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3.91 AVERAGE
3.91 AVERAGE
Loved this book! It was the perfect read for a long drive through the Australian Outback.
emotional
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
challenging
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I came into this blind, I didn't even read the flap. I spent much of the book being confused and I felt like my brain was collecting strands of what was happening then BAM they all come together in this gorgeous tapestry of the story.
This was so well written, the mood across the pages never lost Molly's optimism. I don't know if I'll read it again, but I will be thinking about this book for a long time.
This was so well written, the mood across the pages never lost Molly's optimism. I don't know if I'll read it again, but I will be thinking about this book for a long time.
I keep waffling on how to rate this book, but I think I'm sitting around 3.5 stars. I definitely think it's worth reading. The things that work well about it, really really work. The opening scene is unforgettable. The prose is beautiful, lyrical, and dreamy. Some moments in this book will stay with me for a long time.
However....it can get a bit much sometimes. Dalton plays a lot with metaphor, which is great, but often it feels like the plot just grinds to a stop to hammer it in and make sure the audience gets it. I also am prone to waxing on in prose for pages at a time when I write, so, I truly do get it, but not all of it needs to make it past the edit. The dialogue is also distracting at times — I get that he was going for a dreamy surreal vibe, but it tested my ability to suspend disbelief at times. Also, the racial representation in this book is disappointing. The only characters of color pretty much solely exist to show up and dispense wisdom or save the white characters. Yukio gets some backstory and we get glimpses in his head but ultimately his entire role in the story just revolves around the two white characters. :/
Overall, yeah, I'm unsure how to feel about this book. I greatly enjoyed some parts of it, but there's also a lot about it that I would change.
However....it can get a bit much sometimes. Dalton plays a lot with metaphor, which is great, but often it feels like the plot just grinds to a stop to hammer it in and make sure the audience gets it. I also am prone to waxing on in prose for pages at a time when I write, so, I truly do get it, but not all of it needs to make it past the edit. The dialogue is also distracting at times — I get that he was going for a dreamy surreal vibe, but it tested my ability to suspend disbelief at times. Also, the racial representation in this book is disappointing. The only characters of color pretty much solely exist to show up and dispense wisdom or save the white characters. Yukio gets some backstory and we get glimpses in his head but ultimately his entire role in the story just revolves around the two white characters. :/
Overall, yeah, I'm unsure how to feel about this book. I greatly enjoyed some parts of it, but there's also a lot about it that I would change.
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
inspiring
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Child abuse
Moderate: Violence, Death of parent, War
Minor: Sexual assault
A Oz-like magic realism made enjoyable because of:
- Vibrant, floral sentences of colour and heart.
- Shining love and goodness of the questors - Molly, Greta and Yukio are adorable for different reasons
- the contrast with hard-hearted violence and death in a callous early Darwin.
High points - the description of the bombing of Darwin, the stories of both Yukio’s Molly’s ancestors and a cemetery of epitaphs.
Low point - almost too floral in description, some parts skimmed and then I had to back track a bit. DNF at first, paused for a holiday with a different read.
- Vibrant, floral sentences of colour and heart.
- Shining love and goodness of the questors - Molly, Greta and Yukio are adorable for different reasons
- the contrast with hard-hearted violence and death in a callous early Darwin.
High points - the description of the bombing of Darwin, the stories of both Yukio’s Molly’s ancestors and a cemetery of epitaphs.
Low point - almost too floral in description, some parts skimmed and then I had to back track a bit. DNF at first, paused for a holiday with a different read.
slow-paced
The imagery in All Our Shimmering Skies is wonderful. At the start of the book it feels like a bit of a stretch (not dissimilar to Boy Swallows Universe), but just go along for the ride and enjoy.