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A review by bekahbeth
Try Not to Be Strange: The Curious History of the Kingdom of Redonda by Michael Hingston
adventurous
funny
informative
lighthearted
relaxing
slow-paced
3.5
This is a fascinating truth-stranger-than-fiction tale. The writing is decent and the story a good one.
I think sometimes Hingston delved into less interesting bits than he could have -- lots of doddering about by aging white male writers of questionable output that seem quite stuffy and incredibly priveleged, for example -- but there were some great vignettes and crunchy bits of storytelling to make up for it. M.P. Shiel's background and work are fascinating, for example, and the book makes a very compelling case for visiting Montserrat. I wanted to hear more about the folks who live and work there, as they seemed much kinder, more real, and more down-to-earth than just about anyone else in the book.
Most of the other characters aren't really that likeable, and I was repeatedly struck by how few of them would be worthy of a tale on their own, but somehow they were all woven into a story that's much more charming than most of them seem to have been. The relative lack of women in the history/mythology of Redonda hurts the story, I think (and I really think that, I don't think I approach everything through the lens of feminism as a general rule -- I was just trying to put a finger on what felt sort of unsatisfying about the characters and the story, and I legitimately think that's part of it).
I find myself completely unable to pin down one or even a handful of themes of one or two words each. The story, in its nature, is all over the board. That's part of its fascination, but also makes its appeal a little challenging and certainly makes it difficult to classify.
I do love the title.
I read a digital ARC via Edelweiss thanks to the publisher. This is my honest review.
I think sometimes Hingston delved into less interesting bits than he could have -- lots of doddering about by aging white male writers of questionable output that seem quite stuffy and incredibly priveleged, for example -- but there were some great vignettes and crunchy bits of storytelling to make up for it. M.P. Shiel's background and work are fascinating, for example, and the book makes a very compelling case for visiting Montserrat. I wanted to hear more about the folks who live and work there, as they seemed much kinder, more real, and more down-to-earth than just about anyone else in the book.
Most of the other characters aren't really that likeable, and I was repeatedly struck by how few of them would be worthy of a tale on their own, but somehow they were all woven into a story that's much more charming than most of them seem to have been. The relative lack of women in the history/mythology of Redonda hurts the story, I think (and I really think that, I don't think I approach everything through the lens of feminism as a general rule -- I was just trying to put a finger on what felt sort of unsatisfying about the characters and the story, and I legitimately think that's part of it).
I find myself completely unable to pin down one or even a handful of themes of one or two words each. The story, in its nature, is all over the board. That's part of its fascination, but also makes its appeal a little challenging and certainly makes it difficult to classify.
I do love the title.
I read a digital ARC via Edelweiss thanks to the publisher. This is my honest review.