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sammies_shelf's review
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
rainbowbookworm's review
challenging
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Hate crime
noomzoom's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
oceanelle's review against another edition
tense
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
1.5
Absolutely insufferable characters.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Hate crime, and Injury/Injury detail
lisasilv's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
It took a little bit for me to get into this one but once I did, I fell in love with the storyline.
literarycrushes's review
2.0
Endpapers by Jennifer Savran Kelly is an intimate character study of Dawn, a genderqueer bookbinder living in Brooklyn in 2003. While searching for inspiration (she uses she/her pronouns), she discovers a sapphic love letter hidden in the back pages of a book she is working on. Feeling unstable in her own identity and relationship, she becomes somewhat obsessed with finding out what became of Gertrude (the author of the letter who hints at being genderqueer or trans themselves) and Marta (did she ever receive the letter? Did she love her back?).
I liked many things about this book, like the honest portrayal of having a complicated relationship with your identity and sexuality and how you present yourself to society. It’s a reminder of how much the world has changed in such a short period of time but also puts into perspective how much farther it needs to come and how much more work we have. I loved the nostalgic New York setting of the early 2000s, a time and place in fiction most often clouded by the shadow of 9/11. I liked reading about bookbinding, a slightly obscure topic I didn’t know much about. I was unsurprised to find that the author is also a professional bookbinder, given Dawn’s passion for the medium, which really shines through the pages.
That being said, I found this debut to be a little uneven as a whole. I kept waiting for the story to go deeper, to lean more into the vast topics it covers, yet I felt that in many places, it merely skimmed the surface of these ideas and moved on. But I still enjoyed it, and have a soft spot in my heart for Dawn!
I liked many things about this book, like the honest portrayal of having a complicated relationship with your identity and sexuality and how you present yourself to society. It’s a reminder of how much the world has changed in such a short period of time but also puts into perspective how much farther it needs to come and how much more work we have. I loved the nostalgic New York setting of the early 2000s, a time and place in fiction most often clouded by the shadow of 9/11. I liked reading about bookbinding, a slightly obscure topic I didn’t know much about. I was unsurprised to find that the author is also a professional bookbinder, given Dawn’s passion for the medium, which really shines through the pages.
That being said, I found this debut to be a little uneven as a whole. I kept waiting for the story to go deeper, to lean more into the vast topics it covers, yet I felt that in many places, it merely skimmed the surface of these ideas and moved on. But I still enjoyed it, and have a soft spot in my heart for Dawn!
kitta's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
books_coffee_knowledge's review
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This book is amazing, I couldn't put it down. The emotions, the characters it truly felt I had just watched a movie. Well written and I enjoyed how the chapters were presented.
vtlism's review
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
I wish this app had additional moods of "boring" and "exasperating" and "frustrating". Really immature and unlikable main character, and I'm usually ok with an unlikable narrator, but they were soooo frustrating and kind of an asshole, with very little insight. I did not enjoy listening to this insecure, anxious, prickly dick for hours upon hours. There was character growth, but it came so late and suddenly easily that I didn't buy it. Aspects I did enjoy: the mystery, though it didn't pay off nearly enough, and the descriptions of books and creating art.
collins1129's review
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75