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3.78 AVERAGE
3.78 AVERAGE
In terms of subject matter, I thought this would be a quick favorite for me. However, I found that the plot lost steam by about the middle and drug quite a bit for me. I’d be excited to see how this author develops over time.
Superb. A beautifully crafted tale, told with an authentic and compelling voice. Chilling. Beneath the veneer of 'normalcy' our lives can be so fragile.
This one was gut wrenching. I really loved the characters, and while I repeatly wished they made different decisions, I kept reading to see where their decisions would take them.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A large part of the book is scene setting but things get more wild towards the end. I wouldn’t say the book is slow though, the writing style kept me engaged even when not a lot was happening.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence
Minor: Sexual assault
dark
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I did not like this book. People seem to love it and I am not sure why. Yes, the writing and word choice was lovely. I've read a lot of reviews that speak of the setting as a huge reason the book is so wonderful, but I have to say that I've read plenty of other books in which the landscape is described so lovingly and richly and this book didn't stand out extraordinarily to me in that respect. The two stars I did give it were for the quality of the writing.
What I didn't like about it (SPOILERS):
NOTHING at all happened for a full third of the book. It was all backstory. None of the characters took any action, the main character didn't do anything to move the plot forward in any way, because there was no plot for the first 100 pages or so. Then... the mean rich landlord shows up and from that point on the plot played out exactly as I had begun to expect it would from the start. All that backstory tipped me off to the idea that the main character and family were a group of morally upright, but living according to their own laws types and that Things Were Not Going To End Well. And it pretty much went exactly by that script for the rest of the book. Nothing surprising or off-book happened. I feel like this is a pretty standard story line with stock characters and I am honestly at a loss for why this book has received so many accolades. I feel like I've read and watched pretty much this same storyline in many other formats. Maybe if this was the first time I was encountering it I'd be blown away too, but it was not. Also, there is absolutely nothing hopeful or uplifting at the end, so if you're into reading about trauma in order to see the silver lining at the end, don't bother.
What I didn't like about it (SPOILERS):
NOTHING at all happened for a full third of the book. It was all backstory. None of the characters took any action, the main character didn't do anything to move the plot forward in any way, because there was no plot for the first 100 pages or so. Then... the mean rich landlord shows up and from that point on the plot played out exactly as I had begun to expect it would from the start. All that backstory tipped me off to the idea that the main character and family were a group of morally upright, but living according to their own laws types and that Things Were Not Going To End Well. And it pretty much went exactly by that script for the rest of the book. Nothing surprising or off-book happened. I feel like this is a pretty standard story line with stock characters and I am honestly at a loss for why this book has received so many accolades. I feel like I've read and watched pretty much this same storyline in many other formats. Maybe if this was the first time I was encountering it I'd be blown away too, but it was not. Also, there is absolutely nothing hopeful or uplifting at the end, so if you're into reading about trauma in order to see the silver lining at the end, don't bother.
Beautifully written story which describes a sense of place better than I have read for a long time. Is this really a first book? Extraordinary.
