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__ceecee__'s Reviews (414)
Couldnt get into it. A monster made of rags? The heavy prose, but mostly I didnt like the armosphere it was invoking. I liked the idea behind it though. Felt more like a short story than a novel.
Yes, it's melodramatic. Yes, the narration can be confusing if you don't pay much attention (which is why I couldn't understand it the first time I read it). And yes, Catherine and Heathcliff are two quite unlikable characters, it astonishes me that two selfish people can find "true love", and what's more, they get a twisted but happy ending.
But, man, I can proudly say that Wuthering Heights is a great novel. The greatest? No. But definitely high up there. Maybe along with Romeo and Juliet, because it reminded me of my reading experience with this book. Both books are misunderstood/have plenty of misconceptions, and even I was victim to their misconceptions. Both have unlikable characters who get their "happy ending" in the afterlife, and people either hate em or love em. Both I really liked despite my previous prejudice towards these books. And both I really respect for the way they were written. I just frickin love books with a way with words. (see added quotes). I may be a weirdo who likes reading the classics, but for sure, I do not praise all of them. Or maybe it's because I'm so weird that I like this book. It does have some weird development between the cousins Hareton and Catherine Jr. And it's different because the characters are anti-heroes.
Weirdness + Well-written = Must be my cup of tea. lol
What I really loved most was these characters' passion. Being a phlegmatic person, I was very much entertained by these people whose natures are nothing like mine. They love and hate violently. They can like a person instantly, and in just a few hours, after a slight insult, hate them. And all this passion, from a practically sheltered Emily Bronte. Charlotte Bronte said something about her sister's writing: that it was raw, with a child's innocence (not her exact words). Truly, Wuthering Heights is an unforgettable novel. I'm glad I read it again as an adult, when I can appreciate it.
*4.5 stars
But, man, I can proudly say that Wuthering Heights is a great novel. The greatest? No. But definitely high up there. Maybe along with Romeo and Juliet, because it reminded me of my reading experience with this book. Both books are misunderstood/have plenty of misconceptions, and even I was victim to their misconceptions. Both have unlikable characters who get their "happy ending" in the afterlife, and people either hate em or love em. Both I really liked despite my previous prejudice towards these books. And both I really respect for the way they were written. I just frickin love books with a way with words. (see added quotes). I may be a weirdo who likes reading the classics, but for sure, I do not praise all of them. Or maybe it's because I'm so weird that I like this book. It does have some weird development between the cousins Hareton and Catherine Jr. And it's different because the characters are anti-heroes.
Weirdness + Well-written = Must be my cup of tea. lol
What I really loved most was these characters' passion. Being a phlegmatic person, I was very much entertained by these people whose natures are nothing like mine. They love and hate violently. They can like a person instantly, and in just a few hours, after a slight insult, hate them
Spoiler
(in Catherine Jr's instance)*4.5 stars
I'm in love with you, and I know that love is just a shout into the void, and that oblivion is inevitable, and that we're all doomed and that there will come a day when all our labor has been returned to dust, and I know the sun will swallow the only earth we'll ever have, and I am in love with you.
If I could rate this book based on that quote alone, this would get five solid stars, seven even. But alas, the book was not entirely as august as that quote.
While it was funny at times (to a point), I mean, it is John Green and he is funny in his vlogs, it also sounded kind of pretentious sometimes. Oh, they are two young people wise beyond their years. I'm not averse to precocity in young people in novels. It just didn't seem to work on me in this one. Sometimes I couldn't help but feel that a particular quote was screaming "Quotable quote! This is inspirational! You have to like this!" as if it wasn't obvious enough.
Take for example, "I do not deny myself the pleasure of looking at beautiful people/ saying true things." Like ugh. Queue eye roll. I get Augustus Waters's appeal, but his love for metaphor is not particularly appealing to me. That smoking metaphor, felt a bit contrived. "You put the killing thing right between your teeth, but you don't give it the power to do its killing." Queue another eye roll, please.
I liked a lot of TFioS quotes before I read the book. You come across a really well written quote in Tumblr, and of course you're intrigued which book that came from. Sometimes a quotable quote is only good as a stand alone, sometimes the novel that quote comes from is really nice. When I read some of the quotes that I liked (see added quotes) in context, they didn't seem as good. They only felt affected and manipulative.
