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4.14 AVERAGE
4.14 AVERAGE
slow-paced
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The premise of this book was fascinating and reminded me a little bit of Coulson Whitehead’s The Underground Railroad—namely, taking real historical events and adding a fantasy or speculative element to them to play with time.
The idea of a prairie witch or “vault” that people can bank their memories in was intriguing and I liked that it mirrored the financial crises of the time as well as the idea of “forgetting” our crimes, our bloody past, the atrocities our country was founded on.
Where it felt a little off to me was in the ending where the sentiments of Harp’s speech felt too modern and the storyline with the Lucky Rabbit’s Foot killer was left open-ended. (Not all stories need to tie up their loose ends but since this was a pretty major plot point, I wanted more from it.)
The idea of a prairie witch or “vault” that people can bank their memories in was intriguing and I liked that it mirrored the financial crises of the time as well as the idea of “forgetting” our crimes, our bloody past, the atrocities our country was founded on.
Where it felt a little off to me was in the ending where the sentiments of Harp’s speech felt too modern and the storyline with the Lucky Rabbit’s Foot killer was left open-ended. (Not all stories need to tie up their loose ends but since this was a pretty major plot point, I wanted more from it.)
adventurous
informative
mysterious
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:
No
I went back and forth while reading this deciding how much I loved it (so much!), or how it was going on for too long (sometimes), or how the magic sometimes came out of nowhere and felt misplaced in such a factually historical novel. Still, at the end, I was impressed with how Russell wove different aspects of colonialist abuses - on the land, on the people and their culture, on the animals - into a single story. There were so many stories in here, all worth telling.
I don’t know how I feel about the Antidote herself, but I love how she’s used as a metaphor for everything generations of colonizers have chosen to forget.
I don’t know how I feel about the Antidote herself, but I love how she’s used as a metaphor for everything generations of colonizers have chosen to forget.
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Karen Russell's imagination knows no bound. A multi-layered, magical-realist dive into memory, grief, inter-generational violence, and the myths of American history. The lack of a central American Indian voice initially struck me as a notable omission but, after finishing and reading the author's notes on her research and engagement, felt that this decision was thematically aligned.
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
hopeful
mysterious
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
The setting and storyline of this book seemed so mismatched but somehow came together so beautifully. I wanted to love this book but wasn’t a fan of some aspects of the writing and the back/forth between characters which I felt dragged the story on a bit. However I loved so many things in this book and keep thinking back to quotes like "A blank canvas. My children deserve that. I will not pass these stories down to them. Scrape the blood away from my memory, so that they may paint with sky." and “freedom turned out to be a territory we occupied.”
The story could have been developed better and been a bit stronger, but it was interesting and thought/provoking nonetheless imo.
The story could have been developed better and been a bit stronger, but it was interesting and thought/provoking nonetheless imo.
challenging
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated