c3rem0nials's reviews
33 reviews

Beauty Queens Of Bishan by Akshita Nanda

lighthearted medium-paced

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

3.5

I liked this book for what it was -- it's the more factually accurate Crazy Rich Asians, and I really liked the Kardashian-esque drama that plagued this entire book. While a fun read, the plot is liable to being a little slow and frankly finishing this was an uphill battle of sorts because of how drawn out certain plot points / drama were. I do wish there were more interest in the intriguing (and obvious) class division between the nail salon owners and their filthy rich clients, as well as the

sudden eating disorder plot point

that was barely given attention..! Any other faults I find with this book include the intense millennial understanding of how using social media is like (can we please... not put hashtags in books unironically anymore!) and I found any characters under 30 were quite honestly unnecessary to the book beyond being a Child of a Struggling Mother (re; August, Nareen and Parveen). Would have also been interesting to see how these estheticians navigate beauty while perpetuating patriarchal views on beauty and actively SELLING that to their customers, but that's more of a personal feeling than an attest to the book. 

---

Content Warnings

Minor: Eating disorder

Keep the Aspidistra Flying by George Orwell

challenging reflective tense medium-paced

3.5

i really loved this book -- as always, orwell is sharp with his critique on society and the satirical nature of this book really forces you to think of navigating class, and the haunting ways capitalism seems to stretch out and never leave us. however this book does lose points for me in terms of character lens -- i dont give white people too much credit for knowing capitalism sucks. 

The Ministry of Utmost Happiness by Arundhati Roy
Did not finish book. Stopped at 27%.

i really wanted to like this book because of how loved roy's work is, but i didn't really like the way anjum's transgender identity was mostly made up of genital-centric dysphoria. as a trans person i just didn't appreciate that. i do understand context and setting and that a trans woman like anjum would see her transgender identity (as well as intersex identity, but that was really just glossed over very quickly lol) as strictly binary. it made me disappointed. it felt extremely confined to a cisgender woman's view on what a trans woman would act and feel. other than that, i do love arundhati's writing -- i think in terms of ability and artistry there's a reason that this woman won the Booker. however this novel in particular (as echoed by other reviews i've seen on here) genuinely meanders to an insane degree. i acknowledge that novels aren't meant to always follow traditional roles of plot / structure but i could not be engaged because at some points you don't even know who is narrating and why. but i will say i'll give her other works a chance.