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4.03 AVERAGE
4.03 AVERAGE
This was such a moving book that focused on the strength of companionship and acceptance. The format of the book was a series of intertwined memories and journal entries from the Michael and Ellis, with vivid descriptions of the world around them. I probably cried 20 times reading this book, and while it was short, it packed quite a punch.
Beautiful descriptions and details. Different writing style which I didn’t overall enjoy.
Enjoyed the beauty and the story, diversity and emotion.
Enjoyed the beauty and the story, diversity and emotion.
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-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
I don’t care if I die young, I just wish to have a moment in life before then, when I’ll look at someone and I’ll say “this is it: unconditional love. family. I’ve found it” and the little of life will be enough for the brief time between dusk and dawn.
And they don’t have to be my special other.
That’s what this book smashed in my face: what my sadness and longing and hopes all come down to.
This was so sad and lonely (all humans are destined to be like that) but, goddammitt, they were also happy and the prose was so beautiful, and I would have no regrets if I had to die tomorrow, if I had what they did.
And they don’t have to be my special other.
That’s what this book smashed in my face: what my sadness and longing and hopes all come down to.
This was so sad and lonely (all humans are destined to be like that) but, goddammitt, they were also happy and the prose was so beautiful, and I would have no regrets if I had to die tomorrow, if I had what they did.
This was a beautiful read with so much imagery packed into 200 pages. It almost felt like a very long, poem about romance and love. Definitely recommend!
Really beautiful telling of two friends and how young, unrequited love can change one forever.
TIN MAN, by Sarah Winman, was a mostly forgettable story for me. I read it just a month and a half ago and yet I'm having trouble remembering what the outcome was for the the main characters, Ellis and Michael. The book is short - really a novella - and well written. I find the resonance between this story and A LITTLE LIFE, by Hanya Yanagihara, to be interesting: two male characters who have a love affair, in part because they are such inseparable friends. But the book left me with a "meh" feeling; I can take it or leave it. More accurately, I can't remember it.
1.5 stars
A Little Life. Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine. The Kite Runner. Burial Rites. Do Not Say We Have Nothing. The Shadow of the Wind.
Now, I can add Tin Man to this list. What is the list, exactly? A list of incredibly hyped and universally loved books that have greatly disappointed me.
Tin Man is built upon something that I often despise in books: overt sentimentality. The kind of sentimentality that is expected to carry a reader through the novel and make you not notice that what you are reading is not a story at all, but a basket weave of cliches and fake-deep anecdotes put in place simply to pull at your heartstrings. I've been called a bitter bitch one too many times for someone who's only the ripe age of 20, and whenever I read books like this, I think to myself, maybe those people do have a point.
That thought lasts only a split second, however, as my thoughts on books like these begin to gain a bit more depth. They often follow a similar formula: there is a main character that is just amazing. They emit a light from each pore and everyone they encounter just falls head over heels in love with their bright, shining soul. They have a tragic backstory or some kind of mental ghosts haunting them - maybe a death in the immediate family, or decades of abuse, or whatever is the new it thing among authors of these kinds of books. This character is supposed to pull you in, make you feel all types of way. In this book, that character was clearly Michael. And I felt not a wisp of emotion for him or his story.
Okay, maybe 'not a wisp' is an overstatement - there is a rather decently handled AIDS storyline in this book that did actually make my heart hurt a bit. But just a bit. Because with a novel with this many flaws, I really could not feel much of anything. The characters are built on one or two characteristics and usually these characteristics are their lovability and kindness - God, so sugary sweet. The plot is hardly a plot at all and felt like Winman had several ideas, but no tools to weave those ideas into a novel with, well, a story. After I was done with its 195 pages, I felt like I had read a rough draft that needed severe editing before it could be marketed as a novel. Everything just felt so flimsy and amateur.
The heavy-handed telling and not showing got exhausting. Seriously, I am not an idiot. I can figure out why someone is on a first-name basis with the hospital staff, you don't need to explain to me that it's because they go there often. I know that drinking a lot of champagne in one go will make you feel overly bold and energetic, there is no need to then add in brackets that this character was (quickly drunk.) This is probably my least favorite thing in books, the utter distrust in your own readers to figure anything out in their heads. Especially things so simple and universally understandable as these two examples - there are countless more to be found in this book, but I cannot be here all night.
Overall, I just have an incredibly hard time connecting to stories where every main character is just a little too perfect, their love stories or "almost love stories" way too picturesque, their milieus being French villas and Oxford and sugar and spice and everything nice. Even the attempts to dig deep into the nitty gritty and ugly sides of human lives were quickly sugarcoated and filtered, even the AIDS storyline painted into something pretty in all of its pain. That is not life, and life is what I demand from the books I read. Here, I felt the edges of life, maybe an idea of what life could be, but none of its core. I don't have time for books like that. Thank you, next.