*3 stars Sometimes it was written really well, I liked most humorous parts, but at other times felt a little too contrived, so it didn't work for me. As Emily pointed out, John Green's humor didn't balance with the way he philosophized out things through Hazel, Augustus and Isaac, and the messages seemed a little too "inyerface". *shrug*
It's a complex love story, Murakami style. I still need to mull this over. In fact, I'm having one of those post-reading syndromes where you know you need to get started on a new book, but you're just so hung up on this book that you just finished. It's like separation anxiety. I don't get that a lot.
Based on Goodreads standards though, this should be 5 stars (It was amazing), because this gigantic book is an amazing feat.
As a love story, I'll give it 5 stars. But GDI, there are so many unanswered questions!
Full review to come later than sooner.
Based on Goodreads standards though, this should be 5 stars (It was amazing), because this gigantic book is an amazing feat.
As a love story, I'll give it 5 stars. But GDI, there are so many unanswered questions!
Full review to come later than sooner.
Ikigai: The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life, The Little Book of Hygge, Lagom: The Swedish Art of Balanced Living
Meik Wiking, Francesc Miralles, Héctor García, Linnea Dunne
Charming little book. Should reread this to remind me I want a long and happy life. That means curb my appetite and keep busy.
The bookshop was magical (as the story revolves around the setting). The characters are secondary because the real star is the bookshop and everything it represented: the youth doing something meaningful , the power of the written word, the camaraderie of writers and publishers and revolutionaries. And this was all made possible because of the dream of one young man, Edmond Charlot (and the power of friendship!).
We are only ever privy to Edmond through his journal entries, which are tiny glimpses into his life. The characters in the present (2017) are recovering from past wars. It was easy to read through because we are only presented with snippets of the history of algeria, and the people who are left behind as the bookshop is closing forever.
as a love letter to publishers and revolutionaries, 5 stars. everything else was kinda meh.
We are only ever privy to Edmond through his journal entries, which are tiny glimpses into his life. The characters in the present (2017) are recovering from past wars. It was easy to read through because we are only presented with snippets of the history of algeria, and the people who are left behind as the bookshop is closing forever.
as a love letter to publishers and revolutionaries, 5 stars. everything else was kinda meh.
All’s well that ends well I guess? My heart did flutter with that ending, even though it was…problematic.
*2.5 stars
Sofia has her shining moments (like when she talks about her religion and her bouts of wisdom regarding relationships) but the journal entry style was not my cup of tea, sometimes her (Sofia the character who was also a writer) writing isn’t all that compelling, and the progression of the romance was predictable. the book suffers from tropey characters, none of them i could care about.
about conall. he was very sweet and all and oh so yummy, but the very idea that she would end up with a white man….just, why? yet they voice problems when a friend of hers is dating a black man like, ohhhh boy, what’s this now? (though that arc did get a happy ending). but the conversion…it’s so tricky. did we really need all this in a light novel? i’m all for converting if that’s where your faith leads you, but this was unnecessary to sofia’s journey. and this novel is about sofia’s journey, which frankly wasnt much. we find her the same as she started.
i would have been fine with an entirely muslim cast of characters, just give them character!
*2.5 stars
Sofia has her shining moments (like when she talks about her religion and her bouts of wisdom regarding relationships) but the journal entry style was not my cup of tea, sometimes her (Sofia the character who was also a writer) writing isn’t all that compelling, and the progression of the romance was predictable. the book suffers from tropey characters, none of them i could care about.
Spoiler
i could smell a mile away that naim was a douche. i’ve met so many guys like him. i’m glad he was served with a bland ending. he didn’t deserve that much thought, and i applaud sofia and the author for how they handled naim. all the time he was calling sofie and asking her “what the hell is wrong with you? why are you not picking up?” i wanted to yell WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU NAIM YOU ENTITLED BASTARD. sorry, past trauma resurfacing lmao. everyone should know that he should have known he was doing something wrong and yet he’s pinning all the blame on sofie. if he didnt know he did something wrong then that’s entirely another problem. god, it irks me that men like that exist in real life.about conall. he was very sweet and all and oh so yummy, but the very idea that she would end up with a white man….just, why? yet they voice problems when a friend of hers is dating a black man like, ohhhh boy, what’s this now? (though that arc did get a happy ending). but the conversion…it’s so tricky. did we really need all this in a light novel? i’m all for converting if that’s where your faith leads you, but this was unnecessary to sofia’s journey. and this novel is about sofia’s journey, which frankly wasnt much. we find her the same as she started.
i would have been fine with an entirely muslim cast of characters, just give them character!
