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amyvl93's reviews
902 reviews
Important Artifacts and Personal Property from the Collection of Lenore Doolan and Harold Morris, Including Books, Street Fashion, and Jewelry by Leanne Shapton
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Books like this are 100% my jam and so I adored this. Important Artifacts tells the story of a relationship between Lenore Doolan and Harold Morris through the medium of an auction catalogue, capturing everything from party invites, polaroids, menus for meals and contents of washbags from their trips together.
The way they fall in love and fall apart isn't particularly unusual, but there is something very special about how Shapton uses images and descriptions to reveal and not reveal what is happening. Would recommend.
The way they fall in love and fall apart isn't particularly unusual, but there is something very special about how Shapton uses images and descriptions to reveal and not reveal what is happening. Would recommend.
Burnt Sugar by Avni Doshi
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
What a reading experience. I started with Burnt Sugar as it was also on the Man Booker shortlist so I figured it would be one to definitely read; but I've been left feeling somewhat underwhelmed.
Burnt Sugar is the story of the deeply dysfunctional relationship between the narrator Antara, an artist living with her Indian-American husband in Pune, India, and her mother Tara. Her childhood was spent following the whims of her mother and now that Tara is suffering from early stages of dementia, Antara must reckon on their relationship.
The novel slowly reveals the difficult relationship between the two women, culminating (...of course) in a conflict over the same man. As a reader, I don't think we're supposed to like either woman, but this unlikability made it difficult for me to want to reach for the book as I just didn't really want to spend more time with Antara - who extends her contempt from her mother, to her husband, her friends, and especially servants. There was a real lack of reflection from Antara on...anything through the book - she dismisses the idea of therapy as she was 'asked too many questions' and really this book seems to show the impact of trauma on just shutting down an ability to understand the impact of that trauma on a life.
However, there were times when Doshi's writing was really powerful. There were times when her use of bathos didn't really work (e.g. dropping in casually the smell of specific bodily functions), but other times it worked well to reveal, for instance, the abuse experienced within the asham and at boarding school. At it's best there were moments when the writing reminded me of The Yellow Wallpaper, I really liked the slightly nightmarish final tableau. The novel's setting also felt really well drawn (though some reviewers have said it doesn't feel accurate, so perhaps one to note).
I'm not sure this is one I'd recommend, outside of being for reasons of completeness for book prizes!
Burnt Sugar is the story of the deeply dysfunctional relationship between the narrator Antara, an artist living with her Indian-American husband in Pune, India, and her mother Tara. Her childhood was spent following the whims of her mother and now that Tara is suffering from early stages of dementia, Antara must reckon on their relationship.
The novel slowly reveals the difficult relationship between the two women, culminating (...of course) in a conflict over the same man. As a reader, I don't think we're supposed to like either woman, but this unlikability made it difficult for me to want to reach for the book as I just didn't really want to spend more time with Antara - who extends her contempt from her mother, to her husband, her friends, and especially servants. There was a real lack of reflection from Antara on...anything through the book - she dismisses the idea of therapy as she was 'asked too many questions' and really this book seems to show the impact of trauma on just shutting down an ability to understand the impact of that trauma on a life.
However, there were times when Doshi's writing was really powerful. There were times when her use of bathos didn't really work (e.g. dropping in casually the smell of specific bodily functions), but other times it worked well to reveal, for instance, the abuse experienced within the asham and at boarding school. At it's best there were moments when the writing reminded me of The Yellow Wallpaper, I really liked the slightly nightmarish final tableau. The novel's setting also felt really well drawn (though some reviewers have said it doesn't feel accurate, so perhaps one to note).
I'm not sure this is one I'd recommend, outside of being for reasons of completeness for book prizes!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Physical abuse
Moderate: Sexual violence
Spring by Ali Smith
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Ahead of attempting to read the Women's Prize longlist, I picked up Spring so when I read Summer I'll be up-to-date with this quartet. And I feel like I've been on a real journey with Smith's writing, I was very on the fence about Autumn but really liked Winter and similarly enjoyed Spring.
The novel technically covers two seemingly disconnected characters; an ageing television maker mourning the loss of a dear friend and collaborator, and a young woman who works in an immigrant detention facility who has an encounter with a mysterious schoolgirl on her way into work. These two plotlines begin to interconnect, but as with Winter this book is both about and not about the individual characters.
Smith just makes moving between detailed character studies and big contemporary issues seem so easy - there's reflections on the changes in art, immigration and the role of the private sector, fake news, trolling, the history of Scotland's relationship with England - but it all generally feels pretty seamless. I'm excited to get to Summer soon.
The novel technically covers two seemingly disconnected characters; an ageing television maker mourning the loss of a dear friend and collaborator, and a young woman who works in an immigrant detention facility who has an encounter with a mysterious schoolgirl on her way into work. These two plotlines begin to interconnect, but as with Winter this book is both about and not about the individual characters.
Smith just makes moving between detailed character studies and big contemporary issues seem so easy - there's reflections on the changes in art, immigration and the role of the private sector, fake news, trolling, the history of Scotland's relationship with England - but it all generally feels pretty seamless. I'm excited to get to Summer soon.
Outlawed by Anna North
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong
dark
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Homophobia and Physical abuse
How Do We Know We're Doing It Right: Essays on Modern Life by Pandora Sykes
informative
medium-paced
2.5
The Hating Game by Sally Thorne
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.5
The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
For some reason, I always find articulating my thoughts on books that I think are great harder than others. <i>The Nickel Boys</i> is a short book which just packs a real punch.
The novel follows Elwood, a young black boy inspired by Martin Luther King in the 1960s who is on track to attend college, however, a wrong turn places him at the Nickel Academy, a 'reform school' which is really a place of horrors. At Nickel, Elwood meets Turner, who believes Elwood is overly idealistic, and that the only way to succeed is to be as cynical and violent as those in charge.
Whitehead writes in a slightly journalistic style, which some have said made them feel distanced, but I feel the emotional turmoil of the characters was still vivid, and somehow the horrors depicted felt more horrific in their non-detailed telling. Watching Elwood grapple with his desire to believe in MLK's teaching, and that you can suffer and still love people who make you suffer as you work to higher causes, against a system desperate to keep him in his place was heartbreaking.
Really, really recommend and excited to read more of Whitehead as soon as possible.
The novel follows Elwood, a young black boy inspired by Martin Luther King in the 1960s who is on track to attend college, however, a wrong turn places him at the Nickel Academy, a 'reform school' which is really a place of horrors. At Nickel, Elwood meets Turner, who believes Elwood is overly idealistic, and that the only way to succeed is to be as cynical and violent as those in charge.
Whitehead writes in a slightly journalistic style, which some have said made them feel distanced, but I feel the emotional turmoil of the characters was still vivid, and somehow the horrors depicted felt more horrific in their non-detailed telling. Watching Elwood grapple with his desire to believe in MLK's teaching, and that you can suffer and still love people who make you suffer as you work to higher causes, against a system desperate to keep him in his place was heartbreaking.
Really, really recommend and excited to read more of Whitehead as soon as possible.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs
Moderate: Physical abuse, Racism, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence
Educated: A Memoir by Tara Westover
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
3.75
Educated was a memoir that was everywhere a few years ago - and is Westover's memoir of growing up in a fundamentalist 'end of days' family that doesn't believe in education or healthcare in rural Idaho, before moving away to attend university and succeed in academia.
Despite this being raved about, I didn't really know how this book would be structured, and strangely the first few chapters reminded me quite a lot of Jane Smiley's writing in how well Westover sets the rural scene that she grows up in with her parents and siblings. The natural world feels very much a character in Westover's childhood, and it is vividly bought to life. I expected there to be more on her actual education, and it does feel like this is glossed over a little - although this may be due to Westover's clear uncomfortable feelings about her own intelligence.
Really, this is a memoir of Westover grappling with where she comes from and how that shaped her - and what she had to do to move beyond this. Despite members of her family doing some pretty awful things, Westover doesn't move easily to demonise her parents and others. In fact, she grapples with her own memory and what may have led her parents to be the way they are. The impact of experiencing both physical and emotional trauma - as well as a fundamentalist form of religion - on Westover's adulthood is also interesting unpicked, as she meets people who want to help and support her - and she realises that she has to make steps away from her home.
There's been some sniffy reviews claiming the memoir features miracle recoveries from injury (I would say it doesn't - rather members of the family learn to live with pain or live with chronic after effects) and that it seems unlikely Tara could have taught herself to do the ACT (again - we know one of her brothers and some family members help her). The thing that got in the way of me loving this novel was that occasionally the timelines jumped around too much for me and occasionally events felt like they ground to a halt a bit.
Overall though, I really liked this - and it inspired me to start looking into Masters degrees, which really says something about how Westover frames the power of education.
Despite this being raved about, I didn't really know how this book would be structured, and strangely the first few chapters reminded me quite a lot of Jane Smiley's writing in how well Westover sets the rural scene that she grows up in with her parents and siblings. The natural world feels very much a character in Westover's childhood, and it is vividly bought to life. I expected there to be more on her actual education, and it does feel like this is glossed over a little - although this may be due to Westover's clear uncomfortable feelings about her own intelligence.
Really, this is a memoir of Westover grappling with where she comes from and how that shaped her - and what she had to do to move beyond this. Despite members of her family doing some pretty awful things, Westover doesn't move easily to demonise her parents and others. In fact, she grapples with her own memory and what may have led her parents to be the way they are. The impact of experiencing both physical and emotional trauma - as well as a fundamentalist form of religion - on Westover's adulthood is also interesting unpicked, as she meets people who want to help and support her - and she realises that she has to make steps away from her home.
There's been some sniffy reviews claiming the memoir features miracle recoveries from injury (I would say it doesn't - rather members of the family learn to live with pain or live with chronic after effects) and that it seems unlikely Tara could have taught herself to do the ACT (again - we know one of her brothers and some family members help her). The thing that got in the way of me loving this novel was that occasionally the timelines jumped around too much for me and occasionally events felt like they ground to a halt a bit.
Overall though, I really liked this - and it inspired me to start looking into Masters degrees, which really says something about how Westover frames the power of education.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse and Physical abuse
Moderate: Domestic abuse