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berratrixie's reviews
10 reviews
White Nights by Fyodor Dostoevsky
adventurous
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Socrates' Defence by Plato
challenging
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
3.5
they really tryna cancel socrates, gen z him bruh
1984 by George Orwell
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
orwell absolutely peaks as a writer in 1984, an absolutely thrilling read from front to back. the three-act structure works in the book's favor and helps unravel the plot in an enhanced way.
near the end it is already evident how the story will inevitably end, but reading it, feeling the emotions of our protagonist ashe is put through unimaginable horrors before meeting a death he's been desiring since the beginning of the book , proved to be a crushing yet rewarding payoff.
near the end it is already evident how the story will inevitably end, but reading it, feeling the emotions of our protagonist as
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Torture, and Violence
Moderate: Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, and Abandonment
Minor: War
Forrest Gump by Winston Groom
adventurous
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
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? It's complicated
4.25
the adventures forrest enbarks on are improbable and thus hard to really believe (something that is acknowledged in the book itself funnily enough), and the language may be vulgar and offensive at times, but it's what makes this book heartfelt and its characters charming in their own unique way.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs
Moderate: Racism, Violence, and War
Minor: Sexual content and Blood
All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
no denying that it's not only one of the best war-related novels but also one of the best books of all time in general. i read it in the original german version, and the way remarque uses language, metaphors or mental imagery to drive a point home is astonishing. it's a book that i've returned to several times after feeling like i didn't really appreciate or look into it well enough the first time i read it. every single re-read was more uncomfortable, moving, spine-chilling than the last.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Violence, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Das Wesen Der Religion by Ludwig Feuerbach
challenging
informative
slow-paced
3.25
one of the books that paved the way for future critiques on religion. as a historical piece it's astonishing, as a literary one it's far less entertaining tho.
The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
adventurous
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
the extremely slow pacing of some parts in the book make it a slog to get through, but the catcher in the rye is overall still an intriguing story with lots of memorable and emotionally impactful highlights.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing and Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Child death, Death, Gore, Violence, Blood, and Abandonment
Minor: Alcoholism, Cancer, Homophobia, Terminal illness, Vomit, and Religious bigotry
13 Reasons Why by Jay Asher
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
accessible and easy-to-read yet still absolutely crushing and difficult to stomach.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Mental illness, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Abandonment, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Misogyny, Stalking, Car accident, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Blood
Animal Farm by George Orwell
adventurous
emotional
tense
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
3.5
the ending felt a little underwhelming, i guess i was looking for something more grandiose and mind-blowing since everyone hypes this book up a lot.
overall an interesting story, but i cannot stand the people who swear that this book "instantly disproves communism !11!!1!!111!11!" when the only thing it really does is show that greedy people almost always abuse any power that they have, which is bad regardless of the political state of a society. and it gets that message across pretty well.
idk i think the story was cool
overall an interesting story, but i cannot stand the people who swear that this book "instantly disproves communism !11!!1!!111!11!" when the only thing it really does is show that greedy people almost always abuse any power that they have, which is bad regardless of the political state of a society. and it gets that message across pretty well.
idk i think the story was cool
Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
"phone bad, book good !!!!!!!!!": the book
i don't think reading this book was a bad choice. i quite liked the way it was written. bradbury has a really imaginative writing style that can make any description of an object, a person, an ongoing situation evoke very vivid mental imagery.
BUT
i couldn't help but get the suspicion that the real message wasn't that ALL destruction of ANY informative content is bad, rather just the destruction of this one medium. any other sources of content or information and the people who use them are painted in a pretty bad light. i initially thought the criticism lay more in the authoritarian and fascist aspects of the government portrayed in the book, but reading some of the stuff he's said over the years, it's VERY clear he comes from a very conservative and bigoted perspective. especially him talking about how political correctness or, as he calls it, "censorship from minorities" relates to the book ... yikes !
i also think that the pacing picks WAY up during the third and final part of the book. suddenly there's one plot-altering confrontation after another, concluding with a really weird and unexpected ending.
all this adds up to a really unfocused dystopian novel that, while fun to read, simultaneously has a really questionable message at its core.
i don't think reading this book was a bad choice. i quite liked the way it was written. bradbury has a really imaginative writing style that can make any description of an object, a person, an ongoing situation evoke very vivid mental imagery.
BUT
i couldn't help but get the suspicion that the real message wasn't that ALL destruction of ANY informative content is bad, rather just the destruction of this one medium. any other sources of content or information and the people who use them are painted in a pretty bad light. i initially thought the criticism lay more in the authoritarian and fascist aspects of the government portrayed in the book, but reading some of the stuff he's said over the years, it's VERY clear he comes from a very conservative and bigoted perspective. especially him talking about how political correctness or, as he calls it, "censorship from minorities" relates to the book ... yikes !
i also think that the pacing picks WAY up during the third and final part of the book. suddenly there's one plot-altering confrontation after another, concluding with a really weird and unexpected ending.
all this adds up to a really unfocused dystopian novel that, while fun to read, simultaneously has a really questionable message at its core.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Suicide attempt, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Rape