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bookswithchaipai's reviews
613 reviews
Yellowface by R.F. Kuang
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
In the realm of aspiring writers, June and Athena shared a common dream: to make it big in the publishing world. Yet, fate favored only one of them, and the stark contrast in their achievements birthed a tale of dark and tragic jealousy, which eventually leads to plagiarism.
This captivating and thought-provoking book offers a breathtaking glimpse into the inner workings of the scandalous publishing world.
The narrative is sprinkled with nuggets of information that shed light on the often unseen processes that take place before a book is published. From the involvement of advanced readers, proofreaders, and sensitivity readers to the intricate network of individuals required to ensure a book's success, every aspect is examined in captivating detail. It's a riveting exploration of the multifaceted world that lies behind the finished product we hold in our hands.
It blends elements of a thriller, a ghost story, and a thought-provoking exposé, with the complex dynamics of a friendship as its core. Kuang fearlessly delves into contentious issues such as cancel culture, racism, identity theft, and cultural appropriation.
The trials and tribulations that authors endure can be torturous, as they face a barrage of criticism and rely heavily on advanced reader reviews that can make or break the success of their work. Indeed, the weight of criticism can sometimes be deeply painful.
Kuang's profound insights into the life of an author, from their humble beginnings to the culmination of their journey, were truly fascinating. The courage required to expose one's soul to strangers through the written word is admirable.
It lives up to its well-deserved hype, providing readers with a contemplative and utterly fascinating reading experience. This is a must-read for all book-lovers as a lesson to be sensitive to authors feelings.
This captivating and thought-provoking book offers a breathtaking glimpse into the inner workings of the scandalous publishing world.
The narrative is sprinkled with nuggets of information that shed light on the often unseen processes that take place before a book is published. From the involvement of advanced readers, proofreaders, and sensitivity readers to the intricate network of individuals required to ensure a book's success, every aspect is examined in captivating detail. It's a riveting exploration of the multifaceted world that lies behind the finished product we hold in our hands.
It blends elements of a thriller, a ghost story, and a thought-provoking exposé, with the complex dynamics of a friendship as its core. Kuang fearlessly delves into contentious issues such as cancel culture, racism, identity theft, and cultural appropriation.
The trials and tribulations that authors endure can be torturous, as they face a barrage of criticism and rely heavily on advanced reader reviews that can make or break the success of their work. Indeed, the weight of criticism can sometimes be deeply painful.
Kuang's profound insights into the life of an author, from their humble beginnings to the culmination of their journey, were truly fascinating. The courage required to expose one's soul to strangers through the written word is admirable.
It lives up to its well-deserved hype, providing readers with a contemplative and utterly fascinating reading experience. This is a must-read for all book-lovers as a lesson to be sensitive to authors feelings.
I'm a Fan by Sheena Patel
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
4.0
This book reads like a diary, with short chapters, some just a few paras long, where the unnamed protagonist bares her heart with the dirtiest darkest secrets and vulnerabilities. The words are incisive, they cut to the quick, and they pack a punch.
The narrator spills her heart out about how her life revolves around two toxic people who she creatively calls - “the man I want to be with” and “the woman I am obsessed with”.
“The man I want to be with” is married and has multiple affairs, and a social figure of some gravity. He has been upfront to her about his promiscuity and made it plain there is no name for their illicit relationship.
“The woman I am obsessed with” is a blue tick Instagram influencer who is “the man I want to be with”’s current flavour of the month. She is riding the wave of nepotism with an artistic flare. The narrator emulates her nervous ticks and refreshes her Instagram feed obsessively to decipher her flaws.
Sometimes the narration runs like a political commentary about race, Color, White supremacy, wealth inequality, exhibitionism and narcissism.
The prose is addictive and furious and many a times i stopped to wonder, why exactly are we exhibiting our lives in full colour to the public through social media and opening ourselves to stalker’s and indecent messages? What end does it serve showing off where we have been, what we are doing, what we are eating?
This short book of just 207 pages, goes through the psyche of a woman who is dissecting the reason why she is second best, trying to crack the code which will endear her to “the man I want to be with” so that he will leave everything else and choose her.
I found this book brilliant, delivering in just a few words the truth about the frivolous nature of the world we live in, trying to decode the necessity of extramarital relationships and the trend of stalking ex-boyfriends. A must read for sure!I’m
The narrator spills her heart out about how her life revolves around two toxic people who she creatively calls - “the man I want to be with” and “the woman I am obsessed with”.
“The man I want to be with” is married and has multiple affairs, and a social figure of some gravity. He has been upfront to her about his promiscuity and made it plain there is no name for their illicit relationship.
“The woman I am obsessed with” is a blue tick Instagram influencer who is “the man I want to be with”’s current flavour of the month. She is riding the wave of nepotism with an artistic flare. The narrator emulates her nervous ticks and refreshes her Instagram feed obsessively to decipher her flaws.
Sometimes the narration runs like a political commentary about race, Color, White supremacy, wealth inequality, exhibitionism and narcissism.
The prose is addictive and furious and many a times i stopped to wonder, why exactly are we exhibiting our lives in full colour to the public through social media and opening ourselves to stalker’s and indecent messages? What end does it serve showing off where we have been, what we are doing, what we are eating?
This short book of just 207 pages, goes through the psyche of a woman who is dissecting the reason why she is second best, trying to crack the code which will endear her to “the man I want to be with” so that he will leave everything else and choose her.
I found this book brilliant, delivering in just a few words the truth about the frivolous nature of the world we live in, trying to decode the necessity of extramarital relationships and the trend of stalking ex-boyfriends. A must read for sure!I’m
Victory City by Salman Rushdie
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
I have often found Salman Rushdie’s allegorical writing style cryptic and confusing with melodramatic prose. But when I read The Golden House and then Quichotte, I caught a glimpse of the intelligence behind the allegory and then I learnt to read between the lines.
Victory City, surprised me with its absorbing prose, styled as a translation of an ancient historical epic - Jayaparajaya, written by Pampa Kampana, a Goddess who lived on earth for 243 years in the 1400’s. Responsible for the rise of an empire in India from mere seedlings, she expertly guides us through the winding rise and fall of the wondrous empire of Vijayanagara.
Rushdie has expertly melded fairy tales, the Ramayana and Mahabaratha and also actual Historical events which shaped India in the 1500’s, and gave birth to a tale of such proportions which had a spellbinding effect.
I saw traces of Sleeping Beauty, the Portuguese occupation, the Vanvaas of the Pancha pandavas, the dictation of the Mahabharata to Ganesha by Vyasa and also the narration of the Kurukshetra War by Sanjaya to Dhritarashtra.
The futuristic viewpoint of an empire run by women, with first born woman ascension to the throne, and companionship without marriage embedded in the ancient storyline made it very refreshing.
Unlike his other novels, despite the enigmatic trademark glimpses of magical realism and fantasy, this book is highly readable, and reads more like a fairy tale, filled with fables and chunks of history which we encountered in our history textbooks - case in point - King Krishnadevaraya the emperor of VIjayanagara.
Released six months after the knife attack on Rushdie, this book was completed much before, but he could not physically promote the book because of health reasons.
Victory City, surprised me with its absorbing prose, styled as a translation of an ancient historical epic - Jayaparajaya, written by Pampa Kampana, a Goddess who lived on earth for 243 years in the 1400’s. Responsible for the rise of an empire in India from mere seedlings, she expertly guides us through the winding rise and fall of the wondrous empire of Vijayanagara.
Rushdie has expertly melded fairy tales, the Ramayana and Mahabaratha and also actual Historical events which shaped India in the 1500’s, and gave birth to a tale of such proportions which had a spellbinding effect.
I saw traces of Sleeping Beauty, the Portuguese occupation, the Vanvaas of the Pancha pandavas, the dictation of the Mahabharata to Ganesha by Vyasa and also the narration of the Kurukshetra War by Sanjaya to Dhritarashtra.
The futuristic viewpoint of an empire run by women, with first born woman ascension to the throne, and companionship without marriage embedded in the ancient storyline made it very refreshing.
Unlike his other novels, despite the enigmatic trademark glimpses of magical realism and fantasy, this book is highly readable, and reads more like a fairy tale, filled with fables and chunks of history which we encountered in our history textbooks - case in point - King Krishnadevaraya the emperor of VIjayanagara.
Released six months after the knife attack on Rushdie, this book was completed much before, but he could not physically promote the book because of health reasons.
Everything the Light Touches by Janice Pariat
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
4.75
EVERYTHING THE LIGHT TOUCHES - Janice
Genre - Eco-fiction, Historical Fiction
5/5
“My days are full of you In places where I didn’t know were empty”.
