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4.25 AVERAGE
4.25 AVERAGE
“I haven’t started counting yet. I wonder if it’s just me or if it’s like that for everybody; that every time someone dies you start counting how much time has passed since they’ve been gone. First you count it in minutes, then in hours. You count in days, then weeks, then months. Then one day you realize that you aren’t counting anymore, and you don’t even know when you stopped. That’s the moment they’re gone.”
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
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:
Complicated
Ever had a book steal your breath away? Gotten goose bumps from the ending, all the while tears stream down your face? This book did that for me. It's not my typical read. I usually go for the shorter stories. This one made me work. But I couldn't put it down. I read this in one sitting. I devoured it. It's so beautifully tragic. The darkness and desperation the characters emit will cloak you, but at the same time you will see the soft glow of light and hope. That light gets stronger and stronger as you go. I'm a sobbing, emotional, happy wreck. And I love when I find something that can break me down and gut me. And this did just that. This story isn't quick, there's no insta-love, and you will no doubt want to throw something during the process. But it is absolutely worth it.
Heroine heard the Hero having sex with his f@ck buddy.
I’m so torn bc on the one hand, this book was everything and on the other, the main male character tended a bit too much toward alpha male for me and I also didn’t understand all of the choices? still, a very complex and interesting character study.
edit: I just saw a review that said it was either five stars, I was loving it, or one star, I was hating it. And that’s how I felt with some of the scenes, my opinion fluctuated so much lol.
edit: I just saw a review that said it was either five stars, I was loving it, or one star, I was hating it. And that’s how I felt with some of the scenes, my opinion fluctuated so much lol.
This is one of those unusual circumstances where I definitely remember loving the book as I was reading it--going so far as to plan to myself that I would give it 5 stars--but, upon reflection months later, I can't seem to recall a single element of this story that had transfixed me so. Peculiar, isn't it? I didn't even remember the main characters' names, their conflict, or the plot. This put me in a bit of a difficult position. How could I possibly rate a book highly if it left so little of an impression on me? For my other 5-star books, I can quote quotes and allude to characters' quirks even outside of my reading life. Where, then, should THE SEA OF TRANQUILITY fall?
Despite not even remembering the characters' names, I think that what got to me most while reading this book was how thoroughly Millay's prose swept me up into Nastya and and Josh's love story. Millay's writing perfectly reflects the emotional responses she wishes to wring from readers: the frustratingly languid slow burn of two messed-up people learning to open themselves up to each other. In that way, then, THE SEA OF TRANQUILITY's prose is a more accurate depiction of real-life love than most love stories we read. There is a degree of, shall we say, "life editing" that goes on when writing a story. (No one wants to read about all the meals your character ate or the number of times he/she went to the bathroom, after all.) While this is a perfectly legitimate and understandable narrative practice, it makes it all too easy for us readers to (consciously) forget that storytelling is life edited down to its enticing and relevant bits.
I mean, I get it. I read stories too because I love fiction and want to escape reality. But every once in a while I love the book that makes me aware of the differences between narrating fiction and narrating life, the book that challenges pacing conventions while still triggering a positive emotional response from me. Intriguingly enough, it is this awareness that makes that particular story all the more poignant to me. This year, THE SEA OF TRANQUILITY was that book. And while I don't anticipate rereading it--some stories are like that, you know: you don't feel the necessity of reading them again--I certainly don't regret the (considerable amount of) time I spent with Nastya and Josh.
(This review would've been drastically different had I written it the day after I finished the book. Or am I trying to justify the horrendous fact that I wrote a review six months late?? Hehe.)
Despite not even remembering the characters' names, I think that what got to me most while reading this book was how thoroughly Millay's prose swept me up into Nastya and and Josh's love story. Millay's writing perfectly reflects the emotional responses she wishes to wring from readers: the frustratingly languid slow burn of two messed-up people learning to open themselves up to each other. In that way, then, THE SEA OF TRANQUILITY's prose is a more accurate depiction of real-life love than most love stories we read. There is a degree of, shall we say, "life editing" that goes on when writing a story. (No one wants to read about all the meals your character ate or the number of times he/she went to the bathroom, after all.) While this is a perfectly legitimate and understandable narrative practice, it makes it all too easy for us readers to (consciously) forget that storytelling is life edited down to its enticing and relevant bits.
I mean, I get it. I read stories too because I love fiction and want to escape reality. But every once in a while I love the book that makes me aware of the differences between narrating fiction and narrating life, the book that challenges pacing conventions while still triggering a positive emotional response from me. Intriguingly enough, it is this awareness that makes that particular story all the more poignant to me. This year, THE SEA OF TRANQUILITY was that book. And while I don't anticipate rereading it--some stories are like that, you know: you don't feel the necessity of reading them again--I certainly don't regret the (considerable amount of) time I spent with Nastya and Josh.
(This review would've been drastically different had I written it the day after I finished the book. Or am I trying to justify the horrendous fact that I wrote a review six months late?? Hehe.)
I'm exploring the world of new adult/crossover fiction/adult books about teens lately for a project, and this was recommended to me. I have a lot of problems with this novel in terms of structure, pacing, choice of POV. The writing is very unpolished and it feels like a draft rather than a finished product. I also wonder if it should be seen as young adult or adult. It was published as adult, but I put it on our YA section without any qualms. But I do see why people enjoyed it. It has a lot of angst but so much potential in both the story and the characters. I really wish it had received more editing before being published. I would try another book by this author at least for comparison's sake.
The last two words of the book were absolutely perfect. Positively perfect. It was a great story and I loved how the characters developed. The chair was my favorite part. So sweet. Drew was such a great character- he should get his own book. Just sayin!
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
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:
Complicated
emotional
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes