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documentno_is's Reviews (1.29k)
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
A long and winding saga about tragedy, disability, love, and friendship. I went into this novel knowing people found it depressing and sort of pointless and I can agree and disagree with that assessment.
Pros:
-The characters were deep, particularly Harold, Jude, Willem, ans JB were written with complexity and nuance.
-A stark and harrowing realness established the tone; I didn’t find this novel gratuitously sad just as difficult to sit with as much of the subject matter it dealt with.
- The chapters on Jude and Willem dealing withthe complex nature of their ability share intimacy were my favorite chapters, the author painstakingly built our understanding of both of their motivations and drive which made me sympathetic to their difficulty in finding closeness that was suitable for each other.
-I found Harold and Jude’s relationship particularly special, finding a new way to be a father after losing his son while never conflating the two of them was beautiful
Cons:
- there was a general pessimism, and almost ridiculous amount of tragedy the author threw at these characters it felt almost gratuitous at times, in the content warning sections the bottom I realized it contained graphic descriptions of almost every kind.
-Where the fuck was Malcolm for like 85% of this book? Removed in editing after setting him up to be such an interesting character was almost a disservice to the reader.
-I was really hoping for somewhat of a JB redemption arc but he really stayed the villain until the end, especially after Malcolm and Willem died I was hoping he would step up but instead we got the kiss, regardless I was interested in his addiction story.
- I hated that the mystery of Jude’s tragedy was being used as a narrative device / the entire “ what happened to him” angle too closely mimicked the overly comfortable way in which society invades disabled people’s autonomy and almost counteracted the authors purpose/theme because a lot of what made Jude’s life so unbearable was people’s inability to give him agency and decision in his own life.
Ultimately an often poignant and sometimes overly long tale of friends navigating the difficulties of life. I recommend, with heavy SA trigger warnings.
Pros:
-The characters were deep, particularly Harold, Jude, Willem, ans JB were written with complexity and nuance.
-A stark and harrowing realness established the tone; I didn’t find this novel gratuitously sad just as difficult to sit with as much of the subject matter it dealt with.
- The chapters on Jude and Willem dealing with
-
Cons:
- there was a general pessimism, and almost ridiculous amount of tragedy the author threw at these characters it felt almost gratuitous at times, in the content warning sections the bottom I realized it contained graphic descriptions of almost every kind.
-
-
- I hated that the mystery of Jude’s tragedy was being used as a narrative device / the entire “ what happened to him” angle too closely mimicked the overly comfortable way in which society invades disabled people’s autonomy and almost counteracted the authors purpose/theme because a lot of what made Jude’s life so unbearable was people’s inability to give him agency and decision in his own life.
Ultimately an often poignant and sometimes overly long tale of friends navigating the difficulties of life. I recommend, with heavy SA trigger warnings.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Addiction, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Vomit, Grief, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Toxic friendship, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail
funny
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I'd likely be less critical of this one if I hadn't read her others, plot wise this was all over the place. Not to mention Macfarlane's lens never really lands on a character or moment to focus on until the end-almost like she can't decide what story she's telling.
adventurous
emotional
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Certainly not my first Emily Henry read, so was expecting a cute fluffy romance with driving plot and characters that felt a little trope-y so imagine my surprise when she finally cracked the formula! I found this novel a joy, the premise was fun but the characters were dynamic and complex and had flaws that endeared them to me rather than annoying me. The setting was wonderful as well, I felt the community and relationships and their role in this story- which was a gripping story of love, disappointment, family, and expectations.
I should have known how much I would love it based on premise alone, a relationship based on revenge at cheating exes? The drama!
Occasionally I find Henry's narrative voice too relaxed or "millennial" but that never seeped through in this novel, which wasn't to say that it didn't feel timely but just not forced. It might be too early to tell but I think this might end up being one of my favorites of the year (especially in contemporary fic/rom.)
Occasionally I find Henry's narrative voice too relaxed or "millennial" but that never seeped through in this novel, which wasn't to say that it didn't feel timely but just not forced. It might be too early to tell but I think this might end up being one of my favorites of the year (especially in contemporary fic/rom.)
