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3.52 AVERAGE
3.52 AVERAGE
Loved the midnight library, but not this. I did like the environmental theme. A bit preachy, more telling/lecture than showing.
adventurous
funny
hopeful
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:
Yes
This book meanders to its central theme and purpose, which makes it hard to get into for me. But the end is a triumph and a comfort.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child death, Grief, Death of parent
Moderate: Alcoholism, Cancer, Infidelity, Gaslighting, Alcohol
Minor: Cursing, Infertility
I found this bit of a whirlwind story entertaining and enjoyable to read. I liked reading a novel from the point of view of an older woman, a good perspective shift.
I was bored and just not engaged for most of this book. Not a memorable one for me.
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
medium-paced
mysterious
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:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
adventurous
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
2.5 stars
I have finally accepted that I think Matt Haig's books are just not for me as the whole clinical depression vibe he brings to the table is not working. Like the Midnight Library, there were aspects of this book I really liked - the magical realism, the mathematical references, the existentialism, the animals. But he's so close to getting to that Murakami and Japanese literature existentialist, "life sucks" kind of vibe but he keeps turning it into a message of how life can be worth living and there's joy everywhere if you just grasp it. Which is true but just like really undercuts the depression.
Midnight Library had great premise and let me down on execution. This one I came in kind of ambivalent because the premise was so weird and I liked it better than I thought I would but mostly for the magic and plot and less because of this old lady finding happiness after feeling nothing for so long.
I have finally accepted that I think Matt Haig's books are just not for me as the whole clinical depression vibe he brings to the table is not working. Like the Midnight Library, there were aspects of this book I really liked - the magical realism, the mathematical references, the existentialism, the animals. But he's so close to getting to that Murakami and Japanese literature existentialist, "life sucks" kind of vibe but he keeps turning it into a message of how life can be worth living and there's joy everywhere if you just grasp it. Which is true but just like really undercuts the depression.
Midnight Library had great premise and let me down on execution. This one I came in kind of ambivalent because the premise was so weird and I liked it better than I thought I would but mostly for the magic and plot and less because of this old lady finding happiness after feeling nothing for so long.