As I listened to the sweet sound of Janice Pariat reading excerpts from her latest book, I was transported to beautiful fruit-laden forests and the quiet in the cacophony of birds, and I could see how she has managed to piece together a book of such magnificent proportions. Just like the book, she exudes a sense of calm, a feeling of having touched something pure and of the earth.
Shai, Evelyn, Goethe and Lineaus are the main protagonists of this book, but they are separated by centuries and continents.
We follow Shai as she leaves behind the humdrum of life in Delhi, and goes exploring her roots in Shillong on a magical journey.
Evelyn, travels from Britain on a ship to India, hoping to find a secret in the sacred Himalayan foothills, only to be given an impossible proposition.
Goethe’s narrative puts us in Italy, as he traverses the beautiful landscape of Rome and Sicily in the 1780’s, as he transforms from a famous playwright to a lover of plants.
Lineaus’ narrative has a different quality - in the form of poetry, which takes us through the Laplands and gives us a snapshot of his brilliant mind.
The story spans centuries, but the common thread holding them together, is a bond so strong, that it existed even before the first plant spread its first leaves. It is rooted in the beauty of nature, the observation of life in the soil, and the bounty that the forests have to offer us. And it holds the secret of all creation, using beautiful words of wisdom, opening up unimaginable possibilities about the secrets of the forests.
Genre - Eco-fiction, Historical Fiction
5/5
“My days are full of you In places where I didn’t know were empty”.
As I listened to the sweet sound of Janice Pariat reading excerpts from her latest book, I was transported to beautiful fruit-laden forests and the quiet in the cacophony of birds, and I could see how she has managed to piece together a book of such magnificent proportions. Just like the book, she exudes a sense of calm, a feeling of having touched something pure and of the earth.
Shai, Evelyn, Goethe and Lineaus are the main protagonists of this book, but they are separated by centuries and continents.
We follow Shai as she leaves behind the humdrum of life in Delhi, and goes exploring her roots in Shillong on a magical journey.
Evelyn, travels from Britain on a ship to India, hoping to find a secret in the sacred Himalayan foothills, only to be given an impossible proposition.
Goethe’s narrative puts us in Italy, as he traverses the beautiful landscape of Rome and Sicily in the 1780’s, as he transforms from a famous playwright to a lover of plants.
Lineaus’ narrative has a different quality - in the form of poetry, which takes us through the Laplands and gives us a snapshot of his brilliant mind.
The story spans centuries, but the common thread holding them together, is a bond so strong, that it existed even before the first plant spread its first leaves. It is rooted in the beauty of nature, the observation of life in the soil, and the bounty that the forests have to offer us. And it holds the secret of all creation, using beautiful words of wisdom, opening up unimaginable possibilities about the secrets of the forests.
The Nine-Chambered Heart by Janice Pariat
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
4.0
“I am oriented only by your presence, or your absence. You are my north.”
“This year I turned 30, so i chose to travel… on my own… because I wanted to learn how it is alright to journey alone…”
This was the perfect book for the month of love. What could be better than nine people professing their love for the same woman, and recounting the first time they set their eyes on her? Truly brilliant!
We get to see vignettes of a woman’s life through the eyes of her paramours. We never get to meet the woman in person, or find out her thoughts, she is not given a voice. But we are allowed to watch her shadow, as she threads in and out of nine people’s lives, leaving a deep impression on them, so as to influence them to tell her story as they perceive her.
She is an enigma which makes her presence surreal, flitting from one place to another, catching someone’s fancy and then disappearing. For them she is perfect, flawless, untouched, and they know she can never be theirs forever.
I am mesmerised by the words, each chapter is narrated by one of the paramours, and they are creatively named “The Saint”, “The Butcher”, “The Caretaker’, and the narration reads like a love letter written to a woman referred to as “You”. The absence of names for people and places adds to the dream-like effect of the book, allowing us to concentrate on the deep beauty of the words.
I have placed an order for Pariat’s book, Everything the Light Touches, and I can’t wait to get lost in her words again.
“This year I turned 30, so i chose to travel… on my own… because I wanted to learn how it is alright to journey alone…”
This was the perfect book for the month of love. What could be better than nine people professing their love for the same woman, and recounting the first time they set their eyes on her? Truly brilliant!
We get to see vignettes of a woman’s life through the eyes of her paramours. We never get to meet the woman in person, or find out her thoughts, she is not given a voice. But we are allowed to watch her shadow, as she threads in and out of nine people’s lives, leaving a deep impression on them, so as to influence them to tell her story as they perceive her.
