lyrical and poetic. It flows (like the river). The characters are extremely flawed which, in hindsight, I actually quite enjoyed. It’s very bleak - I had to take a break over Christmas because it was not something I was in the mood for then! - but I do sometimes enjoy a bleak book. And I’m glad to say I didn’t see the story turns coming, and they unfolded with some effect for me.
I found the structure and perspective confusing. It’s mostly told from one character’s pov, and jumps around in time and location a lot (it took me a while to click that the repeated chapter/section headers marked the different points in time). Gretel is recalling everything from memory (memory being a major theme), and you get the impression of everything blending and morphing together, just like old memories. It felt discombobulating, and I think was supposed to evoke how the characters were feeling and how they recalled things. So while the confusion frustrated me at the time, looking back it was actually very clever.
While I don’t know if I liked this book as such, I certainly respect it, and Daisy Johnson for writing it.
The writing is beautiful - lyrical and poetic. It flows (like the river). The characters are extremely flawed which, in hindsight, I actually quite enjoyed. It’s very bleak - I had to take a break over Christmas because it was not something I was in the mood for then! - but I do sometimes enjoy a bleak book. And I’m glad to say I didn’t see the story turns coming, and they unfolded with some effect for me.
I found the structure and perspective confusing. It’s mostly told from one character’s pov, and jumps around in time and location a lot (it took me a while to click that the repeated chapter/section headers marked the different points in time). Gretel is recalling everything from memory (memory being a major theme), and you get the impression of everything blending and morphing together, just like old memories. It felt discombobulating, and I think was supposed to evoke how the characters were feeling and how they recalled things. So while the confusion frustrated me at the time, looking back it was actually very clever.
While I don’t know if I liked this book as such, I certainly respect it, and Daisy Johnson for writing it.
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I don't know if it's me but this is another book I found a bit boring. I could see why I should like the book but there were parts that I found a bit confusing, I think especially where it changes perspectives. I did really like the imagery and poetic aspects of the book though and might reread when I'm not hating everything I pick up.
I couldn't put this down. The story held me captive while I tried to go about my day, and later when I tried to sleep. Artistically written. Gripping, powerful, strange and a must-read.
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This was really beautifully and lyrically written and I enjoyed the form, with Gretel narrating via a monologue addressed to her absent mother. The imagery of life on the canal was striking and beautiful, and the addition of magical realism, mythological elements and a monster in the canal created an eerie, ancient atmosphere.
I initially rated this book quite highly in my personal ratings, but it ended up quite forgettable for me personally - still, it was a compelling and creative re-telling of the Oedipus myth written by a third, forgotten sibling, with a complex exploration of the relationship between mother and child.
It was unsettling, heart-breaking, creepy and quite gross at times, especially once you put all the pieces together. I might give this another read in the future with a fresh eye and see if it stands out to me more.
I initially rated this book quite highly in my personal ratings, but it ended up quite forgettable for me personally - still, it was a compelling and creative re-telling of the Oedipus myth written by a third, forgotten sibling, with a complex exploration of the relationship between mother and child.
It was unsettling, heart-breaking, creepy and quite gross at times, especially once you put all the pieces together. I might give this another read in the future with a fresh eye and see if it stands out to me more.