caroline_mclaughlin's reviews
58 reviews

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

challenging inspiring medium-paced

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

3.5

This is my second time reading this, but the last time was when I was in 7th grade after I read Hunger Games and was looking to chase the high. Reading it now, it feels like a self help or nonfiction book the way it’s so chock full of information I want to remember for future conversations. It’s incredibly quotable and full of lush prose to ruminate on, but very sparse with plot. Though it may be a bit heavy handed in its messages, it achieves what it sets out to do. A quick and easy read with a lot to say; a perfect early dip into classic lit.

Homesick for Another World by Ottessa Moshfegh

challenging slow-paced

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

2.0

This book is absolutely not for me. I love quirky writing and character work, but this is solely an incredibly pessimistic character study of some of the most mundanely terrible people in existence. It’s matter of fact and incredibly descriptive prose makes it clear the author is very observant of the world around her but simultaneously thinks the worst of everyone. I will say the last few stories were much more interesting and had more value than any of the rest, but with the meandering, somewhat pointless nature of all of them, they still weren’t worth it to me. This was truly one of the most difficult books to get through, as each time I picked it up I felt intensely negative afterwards, and it thoroughly put me off Mosfegh’s writing.

Brave New World by Aldous Huxley

challenging funny medium-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? Yes

3.0

At first I really enjoyed the premise and the quirky writing style, finding it easy to see how a society could form like this. The reasoning, although lacking severely in ethics, is understandable and after reading The Handmaid’s Tale, it feels like a society that would arise in direct contrast to theirs. However, I felt that the story quickly lost tangibility once they visited the US, and continued to meander following their return, verging on preachy by the end. While I understand this book was written almost 100 years ago, and characters like John are both far more recognizable as kin and also treated as the voice of reason, as a modern reader it is still incredibly uncomfortable to read about the “savages”. There is plenty of nuance to and obvious satirization of the negative view of this group, but it still didn’t work for me overall as the direction of the novel. I can see where this book further influenced the genre (Divergent, Gattaca, etc) but I can also see how the rampant racism and directionless plot has prevented this utopian/dystopian novel from having the same hold on society as many of its contemporaries (Fahrenheit 451, Handmaid’s Tale, even Hunger Games).

Men Have Called Her Crazy by Anna Marie Tendler

emotional reflective medium-paced

2.5

I was initially excited to read this, eager to hear a bit about Anna Marie Tendler’s life and experiences, having initially discovered her through her ex-husband but having grown to enjoy her work as an individual artist. However, I found this book difficult to get through and took quite a long break before being able to finish it. While I understand this is a personal account and I empathize with her experiences, the entire book felt void of true self reflection. She spends so much of the book simply giving her account with little exploration beyond the facts. Much time is spent disparaging men and blaming them for every issue in the world and for all of her own despair. Though this may have some truth to it, it also feels like a bit of a cop out to remove any sense of real personal responsibility. I feel like we are so beyond the “men are the worst” narrative, especially when this book is so deeply centered around men. Overall, it was interesting enough to finish but offered little intrigue overall.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Eating disorder, Mental illness, Sexual content

Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

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

4.25

I’m not usually drawn to contemporary or literary fiction, but this book very quickly captivated me. Adichie just seems to understand the world and people so thoroughly, managing to present a realistic image of the world without resorting to gritty pessimism. The story is filled with interesting people with varied perspectives and personalities that all somehow convince you of the validity of their worldview at one time or another. She weaves together so many pieces of the characters’ lives and stories to create an incredibly compelling narrative that, even though it may not be my favorite genre, I found difficult to put down.

The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood

dark emotional tense medium-paced

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

4.5

It’s so refreshing to read a dystopian novel that does not rely on a chosen one or the toppling of a long-lived political system. It feels like an anthropological study firsthand from someone who lived in a foreign, but not altogether impossible, reality. It feels grounded in realism, likely due to Atwood’s use of real historical events to develop her world. I appreciated getting to see this world not from a “radical” of her time speaking anachronistically, but instead from a victim of the system watching herself conform and make difficult or “stupid” decisions enforced by her situation.

I had avoided this book for so long, despite enjoying some of Atwood’s poetry. I thought the story would be too heavy and dark, and, although it was an older dystopian story, it may feel outdated and no longer truly relevant. However, I quickly found her prose to be engaging and beautiful, without being too flowery or grotesque. It was an easy read to start, and by the point it became more difficult and heavy, I was too engrossed to stop.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Religious bigotry

The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern

adventurous challenging reflective slow-paced

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

4.5

The Truth About Keeping Secrets by Savannah Brown

dark emotional funny mysterious medium-paced

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

4.25

Gallant by V.E. Schwab

dark mysterious reflective medium-paced

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

4.0

Very similar vibe to the ocean at the end of the lane or coraline but I think I enjoyed this a bit more than the former. Not a huge VE Schwab fan, so I was surprised how much I enjoyed this. 

The Maidens by Alex Michaelides

dark reflective tense fast-paced

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

2.5

Disappointing and flat throughout. Way too many irrelevant characters who all have the same personality traits and are indistinguishable from one another. Literally every single character has daddy issues in the sense that they’re “gone”, which appears as both a major theme and the root of everyone’s issues. I’m shocked I was able to guess the ending though so early on, especially because the whole book seems built on pointless red herrings that make it clear something else is going on, but obfuscate all of the details to the point where it’s impossible to actually get a clear picture to try to come to the correct conclusion as a reader.

This is also why I’m annoyed with the specific use of premonition in the letter. Way too intentional especially when Fred is revealed to be following them, but has no payoff or purpose.

Also don’t even get me started on how the women are written and the stalker men. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, Self harm, Stalking, Death of parent