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3.24 AVERAGE
3.24 AVERAGE
challenging
funny
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
lighthearted
slow-paced
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
It might be the kind of book that needs to be re-read. But for the first reading, it is pretty confusing. The way it's written is very interesting, and there are some changes in the narration that are not expected but can be welcomed if one is alert, and if one understands the meaning of that change (if there is any, of course. I couldn't really tell). When I started reading it I didn't know what it was about and now that I have finished it, I don't think I am any wiser. But at times I felt I couldn't put it down, and when I let myself go along with things not making much sense (a bit like one does with Alice in Wonderland, though there is no other point of comparison between the two stories), I found I could enjoy it more.
A deliciously sharp, literary magical realism.
Oyeyemi boggles my mind. She can write the most fantastic situation in matter-of-fact, precise words, and then write so vividly about the mundane. She reads like Bulgakov or Garcia Marquez - not in so much as she mimics their styles, but that she has a unique take on magical realism just as they each do. Calling it magical realism does her a disservice, as it may steer people away from her, in fear of whimsy. (No shade on whimsy, there's a time and place for it). The closest analogy I can think of is about skin sensations - that we laugh at tickling, but it's actually stimulating our pressure and pain receptors. Or why people push on bruises. Oyeyemi books are like that.
Oyeyemi boggles my mind. She can write the most fantastic situation in matter-of-fact, precise words, and then write so vividly about the mundane. She reads like Bulgakov or Garcia Marquez - not in so much as she mimics their styles, but that she has a unique take on magical realism just as they each do. Calling it magical realism does her a disservice, as it may steer people away from her, in fear of whimsy. (No shade on whimsy, there's a time and place for it). The closest analogy I can think of is about skin sensations - that we laugh at tickling, but it's actually stimulating our pressure and pain receptors. Or why people push on bruises. Oyeyemi books are like that.
slow-paced
it's unique for sure. i liked the writing style, and despite not liking this story specifically i'll check out the author's other work sometime. i liked that it's original. i typically like magical realism but here i wasn't really into it. mostly because nothing made sense to me? maybe it's me, maybe i just don't get it. another thing i don't get is why there were so many seemingly meaningless characters. it was fun i suppose, but didn't make me feel anything.
challenging
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Another beautifully written novel by Ms. Oyeyemi. I listened to her read it and was soothed by her voice and her words. It captured me in a the way the druhastranian lullabies must as you lay in bed drifting off to sleep but holding on to the dreams the song implants only your mind. It is not the masterpiece in the way Boy, Snow, Bird is, but it is its own. Driven by metaphor and song rather than plot, I enjoyed my time with this book.
I’ve rarely been so baffled by something I could tell was so good. I’m let down, but less by the book than by my ability to understand it. Oh well. Maybe I’ll read it years from now and wonder why I was so thick.
adventurous
mysterious
slow-paced
This is the first audiobook I’ve listened to in who knows how long at 1x speed. Oyeyemi has no time for handholding with her magic & fantasy worlds, so I wanted to make sure I was catching everything. Even when I didn’t, I think it’s one of those books where you can just enjoy the vibes, you know? It’s whimsical but it has an edge. The writing is gorgeous, there’s humour running throughout and I like the way it has a fairytale feel while being thoroughly rooted in today’s world. There were slightly too many characters to keep proper track of via audio, especially by the end when all the Kerchevals came along. If you’re an Erin Morgenstern fan then I definitely think you’ll get on well with this one!
I wanted to like this. Elements of the world were so cool, and I'm usually a sucker for magical realism. But the combination of present tense and lack of dialogue made this story so hard to engage with right off the bat. I felt very much kept at a distance, which is not what I want from a novel. Even when the prose later changed to past tense and proper dialogue usage, the plot felt aimless and overly abstracted. I could definitely see things the author did intentionally, and I liked the concept of blurring the lines between what is real and what is not (to the point that even the reader can't tell), but ultimately this book just wasn't for me.