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4.39 AVERAGE
4.39 AVERAGE
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
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:
Yes
Fantastic collection of interwoven stories. Ben’s ability to create pathos and a visceral sense of place is admirable and inspiring. I love how he uses words and locations to craft characters that are layered and lived-in.
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
reflective
relaxing
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
Very melancholy stories. I liked how a thread from each story would be woven into the next. The story of The Auk was my favorite.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
After work, I run up Whitehall to get to the Waterstones in Covent Garden, publishing day (I'm not Prime Minister, ew.) I look around for five minutes to spot this book, cant find it anywhere. I ask behind the desk if they have The History of Sound "ah yes, came in this morning, it's still in the loading bay, I'll go grab you a copy now." When she returns the nice and helpful girl says, "You're an eager beaver, technically this will be the first copy sold here. She tells me the delivery was a bit late and might've been late to other stores as well, as they share delivery route. I think how it's possible I'm the first person in central London to pick up this book, I like the fantasy and I let it play out in my mind.
I go to my favourite gay bar afterwards, reading this on route, and hearing the ring of several angry lime bikes I've walked into the paths of due to not looking up. I almost didn't want to see my friends because I was enjoying the book so much. I spend the evening laughing and hearing the drunken ramblings through muffled ears, almost as if I'm one room over. On the bus home I get through a meaty chunk, tipsy and warm faced in the cold. The bus breaks down for half an hour mid-way, so I pull out the torch on my phone to keep reading, huddled on the back seat. The bus gets running again and chasing street lamps home, glued to the page I crawl into bed, exhausted, still reading. I can start to feel my finger tips again and I'm still reading. The sun rises and I'm still reading. I need to make breakfast and I've finished reading.
If I wasn't the first in London to get their hands on this book then I was certainly the first to finish it.
That's it, thats the review. I hope the film does the book justice.
I go to my favourite gay bar afterwards, reading this on route, and hearing the ring of several angry lime bikes I've walked into the paths of due to not looking up. I almost didn't want to see my friends because I was enjoying the book so much. I spend the evening laughing and hearing the drunken ramblings through muffled ears, almost as if I'm one room over. On the bus home I get through a meaty chunk, tipsy and warm faced in the cold. The bus breaks down for half an hour mid-way, so I pull out the torch on my phone to keep reading, huddled on the back seat. The bus gets running again and chasing street lamps home, glued to the page I crawl into bed, exhausted, still reading. I can start to feel my finger tips again and I'm still reading. The sun rises and I'm still reading. I need to make breakfast and I've finished reading.
If I wasn't the first in London to get their hands on this book then I was certainly the first to finish it.
That's it, thats the review. I hope the film does the book justice.
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
I know very well how I feel about short story collections, and it is not positive. This collection, however, was saved by my fondness for New England and the delight at seeing the Pioneer Valley featured, but mostly by the intriguing structure of paired stories, urging me to read on to discover conclusions to all the unanswered questions I was left with. The blurring of fiction and reality was challenging for me (the WNYC Radiolab cameo was a funny surprise and reminded me how much I enjoy that podcast), and left me longing to learn more about history that never happened.
dark
emotional
mysterious
relaxing
sad
slow-paced
Absolutely loved this! I actually feel pretty strongly that anyone interested should consider listening to the audiobook. The cast is incredible and I think it adds layers of meaning. I’m going to be thinking about this one for a long time and recommending it to others.
If you liked North Woods by Daniel Mason, you’d really like this book.
If you liked North Woods by Daniel Mason, you’d really like this book.
emotional
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No