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books_with_tutusandsons's Reviews (438)
Rarely you can find a book that makes such a forceful impact on you. That grabs you and doesnt let go. Completely changes you from the inside. Makes you laugh. Makes you cry. Makes you see things differently. Makes you love people. Makes you love life.
I cant even tell how I found this book. I think I saw it getting re-editioned cause it was sold out and then I thought, well, I havent seen this one on #bookstagram, but if its sold out, it must be at least solid.
But it was more than solid. Reading Shantaram is an experience. You dont rush it. You don hurry it. You take your time, enjoy the masterfully composed sentences and characters. And even though it's huge, when you're near the end, you just don't want to finish. Ever.
The thing I loved the most in this one were definitely its characters. Each and every single one of them. So many different people, all special in their own ways. But let me tell you, you will never forget about Lin and Prabaker. You will get to love them like a family. Like your closest friends. Roberts has a way of talking and the way of writing... And boy, do these pages talk. They tell the stories about India. About its people. About a life that in its rawest and poorest can also be the happiest and the purest of all. You will never love people of India more then after reading this book. The way the author talks about them.. its with pride. With love. With respect.
And talking about love.... This might be a book about an escaped criminal. About an addict. About a bad person trying to make amends. About a mafia associate. About crazy and funny situations. And it is, all of that. But first and foremost, this is the book about love. All 811 pages of it.
So yeah, I do believe this is a true masterpiece. And easily, one of my top 5 reads ever.
I cant even tell how I found this book. I think I saw it getting re-editioned cause it was sold out and then I thought, well, I havent seen this one on #bookstagram, but if its sold out, it must be at least solid.
But it was more than solid. Reading Shantaram is an experience. You dont rush it. You don hurry it. You take your time, enjoy the masterfully composed sentences and characters. And even though it's huge, when you're near the end, you just don't want to finish. Ever.
The thing I loved the most in this one were definitely its characters. Each and every single one of them. So many different people, all special in their own ways. But let me tell you, you will never forget about Lin and Prabaker. You will get to love them like a family. Like your closest friends. Roberts has a way of talking and the way of writing... And boy, do these pages talk. They tell the stories about India. About its people. About a life that in its rawest and poorest can also be the happiest and the purest of all. You will never love people of India more then after reading this book. The way the author talks about them.. its with pride. With love. With respect.
And talking about love.... This might be a book about an escaped criminal. About an addict. About a bad person trying to make amends. About a mafia associate. About crazy and funny situations. And it is, all of that. But first and foremost, this is the book about love. All 811 pages of it.
So yeah, I do believe this is a true masterpiece. And easily, one of my top 5 reads ever.
4.5*
There are some authors, that, for some reason, just sit well with you. Their books might not be perfect, their writing isnt impeccable, but their stories are full of warmth and its characters are just the kind of people you'd want to have in your life.
Glendy Vanderah is one of those authors for me. I was in awe after reading Where The Forest Meets the Stars, it was something so different, so fresh, but at the same time the story itself was just beautiful.
The Light Between the Leaves is no different. I have to be honest and admit that I was a bit skeptical about it in the beginning. The story that starts with a baby gone missing....it can go in many directions, and not always the good ones. But that didnt happen here. She took a topic that is heavy, heart wrenching and tragic, and made it into a story about family, preservance and love, sprinkled with environmental and spiritual elements. The characters were so amazing and so real, and I honestly enjoyed every second spent with them. Its the kind of book that will make you feel warm and happy, and in it you will find a beautiful message about life and family. Cause family doesnt necessarily need to be the one we're born with, but it consists of the people we gathered around us through life, that will give us all the love and support we sometimes need.
There are some authors, that, for some reason, just sit well with you. Their books might not be perfect, their writing isnt impeccable, but their stories are full of warmth and its characters are just the kind of people you'd want to have in your life.
Glendy Vanderah is one of those authors for me. I was in awe after reading Where The Forest Meets the Stars, it was something so different, so fresh, but at the same time the story itself was just beautiful.
