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4.17 AVERAGE
4.17 AVERAGE
This was my January read that I’m 99% sure I got from IG. This book was so well written IMO. I felt a strange understanding to the protagonist who shares her journey of finding out the truths about herself through the relationships she shares with the people in her life- particularly her husband. It’s raw and forces the reader to reflect on their own behaviors and adaptations which we all develop to survive our own reality.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I really liked this melancholic and emotional story of a woman who while following the migration of one of the last birds on Earth sets on her own journey to reconcile with her past. For how full of feelings this book was it had a surprising amount of action and mystery and the whole story seemed to unfold itself from the middle, shedding light on both present and past. Beautifully written, it is going to be one of my favorite reads this year.
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
adventurous
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book certainly touched me when I read it. I never expected to connect with it so much as it’s not my go to. I empathised and connected with all the characters, feeling as if I could truly see into each of their minds and even worrying about their lives. The aspect of nature is a big theme, and is really refreshing - contrasting between the Irish countryside and the Artic Ocean.
The one moment I really remember and connected with was Franny not being able to stay too long in one place, this feeling of restlessness and how she is similar to a wild Artic tern migrating.
The one moment I really remember and connected with was Franny not being able to stay too long in one place, this feeling of restlessness and how she is similar to a wild Artic tern migrating.
adventurous
challenging
dark
medium-paced
challenging
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
3.5 stars rounded up to 4 - I have very complex feelings about this one, but would still recommend it to people.
I really, really enjoyed the atmospheric descriptions of nature in this book, which left me emotional numerous times. The shifting between story lines also contributed to the suspense in an unexpected and effective way.
With that said, it really bothered me that the world the book builds doesn't more closely examine just how devastating the effects of climate change would be on a planet with little to no wildlife, forests, or biodiversity in general. I understand that the almost hushed attention paid to the scientific technicalities of climate change was likely a deliberate choice that allowed Franny's struggles to more easily come to the fore. After all, the book seems more an exercise in character study than a towering critique of what's led to climate destruction. Even recognizing this, I still felt bothered. The book routinely condemns our tendency for anthropocentrism in an effort to argue for the intrinsic value of nature, regardless of its benefit to or relationship with humanity. Yet the Arctic terns themselves seem present only to drive forward Franny's own internal struggles, thus oddly perpetuating the very anthropocentrism at which the book takes aim.
*Spoiler*
Finally, I was really hoping that the book wouldn't end in the predictable way it concluded, because it ultimately detracted from the cold, jaded, and almost hopeless tone the rest of the book had set. Franny is not a particularly likable character - she hasn't dealt with her trauma in healthy ways, and she's harmed many people because of it. Her fate, in my mind, would have been better tied to the tragedy of climate change the book seemed intent on illustrating. I can appreciate that the effects of climate change are our own to remedy, and the author's attempt at conjuring a sense of optimism, purpose, and duty is understandable. Still, being left with a saccharine attempt at hope just didn't sit quite right with me.
I really, really enjoyed the atmospheric descriptions of nature in this book, which left me emotional numerous times. The shifting between story lines also contributed to the suspense in an unexpected and effective way.
With that said, it really bothered me that the world the book builds doesn't more closely examine just how devastating the effects of climate change would be on a planet with little to no wildlife, forests, or biodiversity in general. I understand that the almost hushed attention paid to the scientific technicalities of climate change was likely a deliberate choice that allowed Franny's struggles to more easily come to the fore. After all, the book seems more an exercise in character study than a towering critique of what's led to climate destruction. Even recognizing this, I still felt bothered. The book routinely condemns our tendency for anthropocentrism in an effort to argue for the intrinsic value of nature, regardless of its benefit to or relationship with humanity. Yet the Arctic terns themselves seem present only to drive forward Franny's own internal struggles, thus oddly perpetuating the very anthropocentrism at which the book takes aim.
*Spoiler*
Finally, I was really hoping that the book wouldn't end in the predictable way it concluded, because it ultimately detracted from the cold, jaded, and almost hopeless tone the rest of the book had set. Franny is not a particularly likable character - she hasn't dealt with her trauma in healthy ways, and she's harmed many people because of it. Her fate, in my mind, would have been better tied to the tragedy of climate change the book seemed intent on illustrating. I can appreciate that the effects of climate change are our own to remedy, and the author's attempt at conjuring a sense of optimism, purpose, and duty is understandable. Still, being left with a saccharine attempt at hope just didn't sit quite right with me.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
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
Listened to the audiobook while driving. Do not recommend doing that bc I was SOBBING. 10/10 emotional damage.
emotional
mysterious
sad
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