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documentno_is's Reviews (1.28k)
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
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
Inflating review because the fourth story had me actually clutching my sides.
Build a Body Like Mine ⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Problem Solver ⭐️⭐️
She’s Always Hungry ⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Shadow Over Little Chitaly ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Hollow Bones ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Goth gf ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Extinction Event ⭐️
Night stalkers ⭐️⭐️
Shake Well ⭐️⭐️
The King ⭐️
Company Man ⭐️⭐️
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I had some issues with this novel, which in spite of these issues I’ll admit to enjoying. First, the writing was beautiful, the themes symbols and imagery throughout are perfect for the tale and the gothic feel was interesting. I loved that throughout the novel they are all being haunted by the ghosts of the previous characters. I also wish this hadn't been branded as a "feminist retelling" because although this is a branding issue and not the author's fault, I didn't find this story to be particularly feminist? Women are not given agency in this tale and while that is the point, I don't think by virtue of talking about DV a story is inherently feminist or that this was a feminist interpretation.
The Pacing/Length
Within the first 1/4 of this novel the reader is given all the information they will need until the end- the tale weaves through specifics and iterations but never ultimately changes it’s theme, imagery, or “point.” The way that certain women’s love for him obfuscates his violence never alters- so I don’t understand why we needed both “Agnes” and “Cherry Girl” to learn all this. The book could have ended when he killed his son- and I understand it was trying to cover the material of the initial story which if so the author should have altered the pacing to adapt to this. There was no real point to going through all the wives the way it did. Like, the final three chapters are all conclusions- why did this novel need three conclusions?
Clarity
I’ll start by saying I don’t like to have everything spelled out for me, and I prefer certain things left to the imagination in a novel but there were points when this novel felt very unclear. The setting altered many times and sometimes it seemed the time period was unclear- I kept coming across reviews that mentioned this novel as a modern fairytale but I couldn’t for the life of me what made it modern sometimes it felt so historical and other times we mention cars and vcrs and it seems so out of place and foreign in the tone of the novel, I quite hated it.
Alterations
Theme
In conclusion, I feel like this story had beautiful imagery and a lot of potential. By the time we get to the point with their son I felt that the author had spun something together that was equal parts unique, historical, and entertaining. Unfortunately this is one is really not reigned in, and winds around aimlessly in the end. Even the climax is so expected that by the time it comes around you’re practically begging for it so the story can finally wrap up. I think the problem with vague fairytales like this is that they’re supposed to be short and deeply meaningful, so in trying to expand upon them you run the risk of losing what made the initial purpose so effective.
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
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
I loved how this was written- the complex characters, slight witticism but with a mature style it was fantastic. Unfortunately I wasn't completely sold on the character relationships, on an individual level they were interesting but I didn't fully believe how they all came together and reacted in certain situations. I liked the town in Jersey as it's own character- going through many things all cities go through with enough uniqueness that it caught my attention. The turtle metaphor was a little overly-pedantic and there were elements of this novel I wish played out more subtly.
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
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
A fun character piece surrounding a mystery in a graveyard that doesn't quite live up to the height of the author's other work. On the positive side, there was great character work here and the central premise of a cast meeting every night to chain smoke was nice but because it's a novella the characters never really get the chance to *go there.* It's an interesting decision to write a character piece as a short story and suffers from it's short length as certain characters stories are dropped off (Edie) while others are allowed to shine (Hannah.) It certainly won't stop me from reading more M.L. Rio despite not being overwhelmingly impressive or anything.
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
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:
No
Over before it even really began- Foster is an effective short story that feels a bit too emotionally manipulative at times. In so little pages Keegan does a phenomenal job introducing a rich cast of characters with a complex set of problems. Slowly the reader discovers the difficulties these people have gone through, and how it has effected the way they live and interact (after a great tragedy.) This novel is about the importance of care, compassion, and a reminder that family is not always a biologically decided incident. The setting was rich, and rural and the characters felt like they fit without becoming stereotyped or caricatured.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This novel creates something really special with the way that it lulls you into it's pacing, and weaves melancholy and strange science through what is otherwise a monotonous boarding school coming of age drama. I think the story really benefits from its slow pacing, and the lack of "reveal" of the science fiction elements was something I found quite effective (seemingly in contrast to other reviewers. ) The lack of reveal creates a liminal space in which the love and relationships they share can never be truly realized or fulfilled but it's apparent that these factors can't bar them from having these relationships in the first place. These character stories are complex, I think as much as certain characters "fit" with each other they also don't and instead you get a profound feeling of loneliness and are left to come to terms with the fact that as much as we can forge connections we are also truly alone. I felt completely submerged in the ordinariness of the school relationships, as the importance of the more science fiction elements began to slip away Ishiguro would pull us back in by revealing something of the true nature of this story. The entire feeling evoked by this novel was so bittersweet- I'm impressed by the craft but the nature of the story leaves me wanting.
