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documentno_is's Reviews (1.28k)
In the vein of post divorce aimless wandering accounts of 30 yr old women with children this one gives a pretty nuanced account of loss, relationships, and what it means to be a successful adult. I blew through this- I imagine it would be a very acceptable beach read or something similar.
Labeling this as science fiction is kind of insane, but I suppose I get it in a literal scense. In many ways this collection of stories was very similar to Bojack Horseman. The same somewhat self-effacing faux-accountability meets neurosis and substance absence was there. For a collection of stories that were mainly about romance and dating there was very little actual romance to be had- series of miscommunications and misrepresentations abound. I largely enjoyed these stories, they were genuine and earnest and hilarious. Sometimes the frame narrative descended into specifics that took away from the larger theme and sometimes the intention worked perfectly. I enjoyed most of the short stories- Wakeman clearly has a gift for character creation. The poetry/ flash fiction fell a little flat for me. It was very much top of the notes app type stuff that would've done great at a reading but maybe shouldn't have made it into the final product.
A poignant if somewhat emotionally manipulative account of French resistance actors in WW2.
The strengths of this text lie in the ability for the author to connect us to the pain of the human experience, how we can use stories of the past to draw us from and against it. The reader feels empathy for the characters of the text because many of the ways we suffer (as women) are similar- even as they experience a greater heightened pursuit of survival. Being given a material example of how to overcome immense human suffering is inherently valuable.
Some of the weaknesses of the text were in it's cliches ( many of the things that it relies for to achieve emotional depth are a double edged sword- how many similar stories have we read that were told differently and often better.) I'm not sure the characters of Isabel and Vianne were well rounded enough for me, I think they often fell flat in favor of furthering the plot and intensity of the pace.
The strengths of this text lie in the ability for the author to connect us to the pain of the human experience, how we can use stories of the past to draw us from and against it. The reader feels empathy for the characters of the text because many of the ways we suffer (as women) are similar- even as they experience a greater heightened pursuit of survival. Being given a material example of how to overcome immense human suffering is inherently valuable.
Some of the weaknesses of the text were in it's cliches ( many of the things that it relies for to achieve emotional depth are a double edged sword- how many similar stories have we read that were told differently and often better.) I'm not sure the characters of Isabel and Vianne were well rounded enough for me, I think they often fell flat in favor of furthering the plot and intensity of the pace.
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I enjoyed the complexity Serle wrote into the mother daughter relationship and how she used their shared past to reinforce their relationship even after her mother has passed.
I did not love the part where she sets up a whirlwind romance with an interesting character - for really half the duration of the novel. Only to end it abruptly so that she can resume her boring marriage with her milquetoast dweeb of a husband.
I think there was also a lack of uniqueness in this story it was very “fun summer novel” despite some of the more difficult subject matter.
I think there was also a lack of uniqueness in this story it was very “fun summer novel” despite some of the more difficult subject matter.
adventurous
dark
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Honestly felt like a how to of how not to write a fantasy novel, which checks out because this was much more of a romance novel with fantasy elements and I doubt Id have read it had I know that.
- Feeling immediate physical attraction to a character randomly who she has a bad relationship with ? Check.
- Lazy world building that sloppily pulls together elements of classic fantasy with half baked random creations (why is day spelled as dae ?) Don’t get me started on the “creators” expression that was overused to maximum effect.
- Inconsistent Tone ( went from extremely dark and gritty to kind of medievalish rural)
- Sex out of nowhere without appropriate set up, tension
Most importantly BAD pacing. Huge sections of over expository world building and jumping back and forth to a character we aren’t properly introduced to until much later. This book was just not for me.
- Feeling immediate physical attraction to a character randomly who she has a bad relationship with ? Check.
- Lazy world building that sloppily pulls together elements of classic fantasy with half baked random creations (why is day spelled as dae ?) Don’t get me started on the “creators” expression that was overused to maximum effect.
- Inconsistent Tone ( went from extremely dark and gritty to kind of medievalish rural)
- Sex out of nowhere without appropriate set up, tension
Most importantly BAD pacing. Huge sections of over expository world building and jumping back and forth to a character we aren’t properly introduced to until much later. This book was just not for me.
challenging
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
funny
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Alright, I think this is my least favorite Mhairi McFarlane book. She's still a great author so the book is... alright. Plot wise it was a mess, way too much exposition on the front end that felt like an arduous slog and then the pace picked up appropriately in the middle just for a confusing conclusion. If you're not one for continuous misunderstanding/miscommunication I wouldn't bother picking this one up its the central conflict- even so far as introducing a second love interest just to completely drop him when he was no longer needed? It was bad enough I almost found myself rooting for him over the male lead and its quite difficult to cut through my introduced first bias. It's bad when my favorite parts of the novel where just the protagonist and the second male lead having normal office conversations. Still throughout all this McFarlane's wit and humor still shines through. The whole thing felt like a fan-inspired sequel cash grab and maybe a story that didn't need to be told.
funny
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This is one I'm glad I stuck with- because the beginning had absolutely nothing to grab me. One of the most initially unlikable main characters in a romance I've ever experienced. Not to mention the entire beginning aside where she admits she doesn't know what linguistics is... as a writer? In some small pity I do feel like maybe this was an example of an author being interested in educated and intelligent main characters that maybe didn't have the chops to convey that believably to an audience. I did enjoy seeing these characters grow and change together and I think overall it ended in a believable and satisfying way but these characters were hard to root for even as anti-heros and I don't experience that often. I'm of the opinion a character doesn't have to be likable to be interesting but this FMC was neither, the cornerstone of her young personality was being her bestfriend's biggest hater (despite continually talking about her obsessively close relationship with her.) While I ultimately ended up enjoying the novel I can't say it entirely redeemed itself.
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
sad
tense
fast-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
I’ll start by saying this was a very enjoyable read, and I really hesitated in not giving it a proper 4 stars. The end just fell a little flat to me given the strength of most of the novel. I whole heartedly agree with the theming and thought the novel was very well structured. A little bit of a pet peave was for a meta book that was focused on writing craft and process as the vehicle for this love story it was annoying that Center chose to have major plot points overheard by the main character not once but twice! Also my least favorite trope is celebrity dating, but it was one of the best renditions of the trope I’ve read.
emotional
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I was watching a reality tv breakdown the other day (by tell the bees) that was taking about how the anxiously attached have won the internet and I feel like this book is in some small way a part of this. I do love a growth story and a love that doesn’t work out it’s very indicative of life and something we can all learn from. At the same time I also can’t help thinking about this idea that “he lost the best thing he ever had” is equal parts a complete farce and unlikely given their complete lack of ability to communicate with each other.