The Light Between the Leaves is no different. I have to be honest and admit that I was a bit skeptical about it in the beginning. The story that starts with a baby gone missing....it can go in many directions, and not always the good ones. But that didnt happen here. She took a topic that is heavy, heart wrenching and tragic, and made it into a story about family, preservance and love, sprinkled with environmental and spiritual elements. The characters were so amazing and so real, and I honestly enjoyed every second spent with them. Its the kind of book that will make you feel warm and happy, and in it you will find a beautiful message about life and family. Cause family doesnt necessarily need to be the one we're born with, but it consists of the people we gathered around us through life, that will give us all the love and support we sometimes need.
One August Night is a sequel to Victoria Hislop's most famous book, The Island. And it is not without reason - that book is amazing. Based on true story about leper colony on the island of Spinalonga, it is beautiful in telling, full of atmosphere, emotions and great characters. In short, all that One August Night isnt. Except of great writing and atmosphere. I have to say, Hislop does portrait Greece in a special way. This is a proper sequel, and that is the thing I probably struggled the most, cause Ive read The Island so long ago and I couldnt connect with who's who anymore. It continues the story about the Petrakis family, focused more on Anna's story. What I minded the most is the bland characterisation and lack of events in this book. Most of the time it felt like I was reading a beautifully written pleiad of short stories about Greece and its people more than something that should've been interesting sequel of a historical fiction book.
Maybe I'm being too rough on this book, I dont know. But after reading it, I feel I didnt learn anything new and it definitely didnt stirr any emotions in me.
Maybe I'm being too rough on this book, I dont know. But after reading it, I feel I didnt learn anything new and it definitely didnt stirr any emotions in me.
Even though it does look like a beach book, its has nothing to do with beaches. Its an interesting family/love story situated in New York City and Ireland. I went to it blindly, and I am actually glad that I did. The story itself is interesting, with few unexpected twists. The characters are nicely done and I really enjoyed the insight of the community of Irish immigrants in NYC. The best surprise was when in the middle of the book I encountered the lyrics of a song in (almost) my language, especially it being the song my mom sometimes sang to my kids. One of the characters in the book is a daughter of Serbian immigrants and the author did a really good job with the language.
All in all, my honest recommendations for this one.
All in all, my honest recommendations for this one.
And just like that...its done! 4 books and almost 2 thousand pages of Elena Ferrante's Neapolitan Series.
Once I start, I cant stop reading the series, especially if I own all the parts of it. The only time it happened is with The Seven Sisters series....but in my defense, there's a lot of them and they are huge.
I have to admit this was quite a journey. Without any doubt, Ferrante is an amazing writer. Through these books, you wont only be following the characters and their lives, but you will get to know Italy as it was back in 1950's and all the changes it faced from then till today.
There were times I hated these books and its characters for all their, in the end, human, characteristics - their selfishness, vanity, profanity and lack of of empathy. But then, the friendship between Elena and Lila was such a magnetic force one just couldnt get out of. Best friends, rivals, polar opposites but then so alike, and a relationship that is in a way a world of its own....a conundrum not even its subjects can get a hold of.
What is real and what is not? Where is the boundary between the truth and fiction? Whose story it actually is - one of the characters or the one of the writer? Who is Elena Ferrante we might never find out. Just as well as the fact if the stories she told us are a complete work of fiction or a biographical display of a town in a certain period of time. Nonetheless it is truly a captivating story worth reading.
Once I start, I cant stop reading the series, especially if I own all the parts of it. The only time it happened is with The Seven Sisters series....but in my defense, there's a lot of them and they are huge.
I have to admit this was quite a journey. Without any doubt, Ferrante is an amazing writer. Through these books, you wont only be following the characters and their lives, but you will get to know Italy as it was back in 1950's and all the changes it faced from then till today.
There were times I hated these books and its characters for all their, in the end, human, characteristics - their selfishness, vanity, profanity and lack of of empathy. But then, the friendship between Elena and Lila was such a magnetic force one just couldnt get out of. Best friends, rivals, polar opposites but then so alike, and a relationship that is in a way a world of its own....a conundrum not even its subjects can get a hold of.
What is real and what is not? Where is the boundary between the truth and fiction? Whose story it actually is - one of the characters or the one of the writer? Who is Elena Ferrante we might never find out. Just as well as the fact if the stories she told us are a complete work of fiction or a biographical display of a town in a certain period of time. Nonetheless it is truly a captivating story worth reading.