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thepetitepunk's review against another edition
2.0
2 stars? 2.5?
This was okay. I liked the writing, especially the physical descriptions (I love grotesque but real descriptions of bodies!), but the timeline was hard to follow and it didn’t feel like much happened despite all the scandal. The main character was awful, which is fine, but there wasn’t much to make up for that to keep me interested.
✧ ✧ ✧
≪reading 31 books for 31 days of july≫
╰┈➤ 1. intimacies by katie kitamura
╰┈➤ 2. convenience store woman by sayaka murata
╰┈➤ 3. shout by laurie halse anderson
╰┈➤ 4. lemon by kwon yeo-sun
╰┈➤ 5. here the whole time by vitor martins
╰┈➤ 6. i’m still here: black dignity in a world made for whiteness by austin channing brown
╰┈➤ 7. the worst kind of want by liska jacobs
This was okay. I liked the writing, especially the physical descriptions (I love grotesque but real descriptions of bodies!), but the timeline was hard to follow and it didn’t feel like much happened despite all the scandal. The main character was awful, which is fine, but there wasn’t much to make up for that to keep me interested.
✧ ✧ ✧
≪reading 31 books for 31 days of july≫
╰┈➤ 1. intimacies by katie kitamura
╰┈➤ 2. convenience store woman by sayaka murata
╰┈➤ 3. shout by laurie halse anderson
╰┈➤ 4. lemon by kwon yeo-sun
╰┈➤ 5. here the whole time by vitor martins
╰┈➤ 6. i’m still here: black dignity in a world made for whiteness by austin channing brown
╰┈➤ 7. the worst kind of want by liska jacobs
zellm's review against another edition
4.0
I love a novel about someone's life spinning out of control, and this scratched that itch perfectly. The descriptors were perfect, the plot was tense and pulled you in, and the characters were all flawed and human. Minus one star for food poisoning/a vomiting scene right at the end.
natked's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
On the surface it's a book about a woman in her early 40s who can't deal with aging, being single and having to care for a parent who goes away to Italy and starts a romance with a 17 year old and it's all sprinkled with amazing descriptions of a hot Italian summer.
On a deeper level it's a tragic story of a now 43 year old woman who had been herself groomed and now uses her power and connections to lure a 17 year old boy to make her feel better about her aging body. Her selfish and sometimes borderline disgusting behaviour leads to a tragedy. And it's all sprinkled with wonderful descriptions of a sweltering Roman holiday.
On a deeper level it's a tragic story of a now 43 year old woman who had been herself groomed and now uses her power and connections to lure a 17 year old boy to make her feel better about her aging body. Her selfish and sometimes borderline disgusting behaviour leads to a tragedy. And it's all sprinkled with wonderful descriptions of a sweltering Roman holiday.
mlautchi's review against another edition
3.0
I felt that old reverence for him, a deep, complicated love. (73)
She needs someone to listen, so I do.
But it's hard now, hearing her voice is like being hit with a weight.
I tune out just a little, just for self-preservation. (55)
*Be careful, Cilla. Be careful.* But it's hard to care anymore.
It's become difficult to think of anything else other than what's in the foreground: Donato and those twinkling lights in the olive trees just behind him. How easy it is to ignore the darkness in the distance. To pretend that this is all that there is. (132)
I swim across the pool in one breath and when I surface it's with the hope that not everything is inevitable. (172)
I remember once Emily and I were doing our nails on the beach, and she said, I wonder how many more times I will have to cut them. Such a sad thing for a kid to think about. (134)
age. There he is, I told myself, but could not keep from feeling that gap, the indescribable space that a person once occupied. Like a black hole, invisible and impossibly infinite. (197)
Maybe in another language, an ancient one, there is a word for motherhood that makes space for me. That includes what I am.
"It was never the right time," I tell her. (138)
But he isn't there. I remember that first time with him, on the train speeding through the center of Italy. A different Cilla, a different Donato. (179)
It's strange to accept that I could live a thousand lives and still it would not be sufficient. All that there is, is not enough- but I had known this already. (140)
I'd forgotten that it isn't always the parent who disappoints.
Sometimes it's the child--it must be both. Neither can be who the other imagines them to be.
(170)
One of life's inevitable disappointments is the moment when a child sees their parent as a fallible human being, and for me, that had happened years before. (166)
She needs someone to listen, so I do.
But it's hard now, hearing her voice is like being hit with a weight.
I tune out just a little, just for self-preservation. (55)
*Be careful, Cilla. Be careful.* But it's hard to care anymore.
It's become difficult to think of anything else other than what's in the foreground: Donato and those twinkling lights in the olive trees just behind him. How easy it is to ignore the darkness in the distance. To pretend that this is all that there is. (132)
I swim across the pool in one breath and when I surface it's with the hope that not everything is inevitable. (172)
I remember once Emily and I were doing our nails on the beach, and she said, I wonder how many more times I will have to cut them. Such a sad thing for a kid to think about. (134)
age. There he is, I told myself, but could not keep from feeling that gap, the indescribable space that a person once occupied. Like a black hole, invisible and impossibly infinite. (197)
Maybe in another language, an ancient one, there is a word for motherhood that makes space for me. That includes what I am.
"It was never the right time," I tell her. (138)
But he isn't there. I remember that first time with him, on the train speeding through the center of Italy. A different Cilla, a different Donato. (179)
It's strange to accept that I could live a thousand lives and still it would not be sufficient. All that there is, is not enough- but I had known this already. (140)
I'd forgotten that it isn't always the parent who disappoints.
Sometimes it's the child--it must be both. Neither can be who the other imagines them to be.
(170)
One of life's inevitable disappointments is the moment when a child sees their parent as a fallible human being, and for me, that had happened years before. (166)
parker00's review against another edition
3.0
This book was a random grab off the shelves at the library. I most enjoyed the descriptive detail of traveling around Italy, swimming in the bright blue waters, eating and drinking in open air cafes, and the overall ambiance of the countryside.
It is a story of mourning, complex family dynamics, and self destructive relationships.
It is a story of mourning, complex family dynamics, and self destructive relationships.
realpaulina's review against another edition
mysterious
relaxing
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Cool book! I like author’s writing style and how this book instantly moved me to Italy with every page. Interesting and different than any other I read recently. Relaxing yet complicated.
sanmeow's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
i don't have much to say. yes, the exploration of grief here is okay. some descriptions were good. but overall, i thought the novel was messy and it reads as if it's unfinished. the writing style wasn't my thing, and i also didn't like the protagonist, so i couldn't enjoy this.
barbarabarbara's review against another edition
lighthearted
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
1.0