She is an enigma which makes her presence surreal, flitting from one place to another, catching someone’s fancy and then disappearing. For them she is perfect, flawless, untouched, and they know she can never be theirs forever.
I am mesmerised by the words, each chapter is narrated by one of the paramours, and they are creatively named “The Saint”, “The Butcher”, “The Caretaker’, and the narration reads like a love letter written to a woman referred to as “You”. The absence of names for people and places adds to the dream-like effect of the book, allowing us to concentrate on the deep beauty of the words.
I have placed an order for Pariat’s book, Everything the Light Touches, and I can’t wait to get lost in her words again.
The School for Good Mothers by Jessamine Chan
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
sad
tense
medium-paced
“I am a bad mother, but I am learning to be good.”
This is the chant forced on wayward mothers who have strayed from their motherly responsibilities at the newly introduced School for Good Mothers. This school categorically educates a mother certain maternal instincts which the system feels is lacking in her, by subjecting her to inhumane conditions, the first of which is training cameras on her at all times to observe her and then by separating her from her child for an entire year.
Frida Liu has a bad day and so leaves her toddler unsupervised for several hours. Held for neglect and abandonment, she is forced to complete a year at the school to learn mothering skills or have her parental rights terminated. As we follow her through the year at the school, we realise good mothers are white mothers and bad fathers are not treated the same.
This book is not for the fickle minded. We all know the grievances single mothers have to face. I went through several shades of anger as I read about the indecencies meted out on her in the name of teaching motherly behaviour.
This one is for the people who enjoyed The Handmaids Tale for all its perverseness. The lifelike dolls used to teach motherly behaviour creeped me out to no end. The dystopian world building was a punch in the gut and magnified the vision of what a perfect mother should do.
“A mother is always patient. A mother is always kind. A mother is always giving. A mother never falls apart.”
Yes, child abuse is wrong, but the punishment was not in proportion to the gravity of the wrongdoing. But having said that, despite it being a dystopian book, I felt it mirrored some of the situations faced today by mothers who are judged.
I read this book in a record 2 days because I felt a dark cloud looming over my head as the book progressed. I needed to get done with it and move on. Nonetheless, despite the ire it flared in me, I found it fascinating and definitely worth a read.
This is the chant forced on wayward mothers who have strayed from their motherly responsibilities at the newly introduced School for Good Mothers. This school categorically educates a mother certain maternal instincts which the system feels is lacking in her, by subjecting her to inhumane conditions, the first of which is training cameras on her at all times to observe her and then by separating her from her child for an entire year.
Frida Liu has a bad day and so leaves her toddler unsupervised for several hours. Held for neglect and abandonment, she is forced to complete a year at the school to learn mothering skills or have her parental rights terminated. As we follow her through the year at the school, we realise good mothers are white mothers and bad fathers are not treated the same.
This book is not for the fickle minded. We all know the grievances single mothers have to face. I went through several shades of anger as I read about the indecencies meted out on her in the name of teaching motherly behaviour.
This one is for the people who enjoyed The Handmaids Tale for all its perverseness. The lifelike dolls used to teach motherly behaviour creeped me out to no end. The dystopian world building was a punch in the gut and magnified the vision of what a perfect mother should do.
“A mother is always patient. A mother is always kind. A mother is always giving. A mother never falls apart.”
Yes, child abuse is wrong, but the punishment was not in proportion to the gravity of the wrongdoing. But having said that, despite it being a dystopian book, I felt it mirrored some of the situations faced today by mothers who are judged.
I read this book in a record 2 days because I felt a dark cloud looming over my head as the book progressed. I needed to get done with it and move on. Nonetheless, despite the ire it flared in me, I found it fascinating and definitely worth a read.
Razorblade Tears by S.A. Cosby
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
4.0
When I picked up this book, I didn’t know what I was in for! I thought it was a run-of-the-mill thriller with some violent twists. But what I encountered were some very sensitive subjects like homophobia and racism, dealt with in an outspoken manner, turning the thriller into a heartrending tale, teaching me a thing or two.
A straight as an arrow story about two bereaved ex-con fathers, seeking vengeance for the murder of their son’s, grapples with some hard truth’s that they discover as they dig into their sons past. The grief experienced by the homophobic fathers after the death of their gay sons was palpable.
The only thing that did not work for me was the wide spread bloodshed and the violence which I could have done without. It was jarring, but maybe necessary, to bring the whole difficult situation into perspective, considering the gravity of the situation.
