Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.85 AVERAGE
3.85 AVERAGE
Exquisitely observed and made me feel immersed in the natural world, with all its beauty and cruelty. Still -- something surprised me about the ultimate resolution of the narrative and left me unfulfilled.
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Could not handle a devastating book rn
Sourced : BCB Book Club
Sourced : BCB Book Club
I wasn’t really sure what to expect with this book as I had never read any of Lauren Groff’s other books, but let me tell you, I was pleasantly surprised (for the most part).
I loved the flashbacks and craved every little morsel I could get of the girl’s past. I loved the inner monologues and usually I don’t enjoy little to no dialogue, but Groff did it wonderfully.
I’m usually not a fan of survival books, I find them rather boring as they are just the main character going forward with no real destination, looking for things to eat, sleeping, and going to the bathroom (I got really tired of reading about the color of the girl’s piss and poop, like why is that important, why do I really have to read that?). So that part of the book really dragged for me but the inner monologues and flashbacks kept the pace of the book.
And oh my goodness the prose! The descriptive imagery, the vocabulary, literally everything about the prose was just so violently beautiful and extremely well-written.
So overall four stars!
I loved the flashbacks and craved every little morsel I could get of the girl’s past. I loved the inner monologues and usually I don’t enjoy little to no dialogue, but Groff did it wonderfully.
I’m usually not a fan of survival books, I find them rather boring as they are just the main character going forward with no real destination, looking for things to eat, sleeping, and going to the bathroom (I got really tired of reading about the color of the girl’s piss and poop, like why is that important, why do I really have to read that?). So that part of the book really dragged for me but the inner monologues and flashbacks kept the pace of the book.
And oh my goodness the prose! The descriptive imagery, the vocabulary, literally everything about the prose was just so violently beautiful and extremely well-written.
So overall four stars!
challenging
dark
adventurous
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
dark
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
dark
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
What a strange and dark and spiritual and courageous novel. It’s not an easy read but I’d say it’s unforgettable.
Reading this is like stepping out of a hot stuffed room into a cold morning. Every sentence feels both intentional and effortless. The reader is so immersed in her world. The clarity that comes through the book is a reminder that you can essentially write about ...not that much ..for the entirety of a book and have it be a page turner because strong writing is more compelling than a 600 pager of 10 subplots with 20 species that spans 5000 years. I'm finding here the escape (into the wilderness and another consciousness) what I long to find in all of the fantasy and sci Fi I've read this year.