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avieherman's reviews
111 reviews
A Caribbean Heiress in Paris by Adriana Herrera
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
5 stars because I thoroughly enjoyed it for what it was. Spicy, historically rich, effective writing. Kept me turning the pages. Historical context was interesting. The locations (America, Espaniola, Le Havre, Paris, Edinburgh and the highlands) plus Scottish hero and whiskey making made me think of Outlander.
An Island Princess Starts a Scandal by Adriana Herrera
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Enjoyed. Not as much as the first book in the series. The historical context was interesting.
The Say So by Julia Franks
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Excellent and fascinating. I read the nonfiction book The Girls Who Went Away by Ann Fessler when I was in college and found it fascinating and heart wrenching. This fictional telling of these stories was poignant and important. Thoroughly enjoyed, except when I wanted to throw the thing across the room.
Would have liked the 3 narratives to be a little more intertwined and end with a bit more closure, but the choice for it to be how it was was probably a big part of the point.
Would have liked the 3 narratives to be a little more intertwined and end with a bit more closure, but the choice for it to be how it was was probably a big part of the point.
Reproduction by Louisa Hall
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Read this book in 2 days over Pesach. Super literary but super fast paced and engaging, was so good. And I realized halfway through that I think the “I” who is narrating it isn’t just a fictional person, but it’s actually semi- or totally-ish autobiographical and the “I” is the real life writer? But some of it is fiction? And that’s what they meant by “genre-defying”? I don’t know, it was spectacular. Some of the writing kind of reminded me of Wintering book, except it was actually really good and it totally met all the expectations it set and was everything it promised to be. It‘s one and only fault was being too short. Part of what was fascinating is that it didn’t grapple at all with motherhood, as in caring for and raising her baby, that seemed besides the point, it was the childbearing, the reproduction almost alone that it dealt with and that was so interesting.
For Her Own Good: Two Centuries of the Experts Advice to Women by Deirdre English, Barbara Ehrenreich
challenging
dark
informative
slow-paced
3.75
Fascinating and informative, but the broad coverage and density made hard to be deeply engaging and it felt at times like I was slogging through. At times it was unclear what place and time they were discussing. It’s breadth left little room for nuance at times and it dealt almost exclusively with the white middle and upper classes.
The Marriage Box by Corie Adjmi
dark
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Fascinating and couldn’t put it down, I read it in 24 hours. But a lot of the plot points were unhinged and, like many books, it didn’t meet the expectations that it set and the end felt unsatisfying. The writing quality itself was effective and engaging.
Prairie Fires: The American Dreams of Laura Ingalls Wilder by Caroline Fraser
dark
informative
reflective
slow-paced
3.5
Very interesting, well written and informative. It was quite detailed, so it was quite long. It wasn’t a super captivating read for me, but I listened to it while doing stuff around the house and learned a lot.
The Glitter and the Gold by Consuelo Vanderbilt Balsan
informative
inspiring
slow-paced
3.75
I absolutely love Consuelo Vanderbilt, I’ve read a novelization of her life and a biography of her (Consuelo and Alva). This book wasn’t all I’d hoped it would be, though I wasn’t sure exactly what to expect.
The writing itself was good and sharp, if a little stuffy at times.
I was hoping it would be more personal/emotional and talk more about feelings and relationships, but, published in the 50s, it is far from contemporary confessional celebrity memoirs.
She explains towards the end:
“My readers will, I trust, forgive this digression, remembering family feelings they no doubt themselves indulge; and since these memoirs have, against my wishes, become a personal record, rather than simply the picture of a period I had at first envisioned, something must be said of those dear to me.”
In fact, I would have preferred if the entire book had focused on those dear to her and if it had indeed been a personal record.
As it was, it was interesting. I was most interested in the early chapters, describing her early life and then marriage, detailing the work of running her large estate. And the final chapter on the dramas of the second World War was very “exciting” and had a lot of forward motion. The chapters in the middle felt like they dragged on, sharing little of her own feelings and “those dear to her,” but focusing instead on a whole host of people she hosted and was hosted by. Interesting, but not really what I was most interested in. The sharpest bits were direct quotes from specific people.
The writing itself was good and sharp, if a little stuffy at times.
I was hoping it would be more personal/emotional and talk more about feelings and relationships, but, published in the 50s, it is far from contemporary confessional celebrity memoirs.
She explains towards the end:
“My readers will, I trust, forgive this digression, remembering family feelings they no doubt themselves indulge; and since these memoirs have, against my wishes, become a personal record, rather than simply the picture of a period I had at first envisioned, something must be said of those dear to me.”
In fact, I would have preferred if the entire book had focused on those dear to her and if it had indeed been a personal record.
As it was, it was interesting. I was most interested in the early chapters, describing her early life and then marriage, detailing the work of running her large estate. And the final chapter on the dramas of the second World War was very “exciting” and had a lot of forward motion. The chapters in the middle felt like they dragged on, sharing little of her own feelings and “those dear to her,” but focusing instead on a whole host of people she hosted and was hosted by. Interesting, but not really what I was most interested in. The sharpest bits were direct quotes from specific people.
Really Good, Actually by Monica Heisey
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Really enjoyed this book. I love a good flawed, struggling and relatable MC. It felt a little longer than it needed to be, (I felt the climax came a little late and the denouement felt a little rushed) but it was well written and flowed very well — I didn’t want to put it down.
I loved seeing her struggle and be a bit of an unreliable narrator, but also her unreasonableness always felt so reasonable and understandable — it brought you right into her head. And I loved the hopeful but realistic ending so much.
Fave quotes:
“‘Alright,’ I said. ‘I’m angry that my threshold for discomfort is so low. Like, I can function totally normally as long as there is no uncertainty in my life, but if I’m waiting to learn the outcome of something, the entire day is fucked.’
…
‘Unfortunately,’ I continued, ‘my threshold for what counts as “something” is very low, so we’re talking, like, responses to emails, likes on a tweet, results of a routine Pap smear… this year has been like having a rash, continuously, for months. And also? I’m angry about glamping.’” (Page 298)
“I wandered into the kitchen and told my father I was experimenting with inferiority…
‘This sounds very basic,’ I said, ‘but you don’t have to say everything you think and feel to everyone around you all the time. Even if you want to. You can keep it to yourself. Sometimes, that feels better.’” (Page 311)
I loved seeing her struggle and be a bit of an unreliable narrator, but also her unreasonableness always felt so reasonable and understandable — it brought you right into her head. And I loved the hopeful but realistic ending so much.
Fave quotes:
“‘Alright,’ I said. ‘I’m angry that my threshold for discomfort is so low. Like, I can function totally normally as long as there is no uncertainty in my life, but if I’m waiting to learn the outcome of something, the entire day is fucked.’
…
‘Unfortunately,’ I continued, ‘my threshold for what counts as “something” is very low, so we’re talking, like, responses to emails, likes on a tweet, results of a routine Pap smear… this year has been like having a rash, continuously, for months. And also? I’m angry about glamping.’” (Page 298)
“I wandered into the kitchen and told my father I was experimenting with inferiority…
‘This sounds very basic,’ I said, ‘but you don’t have to say everything you think and feel to everyone around you all the time. Even if you want to. You can keep it to yourself. Sometimes, that feels better.’” (Page 311)