apriltrepagnier's reviews
67 reviews

Finding Me by Viola Davis

challenging emotional hopeful inspiring reflective fast-paced

5.0

Simply stunning. Heartbreaking, inspiring, raw, vulnerable, uplifting, encouraging, engaging, indicting, revelatory...just read it. Or better yet, get the audiobook and let Ms. Davis tell you her story herself. 

The Faerie Qveene by Edmund Spenser

challenging inspiring reflective fast-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

4.0

I wish I had more time with this one. I read this as a part of a master English program seminar; the move through it was much too fast. I hope I have the opportunity to come back to it. 

Tomb of Sand by Geetanjali Shree

challenging emotional reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

Lyrically masterful, I cannot say enough wonderful things about the language in this book. I wish I could read it in the original Hindi. It is my understanding that the author and the translator are lovers of sound and worked hard to ensure that this was not only a great story but a beautiful read. This book is the subject of my upcoming paper, so I am sure I will have much more to say about it then. 

Dubliners by James Joyce

emotional reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

An exquisite collection of short stories. The standard StoryGraph drop downs don't really function well here. In some of the stories it's this, in others, that. But, that Joyce is the voice of the Irish short story is undeniable. It is a collection that can be revisited again and again. 

The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy

dark emotional sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

I know I am supposed to like this better than I do (it's a Booker ffs). And I did like it better the second time around. But this book is so overwhelming sad and bleak. I have read sad and bleak before, but I suppose in this one, I have a harder time finding the possibility of redemption, which is necessary for me in works like this. Don't get me wrong, I do not require a happy ending. I do require evidence that there could still be or could have been one.

I suppose for some, the childish phrasing used during the parts of the book when Rahel and Estha were young can be off-putting; I rather enjoyed it. I think most of the form and structure choices Roy makes are smart. The time bounces are well done, and the language is beautiful. I didn't even mind the taboo ending, I just think it lacked relief from despair. I suppose that is not a requirement for an author, but it is for me as a reader. 

Stella Maris by Cormac McCarthy

challenging reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

Again, how to rate this book? A 5 because it is McCarthy. I give it a 5 because I don't know how much of it I understood, and I am well aware that is my failing, not the author's. A 5 because it is one of those books I could read forever. In fact, make the choice before you pick it up - read in two days or 20 years. You can read it that fast, but it will take you that long to *read* it.

Stella Maris is the mental institution where Alicia Western (Bobby's sister, both from The Passenger) has committed herself. Her brother is in a coma from a racing accident. Her father knew Einstein and Oppenheimer; he was involved with the development of the atomic bomb. The novel itself reads like Sunset Limited in that it is nothing more than dialogue between Alicia and who I can only assume is her doctor. And we have now reached the conclusion of everything I know about this book for sure.

Heavily seeped in universe-impacting math theory, taboo, and philosophy, this is one you will either throw out the window or keep next to you forever.  

The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead

emotional informative reflective sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

This was an excellent read for both readers and writers. 

For readers, this book opens up a view into atrocities that go undiscussed. This is where stories attempt to give voice to those who have been abused by systemic racism and unchecked power. While that subject matter is always difficult to read, that this story focuses on the abuse of children made it more so. It is heartbreaking and necessary.  

As a writer, experiencing Colson Whitehead doing what he does in telling a story is akin to attending a masterclass. The author's note at the end carries double duty: first, in reiterating the absolute necessity of the work and a glimpse into how producing this type of work comes about, it is not to be skipped. 

The Shadow Lines by Amitav Ghosh

challenging emotional reflective medium-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? It's complicated

I read this one as part of my current master's program in English. The writing is beautiful, and the story has its moments. However, this was not a favorite. The structure is a bit all over the place, and I don't quite understand the characterization of the protagonist. However, I may have to update this review after our cohort discussion; that sometimes has a way of fixing the bumps that make a work just ok for me. 

The Passenger by Cormac McCarthy

challenging dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I have no idea how to rate this book, so I am giving it a 5 because it's McCarthy and you should read McCarthy (of course, if you have never read McCarthy, don't start here, or Blood Meridian either)

First, I didn't read it; I just read it. If you've spent time with McCarthy before, you know exactly what I mean.

Next, this read more like his earlier novels (translation: Faulkner). I described it to someone as "Orchard Keeper and No Country had a baby."

Last, I wish I had scheduled this one when I had time to read it and Stella Maris back-to-back. I didn't, and I regret it. I am currently attempting to rearrange an impossible reading schedule to get the second book in as soon as possible. 

I love McCarthy. His prose is stunning, his movements brilliant. I have no idea what I just read, and I can't wait to read it again. 

Determined: A Science of Life Without Free Will by Robert M. Sapolsky

challenging informative reflective slow-paced

I am not rating this book with stars. This 2 star read for me, and for sure a 5 star read for someone else, and the difference is my fault. When I saw it "plumbing the depths of the science and philosophy of decision-making to mount a devastating case against free will, an argument with profound consequences," I thought it would be, at the very least, equal parts science and philosophy. When the front of the book said, "The science of life without free will," I didn't think it was SCIENCE. Y'all, it was a lot.  Of the 500+ pages, maybe 100 of them are shit I came close to understanding. The rest was high-level biology that I can't even get to. 

I will say the needle of my thought process has moved. His argument is compelling and tough to argue with. And that is not because I don't understand all the science but because I understand it enough to see what he's getting at.  

For my religiously free-will friends, this book is not that. He is very clear in the beginning that we are not talking about theology or the theological idea of free will. Instead, it is more the scientific idea of free will and how that challenges how we interact with others. It is the thinnest of lines, but you have to trust that he means it (and I think he does) to be able to hear his argument.