Wonderful collection. Doesnt really need more words at this point. I consider it an essential. Or just read the blog if it’s not on your budget yet. The point is, read HoNY!
Warning: This review is highly unreliable because of the sheer adoration I have for it.
Sometimes there are books that are meant for you to come across. I browse through hundreds of books in bookstores, in libraries, in friends' homes, yet only a handful catch my attention. And some books are disappointments, some are pleasant surprises. Some books change your outlook on something, and you didn't see it coming.
I certainly didn't see it coming when I decided to read The Book Thief. In usual circumstances, I would never have looked twice at this book. The cover isn't all that appealing, and what could possibly happen in a book about, well, a thief of books? The blurb "life-changing" certainly made me wary because not all good opinions can relate to everyone. What's more, this was set in the Holocaust period, and I'm not a fan of that genre. Kind of sets you up for heartache, that genre does. So why did I read this?
It's such a good thing the first sentence alone drew me in. And I have not regretted being lost in its pages.
So really, for the most people I know who hasn't read this book yet, I say, give it a chance, and give it time.
I had never read any book that handled words so simply and yet beautifully. I slowly fell in love with the characters, and Zusak just makes you care about them. I think it's a testament on the skill of the writer to make you care about his characters; and to spoil the ending for you and still render you devastated when the end comes. Really, it was like a hand grabbed my heart and squeezed it. Squeezed it so hard that blood ran through their fingers. I don't even like to cry on novels, but by God, Zusak had me in the palm of his hand.
I had never loved a book so much, for surprising me, and showing me that there are gems hidden in a book if you're fortunate enough to come across it. I wanted to nurture this book, watch it grow and maybe be buried with it. I want to buy every possible version of this book and it has to be available in my alma mater, and a lot of people should know about its existence. I...I can't say it enough. I love it.
When I think back on the book, I think of The Book Thief.
Sometimes there are books that are meant for you to come across. I browse through hundreds of books in bookstores, in libraries, in friends' homes, yet only a handful catch my attention. And some books are disappointments, some are pleasant surprises. Some books change your outlook on something, and you didn't see it coming.
I certainly didn't see it coming when I decided to read The Book Thief. In usual circumstances, I would never have looked twice at this book. The cover isn't all that appealing, and what could possibly happen in a book about, well, a thief of books? The blurb "life-changing" certainly made me wary because not all good opinions can relate to everyone. What's more, this was set in the Holocaust period, and I'm not a fan of that genre. Kind of sets you up for heartache, that genre does. So why did I read this?
It's such a good thing the first sentence alone drew me in. And I have not regretted being lost in its pages.
So really, for the most people I know who hasn't read this book yet, I say, give it a chance, and give it time.
I had never read any book that handled words so simply and yet beautifully. I slowly fell in love with the characters, and Zusak just makes you care about them. I think it's a testament on the skill of the writer to make you care about his characters; and to spoil the ending for you and still render you devastated when the end comes. Really, it was like a hand grabbed my heart and squeezed it. Squeezed it so hard that blood ran through their fingers. I don't even like to cry on novels, but by God, Zusak had me in the palm of his hand.
I had never loved a book so much, for surprising me, and showing me that there are gems hidden in a book if you're fortunate enough to come across it. I wanted to nurture this book, watch it grow and maybe be buried with it. I want to buy every possible version of this book and it has to be available in my alma mater, and a lot of people should know about its existence. I...I can't say it enough. I love it.
When I think back on the book, I think of The Book Thief.
.
“I have hated words and I have loved them, and I hope I have made them right.”
Read in Webtoon.
Please bear in mind this is not a romance, even if it was marketed as such. See my review for Season 1.
Please bear in mind this is not a romance, even if it was marketed as such. See my review for Season 1.