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3.71 AVERAGE
3.71 AVERAGE
slow-paced
This book is interesting in that it could happen in the near future with all of the weather related tragedies we have had lately and will likely see more of as time passes. That being said, this book is somewhat slow moving and was kind of boring. If you are in the mood for a slower paced book, this one should fit the bill. This book reminded me of The Light Pirate in some parts so if you enjoyed that one I think you would also like this novel
Thank you Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor | Pantheon for access to the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Thank you Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor | Pantheon for access to the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Thank you Pantheon Books for providing this ARC for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
Awake In the Floating City by Susanna Kwan is a poignant story about loss, death, belonging and legacy. Kwan focuses in on a woman in the midst of a climate crisis in her hometown, exploring the choices we make and how they branch out to those around us. The book tackles themes of what it means to be lonely, companionship and caring for others, and the importance of and being remembered. Connection to our past and our ancestry is an important topic in this beautiful tribute to life, death and remembrance.
What didn’t work for me personally:
This book SLOW.
Over and over, the protagonist, Bo, rehashes the same conflicts one (or several) too many times without the story actually going anywhere.
I know this is intentional to a certain extent, but, for about 85 percent of the book, Bo just lets things happen to her. She hardly plays an active role in her own story, which I found a bit frustrating.
Hardly anything happens for almost the entire story, which isn’t always a bad thing. It’s a lot of reflection and self-discovery. You can tell a slow story without telling a boring one, but the repetition paired with random info-dumpy sections that often had no bearing on the story, just resulted in the book being not quite as interesting as the synopsis made it sound.
That said, though this book may not have been for me, I do think certain types of readers are going to love it. It written well, and the ending was exceptionally beautiful. I found that it had a strong emotional impact on me and I kept thinking about it long after I’d finished the book.
If you enjoy slow, contemplative, generational stories, I think this book will be for you.
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This is a slowly building novel, like an ocean wave. It is a an elegy for the impermanence of everything meaningful, including a storied city that is quickly becoming a ghost town. I loved the relationship between Bo and Mia, how it helps Mia with her grief. I also was fascinated by what goes on in the mind of an artist. Bo’s eventual masterpiece was unexpected and satisfying.
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Gorgeous debut novel that blends together the dying of a city (future San Francisco, slowly sinking under water and climate change a la Venice) and the dying of an individual woman via her artist caretaker. The caretaker uses the woman's life to make an amazing futuristic art exhibit and memorial, as well as sits hard with the act of dying and the aftermath of it as well. Wistful and definitely a book I recommend picking up next spring.
I find it difficult to let this one go, because I somehow feel a connection to the author, even though the book wasn't working for me.
It feels too thick with words, and the systems that fail and the systems that last, in its dystopian future, don't feel realistic at all.
But I might try it again sometime.
I received an ARC copy from a giveaway table at an industry fair.
It feels too thick with words, and the systems that fail and the systems that last, in its dystopian future, don't feel realistic at all.
But I might try it again sometime.
I received an ARC copy from a giveaway table at an industry fair.
dark
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
emotional
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
This book delves into human nature of what happens when a person gets old. And how a relationship can develop between the client and the caregiver, in this case an elderly woman and a young woman. The young woman gives up her personal life until the elderly woman passes away. You see how much affection can truly develop between caregiver and client. And this happens almost right away. If you want a touching, emotional book, this is the one for you. I give this book 3 stars.
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
I really liked this book. It's a quiet sort of novel, filled with everyday activities, but the setting is a future San Francisco, flooded and always raining. The narrator is Bo, an artist who no longer does art, she's alone, grieving, and cannot bring herself to leave the city, her home, even though everyone tells her she should join what remains of her family in Canada. She takes a job caretaking for a VERY old woman in her building, Mia. They build routines, Bo learns a lot about the history of the city through Mia's stories, she gets back into making art, and the ending is bittersweet. A really lovely book.