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3.84 AVERAGE
3.84 AVERAGE
4.5
How do you review an unreviewable book? The entire book reads as if it is a dream. How do you describe a dream? There is an impossibility in trying to make sense of what can not be made sense of. I can try to describe to you the aspects that correlate with reality. But when they take a sudden nose dive into the magical, the inexplicable, the surreal...how do I explain that?
This is a book full of contradictions. It is a fairytale and it is not. It is a love story and it is not. It is a mythical retelling and it is not. On the surface, this is a book about a young woman who has been kidnapped and about her teenage friend’s struggle to come to terms with what happened. But it is so much more than that. What it is is a compelling, tautly told story that conveys the nuances of women’s lives and small town lives and the intersections at which they meet.
It is also an exploration of the way society punishes women for both conforming and not conforming to sexist, patriarchal expectations. There is Roza, so beautiful that she has been kidnapped because she is “the most beautiful woman in the world.” The novel explores the ways that Roza has suffered for her beauty both in her native Poland and in her adopted town of Bone Gap. Then there is Petey, so ugly that her unattractiveness is a constant refrain in the small town of Bone Gap. It doesn’t matter that Petey is a competent beekeeper and keeper of her own self worth. Just as it doesn’t matter that Roza knew the measure of herself as a person beyond her conventional looks. But this truth remains: Roza and Petey are made of iron and they are the backbone upon which the novel rests.
Find the rest of this review at The Midnight Garden
How do you review an unreviewable book? The entire book reads as if it is a dream. How do you describe a dream? There is an impossibility in trying to make sense of what can not be made sense of. I can try to describe to you the aspects that correlate with reality. But when they take a sudden nose dive into the magical, the inexplicable, the surreal...how do I explain that?
This is a book full of contradictions. It is a fairytale and it is not. It is a love story and it is not. It is a mythical retelling and it is not. On the surface, this is a book about a young woman who has been kidnapped and about her teenage friend’s struggle to come to terms with what happened. But it is so much more than that. What it is is a compelling, tautly told story that conveys the nuances of women’s lives and small town lives and the intersections at which they meet.
It is also an exploration of the way society punishes women for both conforming and not conforming to sexist, patriarchal expectations. There is Roza, so beautiful that she has been kidnapped because she is “the most beautiful woman in the world.” The novel explores the ways that Roza has suffered for her beauty both in her native Poland and in her adopted town of Bone Gap. Then there is Petey, so ugly that her unattractiveness is a constant refrain in the small town of Bone Gap. It doesn’t matter that Petey is a competent beekeeper and keeper of her own self worth. Just as it doesn’t matter that Roza knew the measure of herself as a person beyond her conventional looks. But this truth remains: Roza and Petey are made of iron and they are the backbone upon which the novel rests.
Find the rest of this review at The Midnight Garden
This was a very strange, but good read. When I started reading it, I had the feeling this story took place somewhere at the end of the 19th century, while it took place in the present. Some parts where really creepy and at some points I was really mind-blown. I found the end a bit rushed though.
this is kind of a weird one. I want to like it, but I keep finding flaws. Like, the vibes were on point, and the characters were nice, and the climax was excellent. But I wish the relationships had been better fleshed out, and that the plot had more momentum. There were things that seemed to be building to something and never did, some elements of the magical realism bit I wanted explored more. But there was still plenty to enjoy.
I found this book hard to put down mostly because I couldn't quite figure out what was going to happen next. I found the fantasy/not fantasy elements to be a bit confusing (which as an adult reader made me want to read it even more to get clarity).
I teach 6th grade and, because of the sexual content and language, I will not be putting this one out on my shelves. I will gift it to a teacher of older kids.
I teach 6th grade and, because of the sexual content and language, I will not be putting this one out on my shelves. I will gift it to a teacher of older kids.
Amazing book - magical realism with a literary bent. Definitely one of the best written YA books I've read in a while.
This book is part mystery, part fantasy, and very complex. In a mysterious town (that could be any small town), there are many families that are ethnically and physically diverse but connected. Each family has its own secrets and struggles but key themes here are abandonment, love/infatuation and obsession, acceptance/rejection, action/waiting, misunderstanding/seeking understanding, sacrifice, the importance of living in community, healing/being healed, forgiveness, truth/perception, and seeing/being seen.