A Little Life. Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine. The Kite Runner. Burial Rites. Do Not Say We Have Nothing. The Shadow of the Wind.
Now, I can add Tin Man to this list. What is the list, exactly? A list of incredibly hyped and universally loved books that have greatly disappointed me.
Tin Man is built upon something that I often despise in books: overt sentimentality. The kind of sentimentality that is expected to carry a reader through the novel and make you not notice that what you are reading is not a story at all, but a basket weave of cliches and fake-deep anecdotes put in place simply to pull at your heartstrings. I've been called a bitter bitch one too many times for someone who's only the ripe age of 20, and whenever I read books like this, I think to myself, maybe those people do have a point.
That thought lasts only a split second, however, as my thoughts on books like these begin to gain a bit more depth. They often follow a similar formula: there is a main character that is just amazing. They emit a light from each pore and everyone they encounter just falls head over heels in love with their bright, shining soul. They have a tragic backstory or some kind of mental ghosts haunting them - maybe a death in the immediate family, or decades of abuse, or whatever is the new it thing among authors of these kinds of books. This character is supposed to pull you in, make you feel all types of way. In this book, that character was clearly Michael. And I felt not a wisp of emotion for him or his story.
Okay, maybe 'not a wisp' is an overstatement - there is a rather decently handled AIDS storyline in this book that did actually make my heart hurt a bit. But just a bit. Because with a novel with this many flaws, I really could not feel much of anything. The characters are built on one or two characteristics and usually these characteristics are their lovability and kindness - God, so sugary sweet. The plot is hardly a plot at all and felt like Winman had several ideas, but no tools to weave those ideas into a novel with, well, a story. After I was done with its 195 pages, I felt like I had read a rough draft that needed severe editing before it could be marketed as a novel. Everything just felt so flimsy and amateur.
The heavy-handed telling and not showing got exhausting. Seriously, I am not an idiot. I can figure out why someone is on a first-name basis with the hospital staff, you don't need to explain to me that it's because they go there often. I know that drinking a lot of champagne in one go will make you feel overly bold and energetic, there is no need to then add in brackets that this character was (quickly drunk.) This is probably my least favorite thing in books, the utter distrust in your own readers to figure anything out in their heads. Especially things so simple and universally understandable as these two examples - there are countless more to be found in this book, but I cannot be here all night.
Overall, I just have an incredibly hard time connecting to stories where every main character is just a little too perfect, their love stories or "almost love stories" way too picturesque, their milieus being French villas and Oxford and sugar and spice and everything nice. Even the attempts to dig deep into the nitty gritty and ugly sides of human lives were quickly sugarcoated and filtered, even the AIDS storyline painted into something pretty in all of its pain. That is not life, and life is what I demand from the books I read. Here, I felt the edges of life, maybe an idea of what life could be, but none of its core. I don't have time for books like that. Thank you, next.
|Thank you to Netgalley, Penguin Random House Canada & Sarah Winman for the free advanced digital copy.|
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🌟BOOK REVIEW 🌟
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▪️MY THOUGHTS
✔️I enjoyed this story, I thought it was a beautiful book about friendship, love and loss. It’s a short book but don’t let that fool you. It’s packed with a lot of emotion and heartache. At the beginning I found it a bit hard to follow along with the past and present - so I did have to re-read a few paragraphs.. However, after a while I became used to the flow of the story.
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▪️OVERALL RUNDOWN
✔️Overall this was a good book full of so much emotion in just over 200 pages. I definitely think I will eventually need to re-read the book because there was just so much happening. Also the cover is gorgeous!!
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▪️FAVOURITE QUOTE
✔️”There’s something about first love, isn’t there? She said. It’s untouchable to those who played no part in it. But it’s the measure of all that follows.”
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▪️TITLE RUNDOWN
✔️(My thoughts based on the title of the book)
Tragic
Intense
Naturally told story
Memorable
Amazing friendship
Need to re-read eventually
.
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🌟BOOK REVIEW 🌟
.
.
▪️MY THOUGHTS
✔️I enjoyed this story, I thought it was a beautiful book about friendship, love and loss. It’s a short book but don’t let that fool you. It’s packed with a lot of emotion and heartache. At the beginning I found it a bit hard to follow along with the past and present - so I did have to re-read a few paragraphs.. However, after a while I became used to the flow of the story.
.
.
▪️OVERALL RUNDOWN
✔️Overall this was a good book full of so much emotion in just over 200 pages. I definitely think I will eventually need to re-read the book because there was just so much happening. Also the cover is gorgeous!!
.
.
▪️FAVOURITE QUOTE
✔️”There’s something about first love, isn’t there? She said. It’s untouchable to those who played no part in it. But it’s the measure of all that follows.”
.
.
▪️TITLE RUNDOWN
✔️(My thoughts based on the title of the book)
Tragic
Intense
Naturally told story
Memorable
Amazing friendship
Need to re-read eventually