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3.89 AVERAGE
3.89 AVERAGE
challenging
informative
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
A sad and beautiful story, and a story for these times. Highly recommended.
This book is beautifully written/translated. I loved pretty much everything about it, except that it ended. It's a sweet story and a wonderful main character. Highly recommend it.
This was very interesting and well-written read tackling the issues of both bees and religious extremism, but I was surprised at the rushed ending. I would have loved about 50 more pages to add a resolution for what seemed like a climax cut short.
This short book is an allegory for the aftermath of the Tunisian Revolution in 2011. The writing is good, and interestingly the primary metaphor is the likening of invasive murder hornets to the hyper-religious terrorists recruiting people, killing people, and causing chaos in the country. I think ultimately the metaphor has some weaknesses but I really liked the way that the author arrived at it and wrote Sidi, the protagonist. There is one moment that makes it ALL WORTH IT.
I was a little confused by the glorification of Japan, I think it was just used as a simple contrast because overall Japan does make policy to help society though again let's not examine this too closely or we'll see the gaping holes!
Overall enjoyable and an interesting perspective. It's on KU and it's short. :)
Spoiler
Sidi lobs a 3-foot diameter nest of murder hornets at some religious extremists who are murdering people on the road and filming it, it's pretty badass moment for our humble protagonist who then slips on his beekeeping helmet and walks away with his donkey.I was a little confused by the glorification of Japan, I think it was just used as a simple contrast because overall Japan does make policy to help society though again let's not examine this too closely or we'll see the gaping holes!
Overall enjoyable and an interesting perspective. It's on KU and it's short. :)
dark
emotional
informative
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Yes
3.5**
I found the premise interesting, and I was invested in MC's trajectory. I'm glad I read it, and I felt like I learned something about Tunisia.
The book didn't flow, though. For example, one entire chapter was the verbatim message delivered by a holy man during prayers. I think the author was trying to show the divers impact the message had on two different men, but I wish he had done that by other means. It was tedious to read the message without any description of what was going on in the mosque or how the message was being received. For a book that is an allegory, it was quite literal and heavy-handed at times.
At the same time, it tried to accomplish too much in too few pages. Practically speaking, this meant I was frequently struggling to figure out whether I was being introduced to a new character or if I had simply forgotten him. It left me unclear about the fate of an integral character and longing for the emotionally dynamic scenes which happened completely offstage.
I found the premise interesting, and I was invested in MC's trajectory. I'm glad I read it, and I felt like I learned something about Tunisia.
The book didn't flow, though. For example, one entire chapter was the verbatim message delivered by a holy man during prayers. I think the author was trying to show the divers impact the message had on two different men, but I wish he had done that by other means. It was tedious to read the message without any description of what was going on in the mosque or how the message was being received. For a book that is an allegory, it was quite literal and heavy-handed at times.
At the same time, it tried to accomplish too much in too few pages. Practically speaking, this meant I was frequently struggling to figure out whether I was being introduced to a new character or if I had simply forgotten him. It left me unclear about the fate of an integral character and longing for the emotionally dynamic scenes which happened completely offstage.
challenging
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
Complicated
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Simple in its message, but perhaps profound in the telling. The Ardent Swarm reminded me of One Hundred Years of Solitude or The Alchemist, which is strange considering this book does not deal with magical realism in any respect. But those were the vibes!