This book made it to #obamasreadinglist2022 as well, so if you could bear with some violent acts or two, then definitely pick up this book and you will discover some deep hidden layers.
A straight as an arrow story about two bereaved ex-con fathers, seeking vengeance for the murder of their son’s, grapples with some hard truth’s that they discover as they dig into their sons past. The grief experienced by the homophobic fathers after the death of their gay sons was palpable.
The only thing that did not work for me was the wide spread bloodshed and the violence which I could have done without. It was jarring, but maybe necessary, to bring the whole difficult situation into perspective, considering the gravity of the situation.
This book made it to #obamasreadinglist2022 as well, so if you could bear with some violent acts or two, then definitely pick up this book and you will discover some deep hidden layers.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence
The Secret History by Donna Tartt
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.75
When I noticed Jenna Hager and @todayshow has chosen this book as their #bookclub pick for December for #ReadwithJenna, I realised I have not yet jotted my thoughts down. So here goes….
The Secret History is narrated by Richard Papen, one among a group of Classics student who are bound by a dirty secret. From the first line itself we know a murder has occurred, but the how and why of it is left for us to discover.
The writing is beautiful, almost classical in nature. In Dickensian detail the story unfolds at a leisurely pace, often coming to a standstill, ruminating about an obscure subject. The book is character driven, with a wisp of a plot line to speak of, with a crazy twist in the end which jumps out of nowhere. And this is when the brilliance of the book creeps up on us!
The world created by Tartt is all-encompassing, it sucked me in and saw that it kept me there. I felt like I was one among the close-knit detached group, and the feeling of belonging in the cool crowd was ethereal.
The book shows what can happen when people are cut off from much of society. This is Dark Academia at its best, and the vile undertones of creeping crawling terror is electrifying. Manipulative being the key word.
I try not to read reviews/blurbs before embarking on a new book, as it leads to disappointments. The glowing reviews blindsided me into believing this book is more than it is, and when the story didn’t meet my expectations, it made me feel deflated and so was a complete let down.
So, I am on the fence when it comes to liking this book, some parts I loved and others I felt were grossly disheartening. But don’t go by my opinion, because you might just love it and to each his own.
#BookFact - Donna Tartt wrote the book when she was 29, and it is said that she has drawn inspiration from people in her University, as she majored in Classics just like in the book and that Professor Julian Morrow is based on her Classics Professor Claude Fredrick, which she vehemently denies.
The Secret History is narrated by Richard Papen, one among a group of Classics student who are bound by a dirty secret. From the first line itself we know a murder has occurred, but the how and why of it is left for us to discover.
The writing is beautiful, almost classical in nature. In Dickensian detail the story unfolds at a leisurely pace, often coming to a standstill, ruminating about an obscure subject. The book is character driven, with a wisp of a plot line to speak of, with a crazy twist in the end which jumps out of nowhere. And this is when the brilliance of the book creeps up on us!
The world created by Tartt is all-encompassing, it sucked me in and saw that it kept me there. I felt like I was one among the close-knit detached group, and the feeling of belonging in the cool crowd was ethereal.
The book shows what can happen when people are cut off from much of society. This is Dark Academia at its best, and the vile undertones of creeping crawling terror is electrifying. Manipulative being the key word.
I try not to read reviews/blurbs before embarking on a new book, as it leads to disappointments. The glowing reviews blindsided me into believing this book is more than it is, and when the story didn’t meet my expectations, it made me feel deflated and so was a complete let down.
So, I am on the fence when it comes to liking this book, some parts I loved and others I felt were grossly disheartening. But don’t go by my opinion, because you might just love it and to each his own.
#BookFact - Donna Tartt wrote the book when she was 29, and it is said that she has drawn inspiration from people in her University, as she majored in Classics just like in the book and that Professor Julian Morrow is based on her Classics Professor Claude Fredrick, which she vehemently denies.
The Marriage Portrait by Maggie O'Farrell
I read Hamnet last year, and after diving into the world of Shakespeare and loving it, I decided to see how she fared in describing 16th century Italian courtly life. And I was taken on a wonderful immersive journey!
Inspired by Robert Browning’s poem My Last Duchess, we are given an evocative retelling of Lucrezia de’Medici life, an Italian Princess, as O’Farrell imagines it to be, taking creative license to fill in the shadows and embellish the foreground. The result is a masterpiece of a book filled with a 16 year old girls hopes and dreams and a doomed marriage.
