Reviews tagging 'Pregnancy'

All Over Creation by Ruth Ozeki

3 reviews

lilly_anne's review against another edition

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challenging emotional informative inspiring 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

2.25

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spcandybars's review

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emotional slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

This book is about 200 pages too long and 3 paces too slow. Most of the time I was reading, I was just wishing it could end. If you’re coming from other Ruth Ozeki works and you’re a big fan of those, one thing that may disappoint you about this book is the lack of whimsy. Ozeki handles very real situations and characters in a blunt way but cuts the banality by introducing a slight view of something fantastic regardless of being helpful or detrimental to the characters. She also does this in some of the most beautiful writing I can recall in recent years. This book, while also being written beautifully, lacks the charm of the fantastic and instead cuts the banality of cruel realities with the banality of a ridiculous reality that doesn’t seem to have a place despite being directly tied to the main plot. 


One source of irritation I had with this book came from a cast of characters that I either hated or just felt entirely neutral towards. Another was having a differing stance on GMO technology than the one pushed in the book. Another was overly convenient plotting that felt like it served no one and heavily distracted from the family dynamic we were focused on. It made elements of the book feel cheesy and unnecessary and the characters introduced to carry out these sections weren’t fleshed out enough or impactful on the primary character enough to justify their presence. The A and B plot just don’t suite each other and I felt like both would be stronger stories on their own. 
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alisonburnis's review against another edition

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emotional funny sad tense medium-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

Twenty-five years after she ran away, Yumi Fuller is called back to her hometown of Liberty Falls by her best friend Cass, to be with her dying parents. Accompanied by her three children and all of the baggage of estrangement, Yumi struggles with being back in the house, caring for her parents, caring for her children. 

Next door, Cass has been taking care of Yumi’s parents for years, and her husband Will has acquired their land. Cass, more than anything, wants a baby but after years of trying, a bout of cancer, and nothing but pain to show for it, it’s another layer of resentment between her and Yumi and their complex friendship. 

Enter the Seeds of Resistance. A group of environmental activists, they make their way to Liberty Falls to meet Yumi’s parents, who’ve been running a seed company, with values the Seeds believe align with their goals. A ragtag, unconventional story of family and friendship blossoms from their arrival: the challenges of loving people who make difficult decisions and hurt you, who you don’t always agree with, and the ways we build our communities. 

I really enjoyed this, though it wasn’t my absolute favourite Ozeki. It’s very challenging - the characters make a lot of frustrating decisions to the very end. But Ozeki is kind to them, and in turn invites us to be easy on everyone in the story. 
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