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3.57 AVERAGE
3.57 AVERAGE
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
One of the best books I’ve read in a while! Daisy’s writing is so captivating and intimate, and I loved how all of the chapters weave together in the end. I read it in under 3 days which is rare for me at the moment, it has really brought me out of a reading slump!
The style is definitely more creative, which is why I think some people didn’t finish it or get through. Daisy doesn’t just hand you the answers, she invites you to come along the journey and uncover them yourself. I’d definitely recommend this to someone who loves quirky fiction, it reminded me a little of We have always lived in the castle in the sense that it always keeps you on your toes
The style is definitely more creative, which is why I think some people didn’t finish it or get through. Daisy doesn’t just hand you the answers, she invites you to come along the journey and uncover them yourself. I’d definitely recommend this to someone who loves quirky fiction, it reminded me a little of We have always lived in the castle in the sense that it always keeps you on your toes
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I wanted to like this book, I really did. It had all of the things love: mystery, myth, a lingering darkness, etc. In the end I felt like reading it was a test of my patience and I didn’t find the ending satisfying enough to make up for the rest of it. I also felt like the writing style was too jumpy for my tastes and thought it was trying too hard.
The creepiness of houseboats has been VERY underutilized, I realize.
Het boek dreigde op een gegeven moment naar *** te zakken (of erger)... Vermoedelijk omdat ik er aan begonnen was aan het einde van de fietsvakantie, en ik daarna geloof ik even teveel had gelezen, waardoor het moeilijk was "in" het boek te blijven.
Maar uiteindelijk toch wel **** - de combinatie van een riviermonster (of toch niet?), een zij-of-toch-hij, een hij-of-toch-zij, plus een vleugje Oedipus, plus fijne taal gaf uiteindelijk de doorslag. En dat kwam vast doordat ik even eerst wat lichte kost tussendoor heb gelezen voor hier weer in te duiken.
Maar uiteindelijk toch wel **** - de combinatie van een riviermonster (of toch niet?), een zij-of-toch-hij, een hij-of-toch-zij, plus een vleugje Oedipus, plus fijne taal gaf uiteindelijk de doorslag. En dat kwam vast doordat ik even eerst wat lichte kost tussendoor heb gelezen voor hier weer in te duiken.
A truly stunning read. I couldn’t put it down.
Didn't finish-- after a couple books whose prose were so strident and clear, i found this too muddy and prosaic. I didn't enjoy the "secret language" motifs, because it seemed like the author was trying to undo language (a very cool concept), but it really just came across as bad metaphors and murky, meaningless descriptors.
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Read as part of BooksandLala's Buzzwordathon - “thing”: https://app.thestorygraph.com/reading_challenges/0569fc8a-2a28-4c26-90a2-ceaef23d4030
You tell me that you didn’t know and we grow silent and wonder if either of us really believes that.
What on earth did I just read?? This Greek tragedy of a book that explores gender identity, dementia, trauma response, and complicated (to put it mildly) family dynamics feels a BIT all over the place.
Look, there is NO denying that this book is exquisitely written - the prose is stunning.
We become strangers to the places we are born. They would not recognise us but we will always recognise them. They are marrow to us; they are bred into us. If we were turned inside out there would be maps cut into the wrong side of our skin. Just so we could find our way back. Except, cut wrong side into my skin are not canals and train tracks and a boat, but always: you.
The problem is, underneath this gorgeous writing, the story itself seems vacant. There is simply not a developed-enough plot or distinct enough characters to stand up to Daisy Johnson’s word-to-word strength as a writer, or to justify a jumbled plot structure.
This was a mind-warp of a story, confusing, ironically enough, largely as a result of the story at its core not being nearly as complex as Johnson wants us to think it is.
This book is also slow and highly meditative. If the blurb intrigues you, give it a try - though the story evolves, the writing style does not change though out. If you could take the blurb or leave it, just leave it.
The past was not a thread trailing behind us but an anchor.
dark
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes