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ahbartlett's reviews
102 reviews
If Not, Winter: Fragments of Sappho by Sappho
4.0
You have to give this a minimum of 4 stars otherwise you get your lesbian card taken away!!
Young Mungo by Douglas Stuart
4.5
Absolutely fantastic read. This had such potential to be tragedy porn, as it touches on many of the similar themes as a book like a A Little Life. Where the two books may be similar is in how REAL each of these characters felt - to each work’s credit - but where they fundamentally deviate is in the hope that pulses through Young Mungo. Queerness, non-toxic masculinity, and pacifism were Mungo’s salvation, not his tragedy, as would be so typical of books in this genre and subject matter. It was beautiful to read how much Mungo loved those that would (and some could argue, should) be considered unloveable, and how they ultimately love him in turn. The last page truly had me agog, but how could I be surprised by any other ending?
Picnic at Hanging Rock by Joan Lindsay
3.75
A fever dream book that turns out is the perfect book to read mostly in its entirety when you yourself are off sick from work for a fever. I also got quite homesick for the sunburned country reading this!
Picnic at Hanging Rock seems to be a book (and later movie adaptation) that defined many Australian women of a certain age, at least in my family. While it is a captivating mystery and character study, I think it mostly serves as an interesting slice of life of the first and second generation British coloniser to Australia - especially reading the juxtaposition of upper class British customs with The Bush surrounding them. It’s a habitat our characters fundamentally do not understand, and this is why the much disputed ending makes sense to me; The Bush claimed what does not belong there. The most explored character in this book is arguably The Bush. I think this is what makes it a true Australian novel.
Many undertones of queerness in this book, whether or not intended to be explicit by Lindsay! I have no doubt many a gay Aussie teen has written an essay about this.
Picnic at Hanging Rock seems to be a book (and later movie adaptation) that defined many Australian women of a certain age, at least in my family. While it is a captivating mystery and character study, I think it mostly serves as an interesting slice of life of the first and second generation British coloniser to Australia - especially reading the juxtaposition of upper class British customs with The Bush surrounding them. It’s a habitat our characters fundamentally do not understand, and this is why the much disputed ending makes sense to me; The Bush claimed what does not belong there. The most explored character in this book is arguably The Bush. I think this is what makes it a true Australian novel.
Many undertones of queerness in this book, whether or not intended to be explicit by Lindsay! I have no doubt many a gay Aussie teen has written an essay about this.
The Guncle by Steven Rowley
3.25
The second instalment in the Transatlantic Book Club! This was the textbook definition of a Bookclub Read™️. Some very touching moments, some narratively confusing moments, and some moments I did just skim. Did I spend the entirety of our time in bookclub discussing how I’d rewrite this book to be a better book? Yes. Namely, I don’t think they shouldn’t made the dad an addict and instead had Patrick co-parent the kids with his brother over the summer in Palm Springs. I feel this would’ve been a more interesting way to explore grief, their mutual relationship with Sarah, and unconventional family structures. But, generally a heartwarming romp that I will never reread!
Atlas of the Heart: Mapping Meaningful Connection and the Language of Human Experience by Brené Brown
3.75
I think I would’ve rated this higher had I not listened to it on audio, but oh well, you live and you learn. Despite this probably being better as a textual read, I will say that Brené Brown is a great audiobook narrator, and has a gift for making this material engaging! Loved that she repeated sentences that would be in bold in the physical book and included off the cuff quips and examples too that weren’t on the page.
Overall this was a valuable resource and listen as I seek to name emotions with more precision (this book was quasi homework for therapy). In this sense, the book accomplished its goals and I have already adapted some of the language I use in relation to my own emotions.
I think the couple of “issues” I had were:
- Brené describes on different occasions in Atlas of the Heart how she is an inductive researcher, and this book very much follows that approach. I love inductive, grounded theory research and I’m glad she’s outlining its value here! However, I actually think this book would have worked better for the gen pop audience if she’d outlined her findings deductively. Exploring 80+ emotions wherein there is quite a lot of overlap is a bit repetitive to read/listen to; although she ties it up nicely in the final chapter and illustrates how she was able to derive a theory of emotion from this research, as the reader this payoff is a bit less satisfying. The ending feels repetitive rather than revelatory as a result.
- This book references her other books A LOT. Like, maybe too much? Understandable as she’s been researching emotions for 20+ years but this entry also feels less novel than previous works. It feels like more of a call to action to read her other works rather than a self-contained entry of original thought.
- I actually think her treatment of some emotions was really a bit too sparse. The section on hubris was reflective of this in my opinion, as one example.
Atlas of the Heart is not a traditional book; you should not read it chapter by chapter, but instead by the themes that resonate most with you. You will have a more significant reading experience that way - and this is how I plan to reread it moving forward! On the whole, though, it mostly felt like a summative piece rather than novel research. But when you’re a much celebrated, impactful researcher like Brené, that still makes for a pretty damn good read.
Overall this was a valuable resource and listen as I seek to name emotions with more precision (this book was quasi homework for therapy). In this sense, the book accomplished its goals and I have already adapted some of the language I use in relation to my own emotions.
I think the couple of “issues” I had were:
- Brené describes on different occasions in Atlas of the Heart how she is an inductive researcher, and this book very much follows that approach. I love inductive, grounded theory research and I’m glad she’s outlining its value here! However, I actually think this book would have worked better for the gen pop audience if she’d outlined her findings deductively. Exploring 80+ emotions wherein there is quite a lot of overlap is a bit repetitive to read/listen to; although she ties it up nicely in the final chapter and illustrates how she was able to derive a theory of emotion from this research, as the reader this payoff is a bit less satisfying. The ending feels repetitive rather than revelatory as a result.
- This book references her other books A LOT. Like, maybe too much? Understandable as she’s been researching emotions for 20+ years but this entry also feels less novel than previous works. It feels like more of a call to action to read her other works rather than a self-contained entry of original thought.
- I actually think her treatment of some emotions was really a bit too sparse. The section on hubris was reflective of this in my opinion, as one example.
Atlas of the Heart is not a traditional book; you should not read it chapter by chapter, but instead by the themes that resonate most with you. You will have a more significant reading experience that way - and this is how I plan to reread it moving forward! On the whole, though, it mostly felt like a summative piece rather than novel research. But when you’re a much celebrated, impactful researcher like Brené, that still makes for a pretty damn good read.
Oranges Are Not The Only Fruit by Jeanette Winterson
The storybook interludes detracted from the book for me and were why I almost didn’t give this a perfect 5/5. However, the emotional weight at the core of this book - and the eloquence with which it’s articulated - outweighs this for me. I can’t wait to read everything Jeanette Winterson has ever written.
5.0
A wonderful and gorgeous yet difficult and challenging read. This was replete with sentences where I would simply have to stare at a wall and process what I’d exactly read. Her descriptions of growing up in an evangelical environment and feeling like you weren’t quite “normal” within that environment really resonated.
Two such passages include:
Two such passages include:
- “‘The Lord forgives and forgets,' the pastor told me. Perhaps The Lord does, but my mother didn't.” - this was very funny in the context of my religious mother’s own mantra of “Never forgive, never forget.” I think this was where the similarities between my own mother and Jeanette’s stop, but perhaps there are common threads in how the religious experience their faith in theory vs. in practice.
- “I miss God. I miss the company of someone utterly loyal. I still don't think of God as my betrayer. The servants of God, yes, but servants by their very nature betray. I miss God who was my friend. I don't even know if God exists, but I do know that if God is your emotional role model, very few human relationships will match up to it.” And if that doesn’t sum up my own feelings post religious deconstruction quite well!
The storybook interludes detracted from the book for me and were why I almost didn’t give this a perfect 5/5. However, the emotional weight at the core of this book - and the eloquence with which it’s articulated - outweighs this for me. I can’t wait to read everything Jeanette Winterson has ever written.
Really Good, Actually by Monica Heisey
2.75
Really average, actually.
As I was reading this I did wonder whether some of the internal monologue would be better suited for a TV show than a book - when I saw that the author was firstly a TV writer, I was not surprised! It felt like she was going for a Lorelei Gilmore- esque protagonist in Maggie but the moments of genuine humour and charm that were present at the beginning became overshadowed by a degree of self-obsession that did not feel true to reality towards the last 50%. The quips in Maggie’s internal monologue would translate better to millennial television, as lots of these tropes and jokes honestly would’ve landed much better in 2012 but feel outdated in the 2020s. She seems like she’d fit into the primary friend group in Girls (derogatory).
Maggie is not a protagonist you root for even though you’re supposed to. She is mean and cruel to basically every side character in this book, and was generally determined to be The Worst™️. I’m not convinced of her redemption arc in the last 50 pages and seemingly neither do her friends despite everyone “‘making up” - though I honestly did not care for any of her friends either. Flash forward 6 months after this book’s ending and I bet you if this was real life, her friend group would’ve cut her out for good.
As I was reading this I did wonder whether some of the internal monologue would be better suited for a TV show than a book - when I saw that the author was firstly a TV writer, I was not surprised! It felt like she was going for a Lorelei Gilmore- esque protagonist in Maggie but the moments of genuine humour and charm that were present at the beginning became overshadowed by a degree of self-obsession that did not feel true to reality towards the last 50%. The quips in Maggie’s internal monologue would translate better to millennial television, as lots of these tropes and jokes honestly would’ve landed much better in 2012 but feel outdated in the 2020s. She seems like she’d fit into the primary friend group in Girls (derogatory).
Maggie is not a protagonist you root for even though you’re supposed to. She is mean and cruel to basically every side character in this book, and was generally determined to be The Worst™️. I’m not convinced of her redemption arc in the last 50 pages and seemingly neither do her friends despite everyone “‘making up” - though I honestly did not care for any of her friends either. Flash forward 6 months after this book’s ending and I bet you if this was real life, her friend group would’ve cut her out for good.
Orbital by Samantha Harvey
3.5
I understand why this is a divisive read - some say it is gorgeous, others say it is trite, and I would argue two things can true at the same time. It is also not a 1 star read @ Iona please revisit your rating.
Orbital follows a loose definition of fiction, as really it’s just a thought experiment of “what would happen if a poet got sent to the International Space Station?” Maybe Orbital is hyperrealistic lyricism? I at times wondered if our omniscient narrator was God - in awe of His own creation, whilst also delighting in observing the six humans sent to space to also awe at His creation.
The prose in this book is truly lovely and passages are worth returning to on this basis alone. You could pick a page at random and find a quote that’s both provoking and lyrical - but one could also argue this is an issue, as a deluge of provoking and lyrical moments means they all blur into one. Despite this, the most interesting discussion for me was man’s clear visual impact on Earth’s geography - this discussion will stick with me for a while. I also loved her description of the Voyager, but this is my special interest so she knew her target demographic with that one.
Despite its brevity Orbital started to drag in the last 1/3rd, as there is only so many times you can name countries at random and this be engaging to read. I like to imagine Samantha Harvey just writing this with Word on one monitor and Google Maps on the other. I also like to imagine after writing each sentence she said “damn, mic drop” out loud to an audience of no one.
On the whole I liked it but did not love it. As a literary girlie who as a child was obsessed with the planets I am glad this work exists, but I will also not be rereading this anytime soon.
Orbital follows a loose definition of fiction, as really it’s just a thought experiment of “what would happen if a poet got sent to the International Space Station?” Maybe Orbital is hyperrealistic lyricism? I at times wondered if our omniscient narrator was God - in awe of His own creation, whilst also delighting in observing the six humans sent to space to also awe at His creation.
The prose in this book is truly lovely and passages are worth returning to on this basis alone. You could pick a page at random and find a quote that’s both provoking and lyrical - but one could also argue this is an issue, as a deluge of provoking and lyrical moments means they all blur into one. Despite this, the most interesting discussion for me was man’s clear visual impact on Earth’s geography - this discussion will stick with me for a while. I also loved her description of the Voyager, but this is my special interest so she knew her target demographic with that one.
