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annewilgenbusch's reviews
30 reviews
Small Mercies by Dennis Lehane
5.0
One of the best books I've read this year. Lehane writes about hate and pain and how they permeate all areas of our lives. "Small Mercies" walks a delicate line by balancing deep character exploration with a compelling crime mystery.
Cleopatra and Frankenstein by Coco Mellors
3.0
A bit disappointed with this one. I appreciate the idea - of sharing the dangers of an ill-fated marriage from the view of everyone around the couple. However, all the characters were unlikable and annoying (except for Santiago). The love that Frank and Cleo claimed to have for one another was never there. I understand that that is the story's point, but it was hard to understand why they ever got together, let alone got married, when there was even a semblance of love between the characters.
I think that telling this story as a dark comedy was another shortcoming of the story. The idea has so much emotional depth that Mellors could have explored had she written the story as a melodrama. The characters were so annoying and melodramatic that the contrast between their attitudes and actions felt incredibly disconnected. Another downside to the storytelling was the choice to tell Elanor's story from short vignettes written in the first person. These chapters took me out of the story because of the form change. Furthermore, I don't think changing the storytelling form for her was necessary. I didn't gain any particular affection or perspective from Elanor because it was written differently. Her chapters were jarring and took me out of the story completely.
The novel is not a total loss. I think it speaks a lot about love, lust, and how our actions ripple to everyone around us. However, I think Mellors missed the mark on how she decided to tell the story. I would love to read about following the same concept, but that took the subject matter more seriously.
I think that telling this story as a dark comedy was another shortcoming of the story. The idea has so much emotional depth that Mellors could have explored had she written the story as a melodrama. The characters were so annoying and melodramatic that the contrast between their attitudes and actions felt incredibly disconnected. Another downside to the storytelling was the choice to tell Elanor's story from short vignettes written in the first person. These chapters took me out of the story because of the form change. Furthermore, I don't think changing the storytelling form for her was necessary. I didn't gain any particular affection or perspective from Elanor because it was written differently. Her chapters were jarring and took me out of the story completely.
The novel is not a total loss. I think it speaks a lot about love, lust, and how our actions ripple to everyone around us. However, I think Mellors missed the mark on how she decided to tell the story. I would love to read about following the same concept, but that took the subject matter more seriously.
Beautiful World, Where Are You by Sally Rooney
1.0
If I could give it zero stars, I would. I am a big fan of Rooney, and maybe it is just my age, but "Normal People" and "Conversations..." felt like they had substance. I finished this book because I wanted it to get better, but it never did. Again, perhaps it is my age speaking, but I could not relate to any of these characters. They all felt shallow, one noted, and annoying. Rooney has a talent for making flawed and unlikable characters sympathetic, but she missed the mark on this one.
A large part of the story is told through pointless, rambling emails. The emails are almost entirely the pretentious ramblings of privileged women trying to be oppressed. The depiction of mental illness in this story fell flat. I am unsure I have ever read a more overindulgent, inaccurate, and demeaning depiction of depression.
A large part of the story is told through pointless, rambling emails. The emails are almost entirely the pretentious ramblings of privileged women trying to be oppressed. The depiction of mental illness in this story fell flat. I am unsure I have ever read a more overindulgent, inaccurate, and demeaning depiction of depression.
Cherry by Nico Walker
2.0
Had to DNF. I think Walker’s story is an important and heartbreaking one, if you can look past the significant flaws. Walkers rambling, winding, ‘stream of consciousness’ story telling style is engaging and adds a significantly lifelike quality. Moreover, I think Walker share the rawest depiction of war since Remarque’s “All Quiet on the Western Front.” And the horrors persist as Walker shares the story of how America failed it Veterans and the current opioid crisis. Walker’s story needed to be told, and it’s semi-autobiography story, coupled with the fact that Walker wrote it during his prison sentence, makes the story even more impactful. However, to read this story is to be bombarded with racist, homophobic, misogynous, and ableist rhetoric in every paragraph. I could look past the offensive writing if it were necessary to the story. Understand Walker may have used these “themes” (for lack of a better term) to highlight the harshness, jaded nature of war, but a significant reduction could have achieved the same effect. I wanted to finish this novel, but the harshness of the story coupled with the harmful rhetoric were too much for me to handle right now. I needed to read something lighter, like intense at this point. I would only recommend it someone who WANTS to read this story, even if someone is on the fence, I would have to urge them against this.
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