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Wanted to give one of her books a shot since I loved Big Little Lies, and I liked it ! Nothing mind-blowing but there were some pretty complex character stories and running suspense that kept me interested throughout. I think my main criticism is that the book went on about five chapters too long but then came back with a large upswing. Some of the redemption arc felt forced and I hated the Covid tie in but loved the final chapter with the truth about Savannah.
challenging
dark
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Baby’s First Socialism / The Saddest Book I've Ever Read
I’m ultimately glad I read this, but its obviously for the audience of it’s time. I understand the need to appeal to his largely uninformed audience but the author’s sense of empathy for the working class doesn’t extend much further and is in no way intersectional (the moralizing is very western and very christian with is expected for a Lithuanian man of the time.)
Ch. 26 and on get quite racist in their descriptions and tone, I should have predicted this in even the exotifying way the author spoke of Lithuanians, not even familiar enough with us not to call us slavic but entranced by our “strange” and “foreign” customs.
The whole thing probably could have been a 50 page pamphlet
I also went into this expecting more about Lithuanians in Chicago at the time in a specific way rather than shell characters used to convey an ideology. My own family lived and worked in Chicago in this exact environment so I was curious to know more of what their life was like.
A good expose on all the ways the capitalist system turns normal hard working people into grifters and manipulators, or kills them in the process. The painstaking detail of all the horrors of reality was a difficult pill to swallow, and Upton refuses to allow his reader to look away from the tragedies that befall Jurgus and his family. No way to win and no way to get out, the wheel just keeps turning. Important literature in a historical sense but we have much better now both for theory and for literature.
p.s. if you like me are going to consume this novel via audiobook, maybe don't do so if you actually speak Lithuanian because the reader certainly did not.
p.s. if you like me are going to consume this novel via audiobook, maybe don't do so if you actually speak Lithuanian because the reader certainly did not.
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I have to say I was in search of a good high fantasy novel, and this really scratched that itch.
I've been reading Cassandra Clare novels for the good part of a decade so when I saw a new one at the library I had never heard of I thought I would be in for another creative romance with compelling characters and good world building but what I got instead was a slightly elevated version of what she has previously put out that has begun to approach the realm of true fantasy.
I'll describe in pieces:
The world building: Contrived, but thorough. The extent of this world is documented in a entertaining a fashion as possible but Clare is clearly setting us up for a large scale epic and I'm excited to see where she takes it. It was somewhat reminiscent of Victoria Aveyard with more interesting storytelling cemented by our close first person narration, flipping equally between two characters who are not quite involved with each other but deeply involved in the facets of different aspects of the same city. I LOVED the narration techniques, the characterization, and especially the family/house allegiances work that Clare starts to nail down with House Aurelian and the entity that is the Ashkar, there are elements of prejudice and frustration that parallel reality without being anything close to satire. There are aspects that didn't quite work for me where Clare takes too much inspiration from certain cultural or religious elements irl but each one was a blip in the road and not damning in the scheme of the novel.
The pacing: This is the real issue with this novel, and why it took me so long to read it. It took me WEEKS to get through the first couple chapters and then the rest of the book I had finished in a few days. If you can get through the expository bits in the beginning it really is worth the ride, Clare has crafted a multi-layered tale involving many allegiances, betrayals, secrets, and alliances and I'm just as excited to uncover them as the characters in the story.
Characters: Like I covered previously, the relationships between certain characters are at the forefront of this novel and the payoff is huge. I will admit I went in expecting some romance given my knowledge of Clare's body of work but really didn't find myself missing it by the end of the novel.I think the most interesting prospective pairing is Kel + Antonetta although I could tell Clare wanted me to lean more towards Conor + Lin, I'm interested to see how Lin + Kel's friendship will develop knowing Conor isn't telling Kel the extent of his relationship with Lin and so on.
To finalize, really great first novel but should certainly be considered one of many in a series? I feel as if this story is only beginning to be told and given the longish length of this book I'm expecting at least a couple more. As long as Clare can nail down a better pacing for the rest of the series I'll certainly be continuing.
I've been reading Cassandra Clare novels for the good part of a decade so when I saw a new one at the library I had never heard of I thought I would be in for another creative romance with compelling characters and good world building but what I got instead was a slightly elevated version of what she has previously put out that has begun to approach the realm of true fantasy.
I'll describe in pieces:
The world building: Contrived, but thorough. The extent of this world is documented in a entertaining a fashion as possible but Clare is clearly setting us up for a large scale epic and I'm excited to see where she takes it. It was somewhat reminiscent of Victoria Aveyard with more interesting storytelling cemented by our close first person narration, flipping equally between two characters who are not quite involved with each other but deeply involved in the facets of different aspects of the same city. I LOVED the narration techniques, the characterization, and especially the family/house allegiances work that Clare starts to nail down with House Aurelian and the entity that is the Ashkar, there are elements of prejudice and frustration that parallel reality without being anything close to satire. There are aspects that didn't quite work for me where Clare takes too much inspiration from certain cultural or religious elements irl but each one was a blip in the road and not damning in the scheme of the novel.
