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dobbsthedog's reviews
1760 reviews
The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah
CW: rape, murder, torture, forced confinement
*SLIGHT SPOILERS AHEAD!*
I’m not giving this a rating because I don’t think it’s fair of me to. There’s nothing wrong with the book (more or less), the writing is good, it’s just 100% not the book for me right now. Probably not ever.
Working in a library I get to know the regular patrons and they often recommend their favourite books to me. And I’ve had one particular patron recommending Kristin Hannah for years. I have never been overly interested in reading WWII novels, though have read a few where the story sounds interesting. So, I knew going into this that I would probably not like this book. But, I thought I would give it a try, plus, it’s my book club’s pick for December.
I honestly found this incredibly difficult to read *right now* because of the situation in Gaza. I actually haven’t read any books about war in the past 13 months, because it’s just a constant reminder of the genocide happening in Gaza. And reading this book felt especially difficult because some of the things that the Nazis were doing to the Jewish people in France is so similar to what IOF soldiers are doing to Palestinians right now. The torture, the humiliation, the starvation; all made this extremely difficult to read. I would have DNF’d it if it wasn’t for a book club.
And then there is the rape-as-plot-device, which I always hate. Yes, we know the Nazis are awful, scum of the earth, you don’t need to reinforce it by having one of our POV characters repeatedly raped by the SS officer who’s squatting in her house. Oh, but in the end it was a blessing in disguise, because the child she ends up having is so wonderful. Just, no. And the rape could have easily been left out of the story and it would have changed very little.
Overall, did not enjoy, would not recommend, 0/10. But obviously, my issues with the book are quite specific and others really love Kristin Hannah. I, however, will not be reading any more of hers.
*SLIGHT SPOILERS AHEAD!*
I’m not giving this a rating because I don’t think it’s fair of me to. There’s nothing wrong with the book (more or less), the writing is good, it’s just 100% not the book for me right now. Probably not ever.
Working in a library I get to know the regular patrons and they often recommend their favourite books to me. And I’ve had one particular patron recommending Kristin Hannah for years. I have never been overly interested in reading WWII novels, though have read a few where the story sounds interesting. So, I knew going into this that I would probably not like this book. But, I thought I would give it a try, plus, it’s my book club’s pick for December.
I honestly found this incredibly difficult to read *right now* because of the situation in Gaza. I actually haven’t read any books about war in the past 13 months, because it’s just a constant reminder of the genocide happening in Gaza. And reading this book felt especially difficult because some of the things that the Nazis were doing to the Jewish people in France is so similar to what IOF soldiers are doing to Palestinians right now. The torture, the humiliation, the starvation; all made this extremely difficult to read. I would have DNF’d it if it wasn’t for a book club.
And then there is the rape-as-plot-device, which I always hate. Yes, we know the Nazis are awful, scum of the earth, you don’t need to reinforce it by having one of our POV characters repeatedly raped by the SS officer who’s squatting in her house. Oh, but in the end it was a blessing in disguise, because the child she ends up having is so wonderful. Just, no. And the rape could have easily been left out of the story and it would have changed very little.
Overall, did not enjoy, would not recommend, 0/10. But obviously, my issues with the book are quite specific and others really love Kristin Hannah. I, however, will not be reading any more of hers.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Rape, Torture, Murder
The Last Murder at the End of the World by Stuart Turton
4.0
I had almost zero idea what to expect going into this book, other than that the premise sounded interesting and friend really liked it.
And I really liked it! I had virtually no idea what was going on for most of the book, but in a good way! Like, you’re introduced to this society living on an island, as the last people on earth, and then about 40% in there’s a murder and everyone’s memory has been wiped.
This book had really interesting ideas for how the society worked, in terms of each person’s social responsibilities, personal responsibilities, and death. So, on this island everyone dies when they turn sixty (nobody knows why, how mysterious!), so they have their funeral the day before, so that the person is able to enjoy the celebration of their life and see all of the important people that they want to see, and then they go away to die. I really like that. Well, obviously not the everyone dying when they turn sixty, but the idea of celebrating them when they’re still alive.
The ending completely caught me off guard with so many reveals it left my head spinning a bit! But it was perfect! I loved the ending, I loved the rational for everything that happened throughout the story, because it was all part of a bigger plan.
