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3.24 AVERAGE
3.24 AVERAGE
Like a cross between Melmoth and Found Audio with a more labyrinthian narrative than either. I am unashamed to admit I was completely lost for at least forty per cent of this novel.
Whimsical and weird and imaginative. Love the writing on a sentence level. Also deeply discursive and meandering; obviously that’s intentional, but it lost me at times. I stuck it out because of how charmed I was by the whole thing, even though I didn’t get it at all. More thought out review to follow.
dark
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
It's either 3 or 3.5 stars, I'm torn, and here's why:
Gingerbread is a unique and interesting concept. As a short story, I would have loved it. But the reading felt like a steady stream of plot points. As a reader who isn't driven by plot, I felt uninterested (even though the story itself was interesting). It's hard to explain, I wanted to DNF the entire time I was reading (well, after the early suicide attempt), but at the same time the story was just magical enough to keep me reading.
The Good: The plot was fully unique in my opinion. I really enjoyed the idea of the story. It is what kept me reading.
The Bad: The whole part about her daughter nearly un-aliving herself feels unnecessary. I actually feel like the modern-day part of the story didn't provide an additional setting to the story and I think I would have felt more connected to the story as a whole if it had started with Harriet as a child. Also, the description of this book was poorly worded - Peridita did not set out on a journey to find her mother's friend. Maybe she did, but there needed to be more of a WARNING. Shame on the publisher.
The Ugly: The story has elements I love (magical realism, an unreliable narrator, some misdirection) but it is wrapped up in a story about a mother who doesn't fit in and a very unhappy teenager who nearly dies. If that wasn't the wrapping I might have enjoyed this story, but the whole time I wanted to get back to that original tale, I wanted to know they were going to be okay. But ultimately that wasn't what the story was about. Which made me not really like the story.
In summary, I both loved the book and really hated the book. I'm settling on three stars because I can see why some people would think it was incredible and others would think it was horrific.
Gingerbread is a unique and interesting concept. As a short story, I would have loved it. But the reading felt like a steady stream of plot points. As a reader who isn't driven by plot, I felt uninterested (even though the story itself was interesting). It's hard to explain, I wanted to DNF the entire time I was reading (well, after the early suicide attempt), but at the same time the story was just magical enough to keep me reading.
The Good: The plot was fully unique in my opinion. I really enjoyed the idea of the story. It is what kept me reading.
The Bad: The whole part about her daughter nearly un-aliving herself feels unnecessary. I actually feel like the modern-day part of the story didn't provide an additional setting to the story and I think I would have felt more connected to the story as a whole if it had started with Harriet as a child. Also, the description of this book was poorly worded - Peridita did not set out on a journey to find her mother's friend. Maybe she did, but there needed to be more of a WARNING. Shame on the publisher.
The Ugly: The story has elements I love (magical realism, an unreliable narrator, some misdirection) but it is wrapped up in a story about a mother who doesn't fit in and a very unhappy teenager who nearly dies. If that wasn't the wrapping I might have enjoyed this story, but the whole time I wanted to get back to that original tale, I wanted to know they were going to be okay. But ultimately that wasn't what the story was about. Which made me not really like the story.
In summary, I both loved the book and really hated the book. I'm settling on three stars because I can see why some people would think it was incredible and others would think it was horrific.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide attempt
Trigger Warning: Attempted Suicide
It's either 3 or 3.5 stars, I'm torn, and here's why:
Gingerbread is a unique and interesting concept. As a short story, I would have loved it. But the reading felt like a steady stream of plot points. As a reader who isn't driven by plot, I felt uninterested (even though the story itself was interesting). It's hard to explain, I wanted to DNF the entire time I was reading (well, after the early suicide attempt), but at the same time the story was just magical enough to keep me reading.
The Good: The plot was fully unique in my opinion. I really enjoyed the idea of the story. It is what kept me reading.
The Bad: The whole part about her daughter nearly un-aliving herself feels unnecessary. I actually feel like the modern-day part of the story didn't provide an additional setting to the story and I think I would have felt more connected to the story as a whole if it had started with Harriet as a child. Also, the description of this book was poorly worded - Peridita did not set out on a journey to find her mother's friend. Maybe she did, but there needed to be more of a WARNING. Shame on the publisher.
The Ugly: The story has elements I love (magical realism, an unreliable narrator, some misdirection) but it is wrapped up in a story about a mother who doesn't fit in and a very unhappy teenager who nearly dies. If that wasn't the wrapping I might have enjoyed this story, but the whole time I wanted to get back to that original tale, I wanted to know they were going to be okay. But ultimately that wasn't what the story was about. Which made me not really like the story.
In summary, I both loved the book and really hated the book. I'm settling on three stars because I can see why some people would think it was incredible and others would think it was horrific.
It's either 3 or 3.5 stars, I'm torn, and here's why:
Gingerbread is a unique and interesting concept. As a short story, I would have loved it. But the reading felt like a steady stream of plot points. As a reader who isn't driven by plot, I felt uninterested (even though the story itself was interesting). It's hard to explain, I wanted to DNF the entire time I was reading (well, after the early suicide attempt), but at the same time the story was just magical enough to keep me reading.
The Good: The plot was fully unique in my opinion. I really enjoyed the idea of the story. It is what kept me reading.
The Bad: The whole part about her daughter nearly un-aliving herself feels unnecessary. I actually feel like the modern-day part of the story didn't provide an additional setting to the story and I think I would have felt more connected to the story as a whole if it had started with Harriet as a child. Also, the description of this book was poorly worded - Peridita did not set out on a journey to find her mother's friend. Maybe she did, but there needed to be more of a WARNING. Shame on the publisher.
The Ugly: The story has elements I love (magical realism, an unreliable narrator, some misdirection) but it is wrapped up in a story about a mother who doesn't fit in and a very unhappy teenager who nearly dies. If that wasn't the wrapping I might have enjoyed this story, but the whole time I wanted to get back to that original tale, I wanted to know they were going to be okay. But ultimately that wasn't what the story was about. Which made me not really like the story.
In summary, I both loved the book and really hated the book. I'm settling on three stars because I can see why some people would think it was incredible and others would think it was horrific.
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
funny
mysterious
relaxing
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
There was a lot about this book that I didn’t understand and it required substantial rereading as I went. I’m not quite sure I appreciated the crux of it and I think there were too many characters who were difficult to distinguish from one another. Yet I really enjoyed it on the whole! Once I got into it the writing was absorbing and unpredictable and fascinating in a warped fairy tale sense.