O’Feeney has a unique storytelling ability, which is absorbing and I did not feel even for a minute that the era she was talking about is alien to me. The Dark Renaissance Period was brought to life, with its singing pageantry, artistic mastery and the opulent courtly affairs.
Duke Alfonso of Ferrara clipped his child brides wings, caged her and watched her squirm hoping she would tumble out an heir. Uxoricide was commonly followed during that period when a wife fails to provide an heir and there were no consequences dealt on the guilty party.
A marriage portrait is left in her stead, so that she will live on in the painting rather than in real life. The plan was that once the First Duchess has been memorialised in the painting, she becomes unnecessary, the portrait will take up her role in life and the Duke can take up a new bride.
This book easily took a spot in my top 10 of the year! And I’m thrilled to see that it is #reesesbookclub pick of the month!
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
4.5
I read Hamnet last year, and after diving into the world of Shakespeare and loving it, I decided to see how she fared in describing 16th century Italian courtly life. And I was taken on a wonderful immersive journey!
Inspired by Robert Browning’s poem My Last Duchess, we are given an evocative retelling of Lucrezia de’Medici life, an Italian Princess, as O’Farrell imagines it to be, taking creative license to fill in the shadows and embellish the foreground. The result is a masterpiece of a book filled with a 16 year old girls hopes and dreams and a doomed marriage.
O’Feeney has a unique storytelling ability, which is absorbing and I did not feel even for a minute that the era she was talking about is alien to me. The Dark Renaissance Period was brought to life, with its singing pageantry, artistic mastery and the opulent courtly affairs.
Duke Alfonso of Ferrara clipped his child brides wings, caged her and watched her squirm hoping she would tumble out an heir. Uxoricide was commonly followed during that period when a wife fails to provide an heir and there were no consequences dealt on the guilty party.
A marriage portrait is left in her stead, so that she will live on in the painting rather than in real life. The plan was that once the First Duchess has been memorialised in the painting, she becomes unnecessary, the portrait will take up her role in life and the Duke can take up a new bride.
This book easily took a spot in my top 10 of the year! And I’m thrilled to see that it is #reesesbookclub pick of the month!
Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
“To the librarians then, now, and in the years to come.”
This dedication at the beginning of the book says it all! This is a book which embraces nature, is an ode to all the books lost in time over the centuries and one which detests technological development and deforestation. Not one sentence feels out of place, never does the story feel dragged and neither do the 600 pages make the book feel too heavy or too long. I actually wouldn’t have minded going on, that’s how entrancing it was!
I love books which emphasise the strong connection between the survival of humanity and trees , and if you loved The Overstory, this book would be for you. Encompassing time and space, transcending multiple centuries, we delve into the lives of multiple characters whose lives interlock and interweave through each other, making a beautiful tapestry to behold.
And the connection which binds them together, over 6 centuries, is their mutual love for a single book.
The folklore is mesmerising, which took me on a journey through the hardships of a donkey, the gurgling stomach of a whale, and then the glorified Cloud Cuckoo Land, giving a glimpse of how the human mind works.
It has been a couple of months since I read it, and the fact that the stories have remained with me is a testimony to the inherent power in the writing. The cast of characters are loveable, each of them hoping for a better future, having faith in folklore and the glorification of warm, cosy libraries which are a safe haven in times of peril.
This dedication at the beginning of the book says it all! This is a book which embraces nature, is an ode to all the books lost in time over the centuries and one which detests technological development and deforestation. Not one sentence feels out of place, never does the story feel dragged and neither do the 600 pages make the book feel too heavy or too long. I actually wouldn’t have minded going on, that’s how entrancing it was!
I love books which emphasise the strong connection between the survival of humanity and trees , and if you loved The Overstory, this book would be for you. Encompassing time and space, transcending multiple centuries, we delve into the lives of multiple characters whose lives interlock and interweave through each other, making a beautiful tapestry to behold.
And the connection which binds them together, over 6 centuries, is their mutual love for a single book.
The folklore is mesmerising, which took me on a journey through the hardships of a donkey, the gurgling stomach of a whale, and then the glorified Cloud Cuckoo Land, giving a glimpse of how the human mind works.
It has been a couple of months since I read it, and the fact that the stories have remained with me is a testimony to the inherent power in the writing. The cast of characters are loveable, each of them hoping for a better future, having faith in folklore and the glorification of warm, cosy libraries which are a safe haven in times of peril.