I don’t really want to say anymore, because it is a fairly intricate mystery with a lot of moving parts and I’d hate to spoil anything.
And I really liked it! I had virtually no idea what was going on for most of the book, but in a good way! Like, you’re introduced to this society living on an island, as the last people on earth, and then about 40% in there’s a murder and everyone’s memory has been wiped.
This book had really interesting ideas for how the society worked, in terms of each person’s social responsibilities, personal responsibilities, and death. So, on this island everyone dies when they turn sixty (nobody knows why, how mysterious!), so they have their funeral the day before, so that the person is able to enjoy the celebration of their life and see all of the important people that they want to see, and then they go away to die. I really like that. Well, obviously not the everyone dying when they turn sixty, but the idea of celebrating them when they’re still alive.
The ending completely caught me off guard with so many reveals it left my head spinning a bit! But it was perfect! I loved the ending, I loved the rational for everything that happened throughout the story, because it was all part of a bigger plan.
I don’t really want to say anymore, because it is a fairly intricate mystery with a lot of moving parts and I’d hate to spoil anything.
The Reeds by Arjun Basu
1.0
Received from NetGalley, thanks!
This book was terrible. The casual aphobia, homophobia, transphobia, misogyny, and ethnic erasure was really awful to read.
This isn’t the sort of book that I would normally pick up, but the blurb sounded interesting, it’s published by an Canadian Indie publisher who tends to publish stories I enjoy, so I thought I would give it a go. I have learned my lesson. I really wanted to DNF it, and I probably should have.
The book is about the Reed family, a culturally diverse family who sounded like every white suburban family I’ve ever read. The father is white and Latine, the mother is Japanese, the daughter was adopted from India, and the son was adopted from Ghana (I think? I feel terrible that I’m unsure of the country, but it was mentioned in such a offhand way that it didn’t really stick in my memory). I really don’t understand why the author would choose to make this family so diverse, but for that diversity to have zero impact on the story, other than at one point a side character asks Abby (the son) which of his parents is Black and he says neither, he’s adopted. Seriously, that is the most that is said about any of their ethnicities/cultures in the entire book. I think more is said about the next door neighbours being Jewish than is said about the family itself (the neighbours won’t come over for dinner, because the Reeds refuse to cook kosher, which, uh… 😬).
I’m not even going to bother going into the plot of the book, because it’s like any other litfic family drama I’ve ever read. It was just incredibly boring, with a whole lot of telling and not showing. There is an authors note at the end that talks about the book being such a mess when the author brought it to the publisher and how he was so thankful to all the wonderful people who made it a better book. Sorry, but this book is still a fucking mess, I shudder to think what it was like to begin with.
Anyway, 1/5 stars, do not recommend.
This book was terrible. The casual aphobia, homophobia, transphobia, misogyny, and ethnic erasure was really awful to read.
This isn’t the sort of book that I would normally pick up, but the blurb sounded interesting, it’s published by an Canadian Indie publisher who tends to publish stories I enjoy, so I thought I would give it a go. I have learned my lesson. I really wanted to DNF it, and I probably should have.
The book is about the Reed family, a culturally diverse family who sounded like every white suburban family I’ve ever read. The father is white and Latine, the mother is Japanese, the daughter was adopted from India, and the son was adopted from Ghana (I think? I feel terrible that I’m unsure of the country, but it was mentioned in such a offhand way that it didn’t really stick in my memory). I really don’t understand why the author would choose to make this family so diverse, but for that diversity to have zero impact on the story, other than at one point a side character asks Abby (the son) which of his parents is Black and he says neither, he’s adopted. Seriously, that is the most that is said about any of their ethnicities/cultures in the entire book. I think more is said about the next door neighbours being Jewish than is said about the family itself (the neighbours won’t come over for dinner, because the Reeds refuse to cook kosher, which, uh… 😬).
I’m not even going to bother going into the plot of the book, because it’s like any other litfic family drama I’ve ever read. It was just incredibly boring, with a whole lot of telling and not showing. There is an authors note at the end that talks about the book being such a mess when the author brought it to the publisher and how he was so thankful to all the wonderful people who made it a better book. Sorry, but this book is still a fucking mess, I shudder to think what it was like to begin with.
Anyway, 1/5 stars, do not recommend.