bookwormlukas's reviews
595 reviews

Jazz by Toni Morrison

dark slow-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

3.0

Despite the rather attention grabbing plot summary above, Morrison’s fifth novel, ‘Jazz’ is probably one of her quietist to date. Focusing more on the reactions as opposed to the specific actions listed above, ‘Jazz’ is a novel that tries to dissect the why instead of the how as we look into Joe’s relationship with his wife and mistress, and the slightly altered mind of his wife Violet.

As far as ranking it in conjunction with the rest of Morrison’s work, I would probably place ‘Jazz’ on the lower side - but still well above ‘Tar Baby’, the Morrison which I guess I liked the least (despite their still being things to love). While I enjoyed aspects of this novel - such as Violets broken mind and her interactions with the lady of a house in her neighbourhood - it can also feel a little disjointed (just like Jazz, huzzah) as it tiptoes around the main issues that you want to be dissected in exchange for quieter moments that don’t manage to pack the same punch.

The second half of the novel also veers into sort of familiar Morrison territory too - as we unnecessarily recount Joes family history (reminiscent of one of my issues with ‘Tar Baby’) creating a novel that almost goes out of its way to focus on the plot at hand.

As with any Morrison novel, the strength here is the writing itself as opposed to where the story goes - and I’d be wrong to say that this novel mostly hits. Had I not read any other Morrison, I’m wondering how I’d rate this alone, as it is, comparing it to the rest of her work, a 3.5 feels appropriate.

My Cat Yugoslavia by Pajtim Statovci

challenging lighthearted slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.75

Well, this was…something? 

If I’m honest, you could go through this book and tell me exactly what it all means, the relevant metaphors, what represents who, why he dates a homophobic cat - or you could tell me that it just doesn’t make much sense and I’d have an easy time believing both interpretations.  As a debut novel, it’s most certainly ambitious, whether it all hits or not though is going to come down to the individual reader as I see this one as quite a divisive read. 

For me personally, I guess it ‘sort of’ works? 

I truly found myself highly involved and engaged during the much more realist chapters involving the mother, with an arranged marriage to a man she’s only just met pending, the novel manages to feel like it has a clear voice in the story that’s truly grounded in reality, which is why the switch to the sons chapters can then feel sort of hard to swallow. You go from arranged marriages to wacky tales of your pet boa constrictor and your hookup staying over that just happens to be a humanoid cat and it’s all quite…jarring. There are elements to it that certainly hit hard, where you can see the intention, but it also feels like a book that needed a bit more time in development for it to manage to effectively blend both stories.

Overall, I would personally go as far as to make a soft recommend for ‘My Cat Yugoslavia’. It certainly didn’t all hit for me, but it’s also a weird enough experience that you kind of have to read it to believe it. 

3 stars

Here We Are by Graham Swift

reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.0

#BookReview📚 - ‘Here We Are’ by Graham Swift - ⭐️ ⭐️ 

I truthfully don’t have a lot to say about ‘Here We Are’, my first (and maybe last) Graham Swift. It’s not that it’s a terribly written novella or anything like that, but I do wonder exactly what the *point* of it all was, as for me, it definitely left me feeling empty.

Telling the story of a love triangle that takes place between three stage performers on the Brighton pier, ‘Here We Are’ has all the hallmarks of a novella that has been stretched out from a short story. It’s all tell - and that’s it’s biggest problem. 

The structure of it is that we see the three of them meeting for the first time and then flash forward to when the woman (Evie) is older as she looks back on her life and the decisions she made. Sadly, it’s all just rather uneventful - and with such a short page count, the author struggles to wrangle any emotion out of the characters. The only successful part for me was an admittedly very short look at how one of them was a London evacuee as a child - and the relationship he forged with his minders (which in itself, also felt a rather an optimistic take).

Overall, ‘Here We Are’ was a very short and easy read, but it certainly won’t stick with me and didn’t convince me to add anymore Swift to my TBR.

After the Banquet by Yukio Mishima

sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.5

‘After the Banquet’ is my fourth Mishima, and my second in the last few weeks after ‘Thirst for Love’, a novel I highly enjoyed. Now, ‘Banquet’ itself doesn’t quite hit the highs of that novel when it comes to story and theme (that one happens to be a little darker), but it’s still an interesting little tale in itself that really puts politics at the forefront of its story.  
 