adventurous
challenging
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
N/A
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I have to admit initially I was a little put of by the style of this- it felt a little too one note and I had trouble connecting to the prose (poems, really,) that felt a little too short and romantic in nature. As I immersed further into the concept I was surprised to find myself being deeply moved by Calvino's universal platitudes about how cities are perceived by those who live in them vs those who conquer and how their legends develop past and onward to society. As somebody who had traveled often I think this book speaks to an encroaching similarity in the parallels that we an draw between all places. How as the mythos of the city falls away we find in it the same trappings of all places imbued with our memories. This book was so moving and inspiring, and I really liked the thematic through line that developed through this interesting stylized piece of literature, even if it was a bit jarring at inception. I hold a special interest in novels that I think accomplish capturing something other mediums cannot, the kind of story that can only be told in a book and I think the dreamlike narratives Calvino weaves are just that- the longer you force connections the more you will be disappointed. Each city is different and yet each city is the same, only Marco Polo can traverse the experiences on the ground but with it he brings his memories, attachments, etc. Meanwhile Khan is trapped in the disillusionment of his empire, he cannot see what he needs to and decay surrounds.
funny
lighthearted
reflective
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
It was a pretty basic story overall but had a satisfying ending and was not unenjoyable to read. Nothing really special, didn't blow me out of the water but no real complaints either.
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
inspiring
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A funny and terrifying somewhat anticlimactic novel, terminally unique- to use its own words. It’s also always fun to read about a place you love in the eyes of another.
lighthearted
fast-paced
TL/DR: It's not great.
I understand the fiscal genius of putting out potboiler “everything you like is okay” whimsical self-help drivel- even if I disagree with her central premise that we shouldn’t interrogate our interests and examine our consumption. More interesting is the central presumption that she gets wrong- the implication that people who like complicated media are putting up some sort of pseudo-intellectual facade and she is exposing them for being charlatans; but she’s wrong, people love this stuff. Many people inherently, love to be challenged by what they consume, ruminating on it for days to come as they further interrogate the breath and wonder of possibilities. So while I somewhat agree with her that something being popular shouldn’t diminish its quality, if anything it maybe ought to enhance it- we are still responsible and conscious humans who are responsible for what we like and what that says about our character.
I understand the fiscal genius of putting out potboiler “everything you like is okay” whimsical self-help drivel- even if I disagree with her central premise that we shouldn’t interrogate our interests and examine our consumption. More interesting is the central presumption that she gets wrong- the implication that people who like complicated media are putting up some sort of pseudo-intellectual facade and she is exposing them for being charlatans; but she’s wrong, people love this stuff. Many people inherently, love to be challenged by what they consume, ruminating on it for days to come as they further interrogate the breath and wonder of possibilities. So while I somewhat agree with her that something being popular shouldn’t diminish its quality, if anything it maybe ought to enhance it- we are still responsible and conscious humans who are responsible for what we like and what that says about our character.
As Stassi proves again she may very well be the most capable of her former show compatriots, she still isn’t quite the truth sayer she reports herself to be. I love a pulpy memoir, and at least Stassi’s over others I’ve read this year had somewhat of a central premise and wasn’t ghostwritten, and furthermore at least she bothered to do the audiobook herself (looking at you Spears.) This novel is enjoyable in the same way Vanderpump is, like the caramel corn of novels- crunchy, poppy, lacking significantly in nutritional value, and that’s what makes you enjoy it. So I would rather Stassi lean into that familiar formula of drama and rage- rather than masquerade as somebody able to impart any kind of real advice to people, who has really only barely figured out how to manage her own life.
She often contradicts herself in this piece, when she makes some inflammatory remarks about interests and style but then walks all of them back in some misguided attempt to appear nicer or more accepting than she is- we know you’re a bitch Stassi, it’s okay that’s what we like about you. Also saying Paris Hilton isn’t a fashion icon? What is she smoking? The more obnoxious parts were actually easier to lean into because she’s being the hateful persona we expect from her- “when somebody has the audacity to suggest coffee at a place that doesn’t have alcohol.” There are some indictments of femininity, or the essentials of being a woman here that could probably be unpacked further but it’s eclipsed by her lack of focus and inability to look a things in a non-superficial way.
Overall, this book failed for me because it failed to exist in the pulpy “love to hate it” realm that Vanderpump does- it tried to hit above and missed. I’m aware I’m not really her audience, in real life she would find me pretentious and I would find her inane. I do think it somewhat ironic that she wrote a book on the premise that you can enjoy anything you like without the expense of thinking critically and then ultimately was cancelled for not thinking about her actions critically. If I were trying to sanitize my image of being inadvertently, if not maliciously, racist I would likely not write an entire book about shirking the consequences of my actions, thoughts, and opinions. This book was exhausting, and I’m worse off for reading it- yet Stassi ultimately wins with me because I love Vanderpump enough to continue consuming her content no matter how bad it is. To expand on my previous potboiler comment, it is clear she was searching for material (further supported by the inclusion of so many unecessary ranked lists.) Greater yet, it is wild to think that she is the most mature of her former co-stars if this is the *filtered* contents of her inner monologue. Although, yeah I suppose I love pizza and ranch so cast a wide enough net and you’re bound to catch something. This entire book reads like early 2000s cosmo article, with the ranked lists and barren sexual self help. Maybe a little redemption in the end? Unsure..