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3.85 AVERAGE
3.85 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I am actually surprised I am marking this as high as 4 stars.
I did not, in theory, enjoy this book.
Partially because I dislike Lauren Groff (I read her FLORIDA book, and vowed to never read another thing by that author again because I, as a native Floridian, hated it so much. She is a transplant to my home. She does not get to represent us. However I had already bought THE VASTER WILDS before recognizing her name, and I am not a book-returner).
I can recognize some of the best writing I have ever consumed from a modern author, though.
This book contained some of the prettiest pose - almost pure poetry - and Groff's deep appreciation for the beauty of New England/North American nature truly shone through.
The way she wrote about sunlight, about bears and fish and snow and trees...it's going to stick with me forever...but irritate me all the same.
Because I love how Groff writes about nature. But hate how she writes people.
Based on the two books of hers that I have read, I can only come to the conclusion that Groff hates people. Not in a 'lol I hate ppl' way but in a "cleanse the world of humanity they should all die" way that's not very cutesy girl of her.
She hates people. Especially white people. Especially men (all men, no race required).
She writes humans in a way that portrays them as filthy and perverted, not capable of kindness or acceptance. She writes humans as blights.
There is no nuance, no acceptability that humans are good. All humans are bad, in Groff's writing. And most are very, very, very bad.
She also likes to dismantle religion as a weapon of violence and aggression for those who are feeble minded. It's very disrespectful of those who worship those religions. This isn't just something she does to Christianity, either.
All I can gather is that Groff must be a hateful, bitter little person to write other humans with so little love within themselves.
It's just not The Vibe I want projected onto other humans as a whole, and I dislike reading it.
AND YET.
and yet and yet and yet...
This is a beautifully written book. A lullaby. a horror. a smooth-voiced nature documentary.
I don't like it.
But it is beautiful.
So, see. Humans are capable of nuance, Groff.
I did not, in theory, enjoy this book.
Partially because I dislike Lauren Groff (I read her FLORIDA book, and vowed to never read another thing by that author again because I, as a native Floridian, hated it so much. She is a transplant to my home. She does not get to represent us. However I had already bought THE VASTER WILDS before recognizing her name, and I am not a book-returner).
I can recognize some of the best writing I have ever consumed from a modern author, though.
This book contained some of the prettiest pose - almost pure poetry - and Groff's deep appreciation for the beauty of New England/North American nature truly shone through.
The way she wrote about sunlight, about bears and fish and snow and trees...it's going to stick with me forever...but irritate me all the same.
Because I love how Groff writes about nature. But hate how she writes people.
Based on the two books of hers that I have read, I can only come to the conclusion that Groff hates people. Not in a 'lol I hate ppl' way but in a "cleanse the world of humanity they should all die" way that's not very cutesy girl of her.
She hates people. Especially white people. Especially men (all men, no race required).
She writes humans in a way that portrays them as filthy and perverted, not capable of kindness or acceptance. She writes humans as blights.
There is no nuance, no acceptability that humans are good. All humans are bad, in Groff's writing. And most are very, very, very bad.
She also likes to dismantle religion as a weapon of violence and aggression for those who are feeble minded. It's very disrespectful of those who worship those religions. This isn't just something she does to Christianity, either.
All I can gather is that Groff must be a hateful, bitter little person to write other humans with so little love within themselves.
It's just not The Vibe I want projected onto other humans as a whole, and I dislike reading it.
AND YET.
and yet and yet and yet...
This is a beautifully written book. A lullaby. a horror. a smooth-voiced nature documentary.
I don't like it.
But it is beautiful.
So, see. Humans are capable of nuance, Groff.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Gore, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Cannibalism, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Exquisitely observed and made me feel immersed in the natural world, with all its beauty and cruelty. Still -- something surprised me about the ultimate resolution of the narrative and left me unfulfilled.
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Could not handle a devastating book rn
Sourced : BCB Book Club
Sourced : BCB Book Club
I wasn’t really sure what to expect with this book as I had never read any of Lauren Groff’s other books, but let me tell you, I was pleasantly surprised (for the most part).
I loved the flashbacks and craved every little morsel I could get of the girl’s past. I loved the inner monologues and usually I don’t enjoy little to no dialogue, but Groff did it wonderfully.
I’m usually not a fan of survival books, I find them rather boring as they are just the main character going forward with no real destination, looking for things to eat, sleeping, and going to the bathroom (I got really tired of reading about the color of the girl’s piss and poop, like why is that important, why do I really have to read that?). So that part of the book really dragged for me but the inner monologues and flashbacks kept the pace of the book.
And oh my goodness the prose! The descriptive imagery, the vocabulary, literally everything about the prose was just so violently beautiful and extremely well-written.
So overall four stars!
I loved the flashbacks and craved every little morsel I could get of the girl’s past. I loved the inner monologues and usually I don’t enjoy little to no dialogue, but Groff did it wonderfully.
I’m usually not a fan of survival books, I find them rather boring as they are just the main character going forward with no real destination, looking for things to eat, sleeping, and going to the bathroom (I got really tired of reading about the color of the girl’s piss and poop, like why is that important, why do I really have to read that?). So that part of the book really dragged for me but the inner monologues and flashbacks kept the pace of the book.
And oh my goodness the prose! The descriptive imagery, the vocabulary, literally everything about the prose was just so violently beautiful and extremely well-written.
So overall four stars!
challenging
dark
adventurous
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
dark
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No