Telling the tale of Kazu, a successful restauranteur and her burgeoning romance with Noguchi as he begins a run for office, ‘Banquet’ is mostly concerned with the politics of Noguchi’s campaign and how Kazu fits into the environment of his team as his wife, placing an emphasis on what was expected from a woman in her position in that particular time period. As in ‘Thirst for Love’ though, Kazu doesn’t really react or act like what is expected of her, and as she gains a knowledge and enjoys the backhanded nature of the political structure that develops around her, the campaign begins to feel like her own as opposed to her husbands (who just seems to be going through the motions) - creating secrets, and an interesting seesaw effect when it comes to who holds the power in the relationship.  
 
If I’m honest, the relationship itself can feel quite distant, as Kazu and Noguchi are just two very different characters who seem to want and like each other for semi basic reasons. Kazu herself though is probably the most interesting aspect of the novel, as we see an older and successful Japanese business woman attempting to own and develop her husbands political aspirations as part of her own success. It’s an interesting story and one that I read quite quickly, it just seemed to be lacking ever so slightly compared to the other two Mishima I’ve read recently.  
 
Now to complete my highly Mishima focused Japanuary with ‘Confessions of a Mask’, a Mishima re-read which was one of my favourite reads a few years ago!

God Emperor of Dune by Frank Herbert

adventurous reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Well that was…different?

Truthfully, after the semi nosedive that the previous book in this series ‘Children of Dune’ took, I was a little hesitant about continuing on with what is known as ‘the second Dune sequence’. General opinion on the series as a whole seems to be that it goes downhill, but I will say, for me personally, this one was a bit of an uptick from the third entry, which is definitely promising going forward.

The trick for that is simply that the fourth ‘Dune’ is a relatively simple story that just sets up the ongoing battle of what is to come. Set 3000 years after the last one, this one follows one of the last royal Atreides as they slowly turn into an omniscient half human, half worm….God. Yes, you read that right. The main character here is literally a God who can know and experience everything, yet is stuck in the body of what resembles one of those brain worms from ‘Starship Troopers’.

Is it a little out there? Yes. Can it be a little silly? Also, yes. Overall though, Herbert manages to bring it all together with some strong writing - and dialogue that flows surprisingly well considering the topics of conversations at hand - and this really is a novel all about conversations. Not a lot of action happening here at all, with it mostly being about figuring out character motivations and who is going to double cross who.

Overall, a surprisingly enjoyable entry to a series that had lost a bit of its lustre, there’s definitely a few problems (Herberts outdated views on certain things popping up every now and again for instance) but I’m more excited to start book 5 now than I assumed I would be, which is always a good sign. 

Severance by Ling Ma

dark emotional reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

It’s ironic that the first pandemic themed book I read during the pandemic is the one I’m reading while I myself catch covid. As depressing as that could actually be, ‘Severance’ isn’t really a serious pandemic book, instead using the genre as more of a satire on capitalism, our relationship to work and the aimlessness that we all sometimes experience in relation to that. 

The book itself comes in two parts, pre Shen fever and post Shen fever - and this is where I really wavered between giving the book 3 or 4 stars. The post pandemic/apocalyptic stuff is fine, but expected, and it’s in the pre pandemic sections, where Candace is thrust into the corporate world of office work, where the novel (and character development) really shines.

In truth, Candace herself isn’t necessarily a likeable protagonist - but she is a relatable one. I think Ma actually does a great job here simply in bringing an accurate representation of a millennial to the page, and she does this by focusing specifically on Candace’s state of mind, while referencing millennial obsessions that (for Candace) will soon be a thing of the past, like the internet, social media and the inevitability of climbing the career ladder.

Overall, I can see this book being quite divisive (in the best way). Goodreads itself shows me that people especially aren’t happy with the ending - which I personally found quite hauntingly appropriate, but I can see a lot to recommend here. I think you’ll generally know from the first page if this is a book for you or not, so give a page or two a read at the bookshop and you’ll know if it’s something to pick up.

Bloody Bones by Laurell K. Hamilton

4.0

The Killing Dance by Laurell K. Hamilton

5.0

Burnt Offerings by Laurell K. Hamilton

5.0

Blue Moon by Laurell K. Hamilton

4.0