The story pivots around two different characters: a teenage boy in a farm region in Illinois and a young Polish woman who has been been badly hurt with limited/no explanation of background. Over the course of the book, their stories are partially unwound and interlaced with what I can only explain as a magical/mythical element involved in the process.
I finished last night and woke this morning thinking again, what just happened there? A lot was brought together near the end. I backed up and listened to the last hour all over again. There's a lot of symbolism in this book. I found myself wanting to talk about this book and the ending with others. For me, that's what pushes it into the 5 star category.
Perfect for discussion at a book club.
---
Quotes: (Hidden out of an abundance of caution rather than due to overt revelations.)
"You mean, that's it, we're done?" (Finn)
"Not done," said Roza. "Free."
"They just assumed it was your fault because, you know,..." (
"I'm sidetrack"
"Because I'm...because of the way I look. You didn't want to see me at the diner. You wanted to sit at the back."
"That's not...," he began, but he could see it, see how she saw it. He'd heard the crap said about her but he'd assumed she was too fierce to care. But who was too fierce to care?
He said, "I didn't want them talking about us. I thought I did but I didn't."
"Why did you care what they'd say?"
He closed his eyes because clearly, they were useless. "They would've gotten it wrong."
Petie sighed, "They always do."
"The world does keep turning, even when you're miserable."
Trying to get a handle on what he thought, what he felt, what he thought about what he felt, and vice versa was like trying to open a locked door by ramming it with his head. He wasn't getting through.
The story pivots around two different characters: a teenage boy in a farm region in Illinois and a young Polish woman who has been been badly hurt with limited/no explanation of background. Over the course of the book, their stories are partially unwound and interlaced with what I can only explain as a magical/mythical element involved in the process.
I finished last night and woke this morning thinking again, what just happened there? A lot was brought together near the end. I backed up and listened to the last hour all over again. There's a lot of symbolism in this book. I found myself wanting to talk about this book and the ending with others. For me, that's what pushes it into the 5 star category.
Perfect for discussion at a book club.
---
Quotes: (Hidden out of an abundance of caution rather than due to overt revelations.)
Spoiler
"You mean, that's it, we're done?" (Finn)
"Not done," said Roza. "Free."
"They just assumed it was your fault because, you know,..." (
"I'm sidetrack"
"Because I'm...because of the way I look. You didn't want to see me at the diner. You wanted to sit at the back."
"That's not...," he began, but he could see it, see how she saw it. He'd heard the crap said about her but he'd assumed she was too fierce to care. But who was too fierce to care?
He said, "I didn't want them talking about us. I thought I did but I didn't."
"Why did you care what they'd say?"
He closed his eyes because clearly, they were useless. "They would've gotten it wrong."
Petie sighed, "They always do."
"The world does keep turning, even when you're miserable."
Trying to get a handle on what he thought, what he felt, what he thought about what he felt, and vice versa was like trying to open a locked door by ramming it with his head. He wasn't getting through.
This book was pretty damn good. I loved the characters, felt emotion for all of them and felt attached. I was genuinely sad this book was done when I finished it.
My only qualm was the magic-ness at the end. Don't get me wrong, I love me some magic, but it came out of nowhere in a book that was quite realistic up until it showed up. I needed some hints of it earlier on. Maybe the
Great book, highly recommend it.
My only qualm was the magic-ness at the end. Don't get me wrong, I love me some magic, but it came out of nowhere in a book that was quite realistic up until it showed up. I needed some hints of it earlier on. Maybe the
Spoiler
prosopagnosia aspect was supposed to seem magical to some people, but I knew what was coming because I'm familiar with that condition.Great book, highly recommend it.
I enjoyed this book! The characters were great and well developed. Laura Ruby plays with stereotypes and debunks how the pretty girl is supposed to feel and act and also touches on the perception of masculinity. Also Greek myths sewn in; It was fun when you read a certain line and then it all clicked.
top 3 fav magical realism, this book has everything: gardening, young love, brother brother relationships, tender grandmother granddaughter dynamics, polish people, romanticizing polish food, kittens, violence, women being treated based on how they appeal to men, cunnilingus, corn being scary as shit, honey, a horse