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3.85 AVERAGE
3.85 AVERAGE
I felt from the style of writing that I probably wasn't in the mood so I looked at reviews and decided nope, not for me. Maybe some other time, but I'm not feeling like a solo wilderness survival and story of abuse right now.
I couldnt finish this book...the writing was poetic at times but ultimately grotesque in a way i was not prepared for...also the author seems to take every opportunity to debase the main character for the sport of it and it became too tiring to endure. Mostly, i feel sorry for the girl's bowels, rip girly
adventurous
challenging
dark
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
challenging
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
I kept waiting for more to happen as I listened to this, but then it ended. There were a few things with the writing that annoyed me (“the child Bess”). Blunt in its descriptions of human nature & brutality, this novel follows “the girl” who escapes an early pioneer settlement that’s being ravaged by smallpox and starvation. She traverses the wilderness on her own, trying to survive one step at a time. We get most of her story in flashbacks as she runs endlessly through the woods & eats baby squirrels.
Spoilers: I wanted her to interact with more people. I thought she’d settle alongside the Indigenous and we’d get more characters we liked. After finishing the book I think I understand why the author decided against that, but I could have used a few more breaks from the more repetitive parts of the story (woods, ship, smallpox, evil, dark things)
Is there not but lamentation in facing the end? Not if you find the heat, and let the light at the center of it all shine out, Groff points out.
This novel is a poignant reflection on meaning, “god”, and nature.
This novel is a poignant reflection on meaning, “god”, and nature.
adventurous
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
I enjoyed this book! Very reflective about nature / humanity. I did find the final paragraph a bit preachy, but overall it was good
“The loss of a star dims not the splendor of the constellations"
I had a bit of an expectation going into this after reading "Matrix" a long time ago and it effectively lived up to what i foresaw: very beautiful writing woven into the most mundane of survival tasks. Women constantly being strung out on the edge of defeat but still coming out the better for it. Notably I predicted only two possible outcomes and Groff still trumped me with an unexpected third. The author could've rested on the basic routes of creating an investable character (improverished young female, bad backstory) but there's a genuine way in which she has carved depth into her, portraying both the simple and expected together with the complexity of her history.
With the prose, there is a layered interplay between the abstract religious iconography suggested in Matrix together with the theme of God's presence in nature versus that which interpreted by men, and this is further exemplified by the girl's realisation of how she fears what's left behind more than her fear of the wilderness, which eventually is woven into the lengths she goes to tame it. there's remarkable cruelty interspersed throughout, the kind of darkness that hollows out one's heart with dread, and this is both elevated by the struggles she faces in the wilderness and lighthened by all of the small wins that she has.
In all, despite its short length, Vaster Wilds proves to be a maddeningly compelling read, which says something since this is pretty much one girl hopelessly wandering the woods. Love it and could read this dreamy prose on and on forever.
I had a bit of an expectation going into this after reading "Matrix" a long time ago and it effectively lived up to what i foresaw: very beautiful writing woven into the most mundane of survival tasks. Women constantly being strung out on the edge of defeat but still coming out the better for it. Notably I predicted only two possible outcomes and Groff still trumped me with an unexpected third. The author could've rested on the basic routes of creating an investable character (improverished young female, bad backstory) but there's a genuine way in which she has carved depth into her, portraying both the simple and expected together with the complexity of her history.
With the prose, there is a layered interplay between the abstract religious iconography suggested in Matrix together with the theme of God's presence in nature versus that which interpreted by men, and this is further exemplified by the girl's realisation of how she fears what's left behind more than her fear of the wilderness, which eventually is woven into the lengths she goes to tame it. there's remarkable cruelty interspersed throughout, the kind of darkness that hollows out one's heart with dread, and this is both elevated by the struggles she faces in the wilderness and lighthened by all of the small wins that she has.
In all, despite its short length, Vaster Wilds proves to be a maddeningly compelling read, which says something since this is pretty much one girl hopelessly wandering the woods. Love it and could read this dreamy prose on and on forever.
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
dark
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No