davidaguilarrodriguez's Reviews (186)

French Love Poems

3.5

emotional lighthearted reflective fast-paced

I want to sleep with you side by side
Our hair intertwined
Our sexes joined
With your mouth for a pillow.

Joyce Mansour, mon Dieu!

In the Café of Lost Youth

Patrick Modiano

2.75

dark mysterious sad medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

All vibes, no plot: not for me, but nice writing

At Night All Blood Is Black

David Diop

3.75

dark sad medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Dark, bleak, extremely intense. Rhythmic and interesting, but at times almost unbearably repetitive.

L'Etranger

Albert Camus

4.25

challenging dark reflective fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

I recognize why it’s significant and the writing is clean and brutally efficient. Not my cup of tea personally though

The Postcard

Anne Berest

4.0

emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

Interesting novel, emotional and deep. Reads like nonfiction.

Skeletons in the Closet

Jean-Patrick Manchette

3.25

dark funny mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

Hard-boiled crime thriller, funny at times, classic French noir

Paris, City of Dreams: Napoleon III, Baron Haussmann, and the Creation of Paris

Mary McAuliffe

informative medium-paced

The Young Man

Annie Ernaux

3.5

reflective fast-paced

Good writing, interesting insights… I know she’s known for brevity but kind of wished there was more!

The French Revolution

Ian Davidson

informative medium-paced

The Bell Jar

Sylvia Plath

4.5

dark emotional reflective medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Wish there wasn’t so much body shaming and racist boomer beliefs, but she was a product of her era. Still a great writer and a good book.

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