Despite its brevity Orbital started to drag in the last 1/3rd, as there is only so many times you can name countries at random and this be engaging to read. I like to imagine Samantha Harvey just writing this with Word on one monitor and Google Maps on the other. I also like to imagine after writing each sentence she said “damn, mic drop” out loud to an audience of no one.
On the whole I liked it but did not love it. As a literary girlie who as a child was obsessed with the planets I am glad this work exists, but I will also not be rereading this anytime soon.
The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers
3.5
I have previously DNFed this book but I’m glad I gave it another chance! This was a good audiobook listen, I think cosy sci-fi/fantasy only really works for me in this medium.
This is a 3.5/5 because nothing you read in the book really makes sense if you think about it for very long, but the vibes are positive and wholesome - though I think that was in large part because of the narrator! If you are looking for a book that has a nice found family trope yet also makes you ponder on many different occasions about how interalien sex would work, then this is the book for you.
This is a 3.5/5 because nothing you read in the book really makes sense if you think about it for very long, but the vibes are positive and wholesome - though I think that was in large part because of the narrator! If you are looking for a book that has a nice found family trope yet also makes you ponder on many different occasions about how interalien sex would work, then this is the book for you.
Conversations with Friends by Sally Rooney
4.0
Bookclub said this book was a 2/5 but I think it is closer to a 4/5. Are all of the characters frustrating? Yes. Do they all go into seemingly spontaneous rants about modern society and politics that are just an insert of Rooney’s own beliefs? Yes. Are all the characters bourgeois communists in a way that doesn’t feel entirely self-aware? Also yes. This is a Sally Rooney book after all, and you must accept these things at the offset to have any chance of enjoying the book.
Rooney’s characters in Normal People and in Beautiful World Where Are You never felt very real to me - they’re all sort of confused, emotionally unavailable, learned millennials. In Conversations with Friends, each character had a distinct voice and personality that enriched their confusion, emotionally unavailability, and learnedness. All characters included were consistently the worst, but their behaviour made sense within the context of their personalities and pasts.
Conversations with Friends is in some ways a case study of how political ideology and one’s emotional life don’t necessarily overlap. Relationship anarchy is complementary with Frances’ communism, yet we see her anxious, self-harming, and self-isolating as a result of her relationship with Nick - even after they admit their adultery to Melissa and Bobbi. A life lived in line with political utopia does not necessarily lead to emotional liberation; that revelation is perhaps what makes the book “realer” than its depiction of messy relationships for me.
Bookclub was critical of the lack of development of the characters, but I also sort of see this as the point. Self-development is often minuscule, incremental, two steps forward and one step backwards. Why would everything be nicely wrapped up in a book capturing a few months of these characters lives? Frances very much embodies realistic self-growth at the end of the book - she is starting to be able to admit her shame, and this in time will eventually set her free, but not quite yet.
Rooney’s characters in Normal People and in Beautiful World Where Are You never felt very real to me - they’re all sort of confused, emotionally unavailable, learned millennials. In Conversations with Friends, each character had a distinct voice and personality that enriched their confusion, emotionally unavailability, and learnedness. All characters included were consistently the worst, but their behaviour made sense within the context of their personalities and pasts.
Conversations with Friends is in some ways a case study of how political ideology and one’s emotional life don’t necessarily overlap. Relationship anarchy is complementary with Frances’ communism, yet we see her anxious, self-harming, and self-isolating as a result of her relationship with Nick - even after they admit their adultery to Melissa and Bobbi. A life lived in line with political utopia does not necessarily lead to emotional liberation; that revelation is perhaps what makes the book “realer” than its depiction of messy relationships for me.
Bookclub was critical of the lack of development of the characters, but I also sort of see this as the point. Self-development is often minuscule, incremental, two steps forward and one step backwards. Why would everything be nicely wrapped up in a book capturing a few months of these characters lives? Frances very much embodies realistic self-growth at the end of the book - she is starting to be able to admit her shame, and this in time will eventually set her free, but not quite yet.