The pacing: This is the real issue with this novel, and why it took me so long to read it. It took me WEEKS to get through the first couple chapters and then the rest of the book I had finished in a few days. If you can get through the expository bits in the beginning it really is worth the ride, Clare has crafted a multi-layered tale involving many allegiances, betrayals, secrets, and alliances and I'm just as excited to uncover them as the characters in the story.
Characters: Like I covered previously, the relationships between certain characters are at the forefront of this novel and the payoff is huge. I will admit I went in expecting some romance given my knowledge of Clare's body of work but really didn't find myself missing it by the end of the novel.
To finalize, really great first novel but should certainly be considered one of many in a series? I feel as if this story is only beginning to be told and given the longish length of this book I'm expecting at least a couple more. As long as Clare can nail down a better pacing for the rest of the series I'll certainly be continuing.
lighthearted
fast-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
An unnecessarily detailed account of a wealthy family's Brooklyn lives for around a year's time. By the time I realized this novel was going to say nothing interesting about class or wealth... I was too far in to quit. Instead I read on as Jackson fumbles on about the toils of being a millionaire. In being gifted a ridiculous property after losing their inheritance to finally regaining their morality and agency by funneling money into the non-profit industrial system, the endings of Pineapple St. are infinitely more fruitless than the novel's forceful historical motif. A wretched waste of time.
hopeful
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Probably her best novel, happy place gives me everything I love about reading an Emily Henry novel with less of the grating millennial banter and giant plot holes. I think the selling point of this novel was the genuine love and heartbreak these characters experienced trying to love each other in the “right” way. I almost wish they hadn’t ended up together because their genuine assessment of their inabilities to be what each other needed was more poignant than any “we’ll make it work” platitudes could carry.
challenging
reflective
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Largest Gripe:
- Okay, so having a Lithuanian character named Irina was weird because that’s not a typical Lithuanian name, maybe Irma would have been better. Irina is a typical Russian/Polish/Ukrainian name though… Hilderbrand couldn’t be bothered to even search most popular baby names Lithuania ? It honestly totally took me out and rubbed me the wrong way. It’s not like no Lithuanian has ever been named Irina, but rather than saying like yeah my half Russian half Lithuanian coworker, and then even mentioning she is a recent immigrant so it would be worth noting her name isn’t Lithuanian? Then of course she makes them into typical caricatures of post-Soviet Slavic women who “hunt” rich men ? These are the kind of jokes that should be made from inside the house, and the poor research and xenophobia completely discredits almost everything Hilderbrand said after. I'm so tired of the "slavic bimbo" trope, especially when the woman in question supposedly isn't even slavic!
Otherwise:
- the rest of this novel was hallmark sweet, a fun and serious story about relationships between women. Like a more uppity version of Bridesmaids meets New England drama.
- I felt like the complexities of female friendships were really ironed out in this one, I loved the juxtaposition between the "perceived" Hollis and how she was depicted as almost equally genuine to her outward persona if a little vanity obsessed. "The matching dresses just look better in pictures," was a funny trope- lambasted by her 'realer' childhood friend for harping on aesthetics but her friend becomes a willing participant when given the financial opportunity to engage in the frivolity.
- I wasn't entirely sold on the waffling between distant/close third for this novel, I understand the stylistic choice of following Hollis as an outsider and then as "the inside" but all it really accomplished was adding emotional distance between characters I already had trouble connecting with.
lighthearted
reflective
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:
Yes
I feel empathetic to the feeling of getting to a point in life where you realize you've spent so much energy making yourself safe that you forget to check if your happy
That said, I wasn't buying the resolution of this pairing, many of the solutions to communication issues they had were for her to just get over it? The writing was nothing special but the plot was well structured and kept the story moving. I liked the focus on the less touristy parts of Long Island. Overall a nice "beach read" to flip through even on dry land.
That said, I wasn't buying the resolution of this pairing, many of the solutions to communication issues they had were for her to just get over it? The writing was nothing special but the plot was well structured and kept the story moving. I liked the focus on the less touristy parts of Long Island. Overall a nice "beach read" to flip through even on dry land.