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3.55 AVERAGE
3.55 AVERAGE
Bitter
There’s so much about this book I find dismal and depressing, and also strangely familiar but I can’t remember from what.
Spoilers
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It was obvious from the beginning that something was not right with Cara. I wasn’t sure how things were going to go and was surprised to find they were in a prison, though after that revelation it was just a matter of figuring out who has done what to whom. I can’t say I’m surprised at the way things turned out. I may return to this later, because I do have more thoughts on this, they just aren’t very cohesive at the moment.
There’s so much about this book I find dismal and depressing, and also strangely familiar but I can’t remember from what.
Spoilers
.
l
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
It was obvious from the beginning that something was not right with Cara. I wasn’t sure how things were going to go and was surprised to find they were in a prison, though after that revelation it was just a matter of figuring out who has done what to whom. I can’t say I’m surprised at the way things turned out. I may return to this later, because I do have more thoughts on this, they just aren’t very cohesive at the moment.
After reading and loving Swimming Lessons I was desperate to get my hands on this and it definitely lived up to my expectations. Beautifully written with such authentic deeply-flawed characters. I loved spending the summer with them even as things started to turn dark and desperate. This book had such a haunting quality and the story and characters, particularly Frances, will stick with me for a long time - I wish I could say that with most books.
Aside from being an incredible author, I have the utmost respect for her for not being afraid to read, rate and critique the work of others. There are so many authors on Goodreads who rate every book they read as 5-stars. No book is perfect for everyone. If you enjoy her work, I strongly suggest you also follow her on Goodreads. She has introduced me to books I otherwise would not have picked up.
Memorable Quotes
Aside from being an incredible author, I have the utmost respect for her for not being afraid to read, rate and critique the work of others. There are so many authors on Goodreads who rate every book they read as 5-stars. No book is perfect for everyone. If you enjoy her work, I strongly suggest you also follow her on Goodreads. She has introduced me to books I otherwise would not have picked up.
Memorable Quotes
"He reached out and touched the back of my hand with the tips of his fingers. They were on my skin for an instant, but it was as though one of the bones in my hand had been healed by Peter's touch. A bone I hadn't been aware was broken."
"He must think I am much changed, transformed from the person I once was: shy and awkward, large and plain. Now I am a woman of bone and skin, the patches of pigmentation like a map of a rocky archipelago; I am obdurate and uncooperative, drifting on a sea of memory between islands of lucidity."
"Do our actions betray our nature?"
"Her story would have been simply memory and imagination without me to hear it; undiscovered and unaired, like a book without a reader."
"I was uncomfortable with her talking about wanting to kill herself, even in such oblique terms. Naively, I believed that talking about it would make her more likely to want to do it. I might not be thinking about food, but if someone mentioned dinner, I was hungry. Wasn't that how suicide worked too?"
"...I tried to reassure myself that the way always appears different when one turns to go back."
Although I was initially intrigued by Frances and what had happened in her past, I found that I couldn't warm to any of the characters or decide who could be believed. It was a very atmospheric book focussing so closely on a small cast of characters and with a closed room feel in the dilapidated house. There were parts of the book, particularly towards the end, which took me by surprise and that was cleverly done. I know others have loved its slow burn revelations but overall the pacing didn't work for me.
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Bitter Orange
by Claire Fuller
2018
Tin House Press
3.5 / 5.0
The feeling of impending doom builds through this novel, but it's not until the end we find the meaning of Bitter Orange. I was drawn into this and liked the characters. The Lynton House and its inhabitant are pretty creepy people.
Frances Jellisco is dying, and reminiscing about her past. Specifically, the summer of 1969, when she lived in the Lynton Home, an old dilapidated English country home that she shared with the odd couple, Cara and Peter. Frances spies on the couple through a board, eventually befriending them, although Cara and Peter are suspicious.
Frances has her motives. So do Cara and Peter.
It comes together for a startling conclusion.
Descriptive. Well written.
NOTE:I requested an ARC of this from netgalley, but it was not granted. I was sent a nasty note from Tin House Press, about how my opinion doesnt matter because I dont have a booktube channel. This publisher is looking for free advertising, not book reviews.
by Claire Fuller
2018
Tin House Press
3.5 / 5.0
The feeling of impending doom builds through this novel, but it's not until the end we find the meaning of Bitter Orange. I was drawn into this and liked the characters. The Lynton House and its inhabitant are pretty creepy people.
Frances Jellisco is dying, and reminiscing about her past. Specifically, the summer of 1969, when she lived in the Lynton Home, an old dilapidated English country home that she shared with the odd couple, Cara and Peter. Frances spies on the couple through a board, eventually befriending them, although Cara and Peter are suspicious.
Frances has her motives. So do Cara and Peter.
It comes together for a startling conclusion.
Descriptive. Well written.
NOTE:I requested an ARC of this from netgalley, but it was not granted. I was sent a nasty note from Tin House Press, about how my opinion doesnt matter because I dont have a booktube channel. This publisher is looking for free advertising, not book reviews.
I was almost halfway into this book before it really hooked me, but after that I couldn't turn the pages fast enough. Creepy and moody - Fuller masterfully creates a dank, dark atmosphere of unrealized dreams, longing and decay that is both disturbing and tragic.
mysterious
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
I picked up Bitter Orange because I'd read Swimming Lessons in 2018 and loved Claire Fuller's writing and sense of place. Despite liking it, Swimming Lessons still felt a little slow for me so Bitter Orange definitely absorbed me more with its sense of mystery.
I loved the pace, the dark/eerie English countryside setting, and the way that Fuller built suspense into this one. I literally couldn't put it down because every chapter ended with a bit of a cliffhanger. You wanted to see where the story was going to go and find out more about the mysterious characters. I'll definitely be looking for more by Fuller in the future.
I loved the pace, the dark/eerie English countryside setting, and the way that Fuller built suspense into this one. I literally couldn't put it down because every chapter ended with a bit of a cliffhanger. You wanted to see where the story was going to go and find out more about the mysterious characters. I'll definitely be looking for more by Fuller in the future.
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes