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ashleybythelibrary's reviews
101 reviews
Red Sparrow by Jason Matthews
3.0
It took a bit for me to become invested in the characters, making the time it took to read the book longer. I blame this on the fact that I could already picture Jennifer Lawrence and wanted to blow past ancillary characters and plot points to meet the Sparrow. I hit what I call the 3/4 slump--the moment where you've read 3/4 of the book and wish you could power through to find out where the main characters end up but the book isn't holding your interest as much as you hoped.
Despite the slump, the book was enjoyable. I'll probably read the other two, but it won't be too soon.
Despite the slump, the book was enjoyable. I'll probably read the other two, but it won't be too soon.
What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty
4.0
At times, I was so annoyed by young Alice or 2008 Alice that I didn't think I would end up liking the book at all. As a character choice Moriarty made, I think this worked well. I kept reading to find out how 2008 Alice would evolve after losing ten years of her memory. The way she was impacted did not disappoint.
In the end, I felt that Alice showed the reader the importance of not losing our past self over the years.
In the end, I felt that Alice showed the reader the importance of not losing our past self over the years.
Where'd You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple
5.0
Some people probably fell in love and related to Bee. I found myself feeling like Bernadette. An East Coast transplant, Bernadette complains about Seattle in the same way I often found myself complaining about Boulder. Her stereotypical East Coast personality is something I understand and relate to.
Perhaps I feel like Bernadette because I'm getting ready to move again. Reading Semple's book, I thought about the person I was when I moved from New York to Colorado, the person I lost living in Colorado, and the person I am now.
Thankfully it didn't take me twenty years to figure myself out.
Perhaps I feel like Bernadette because I'm getting ready to move again. Reading Semple's book, I thought about the person I was when I moved from New York to Colorado, the person I lost living in Colorado, and the person I am now.
Thankfully it didn't take me twenty years to figure myself out.
Recipe for a Perfect Wife by Karma Brown
4.0
[a:Karma Brown|9857489|Karma Brown|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1450694407p2/9857489.jpg]'s latest book was exactly what I needed: entertaining with a dash of food. Though I enjoyed the book overall, I had a few issues with the text—though some of the issues could've been implemented by the editors and are perhaps not Brown's doing whatsoever.
The first thing that bugged me was the way the recipes included the oven temperature in parenthesis: "Bake in moderate oven (350° F) for 12 to 15 minutes" (36). Because the recipes were prefacing quotes for chapters featuring Nellie, and Purity Cookbook was published in 1945, these parentheticals would not have been included in the original cookbook. In 1945, oven temperatures with degrees weren't yet widely used and slow, moderate, and hot were the primary indicators of oven temperature (with some variations in between like slow moderate). You can see exactly what I mean in the PDF of the 1945 Puirty Cookbook. Brown could've used Betty Crocker's Picture Cook Book, which she uses for several prefacing quotes, to explain oven temperatures for readers without this strange knowledge that, I know, is specific to someone like me who studies cookbooks. I understand that the general reader doesn't know what a "moderate oven" is, but the temperature could've easily been explained when Alice begins baking from Nellie's cookbook and has to figure it out for herself. Having Alice research this would also fit into Alice's semi-annoying I'm-writing-a-novel refrain.
The second pain point I had was the inclusion of the dates at the beginning of each chapter. The dates weren't memorable and I didn't need them to explain what year it was or if the Alice chapter took place in the present or was a flashback to the event that got her fired. It was easy enough to determine the timeline without the dates.
Finally, I wanted more from these characters as feminists. There are a few sentences here and there where the women are referred to as feminists/having feminist ideologies; however, Alice's layers of lies at times made her no different than the 1940s and 1950s housewives who did as their husbands demanded and kept secrets. In the end, Alice figures out who she is, but it's directly related to her becoming a mother. Yes, a woman can be a feminist and have an identity anchored in motherhood; however, Alice was struggling with her identity so much that by the time she figures out who she is, it felt trite that her identity was linked to a child.
Though I've pointed out three pain points here, I will reiterate that I enjoyed reading this novel. It was entertaining and I was invested in Nellie's story.
The first thing that bugged me was the way the recipes included the oven temperature in parenthesis: "Bake in moderate oven (350° F) for 12 to 15 minutes" (36). Because the recipes were prefacing quotes for chapters featuring Nellie, and Purity Cookbook was published in 1945, these parentheticals would not have been included in the original cookbook. In 1945, oven temperatures with degrees weren't yet widely used and slow, moderate, and hot were the primary indicators of oven temperature (with some variations in between like slow moderate). You can see exactly what I mean in the PDF of the 1945 Puirty Cookbook. Brown could've used Betty Crocker's Picture Cook Book, which she uses for several prefacing quotes, to explain oven temperatures for readers without this strange knowledge that, I know, is specific to someone like me who studies cookbooks. I understand that the general reader doesn't know what a "moderate oven" is, but the temperature could've easily been explained when Alice begins baking from Nellie's cookbook and has to figure it out for herself. Having Alice research this would also fit into Alice's semi-annoying I'm-writing-a-novel refrain.
The second pain point I had was the inclusion of the dates at the beginning of each chapter. The dates weren't memorable and I didn't need them to explain what year it was or if the Alice chapter took place in the present or was a flashback to the event that got her fired. It was easy enough to determine the timeline without the dates.
Finally, I wanted more from these characters as feminists. There are a few sentences here and there where the women are referred to as feminists/having feminist ideologies; however, Alice's layers of lies at times made her no different than the 1940s and 1950s housewives who did as their husbands demanded and kept secrets. In the end, Alice figures out who she is, but it's directly related to her becoming a mother. Yes, a woman can be a feminist and have an identity anchored in motherhood; however, Alice was struggling with her identity so much that by the time she figures out who she is, it felt trite that her identity was linked to a child.
Though I've pointed out three pain points here, I will reiterate that I enjoyed reading this novel. It was entertaining and I was invested in Nellie's story.