dreynoldsbook's reviews
112 reviews

The Trees by Percival Everett

funny lighthearted mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

I like where the author’s coming from with this novel. I can’t help but think he came up with the idea whilst having some sort of reverie. I mean, if only!

However I found it a bit shallow despite the subject matter. The characterisation was very surface and the constant humour became strained, as is often the case when an author tries to keep up the funnies in virtually every sentence. Everyone had the same sardonic humour.

It’s a quite easy read because of the snappy paragraphs. And there are some laugh out loud moments.

The Unauthorised Biography of Ezra Maas by Daniel James

dark mysterious sad slow-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

3.0

Umberto Eco lite.

In a Lonely Place by Dorothy B. Hughes

dark tense 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? Yes

4.0

This novel is nothing like Chandler and I’m not sure why he should be ashamed of writing The Big Sleep, Farewell My Lovely and the Long Goodbye because Dorothy B Hughes wrote this, as Sara Paretsky seems to think.

Neither is this novel much like Highsmith’s Ripley. Ripley isn’t a psychopath, more of a sociopath who kills for convenience. The thing about Ripley is that Highsmith has you rooting for him. You never root for Dix. He’s a complete psychopath with no redeeming qualities.

This novel is more similar to The Killer Inside Me by Jim Thompson, although Thompson’s killer is more credible and fully formed I think. This is a great piece of noir fiction though. 

Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng

dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata

funny reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

It’s quite satirical and funny and, like her short stories, has a lot to say on societal norms and the consequences of departing from them. It did seem a bit under-developed though.

The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin

adventurous informative reflective medium-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? No

3.75

I much preferred the political intrigue and world building of the first half of the novel to the more adventurous ‘messing about in the snow’ of the second (It was cold a lot). Halfway through I’d have given it over 4 stars. I lost interest towards the end though.

The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida by Shehan Karunatilaka

challenging dark funny reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

There are some great lines in this novel and the imagery is very powerful. I didn’t really care what happened, however, because none of the characters were sympathetic, except maybe Jaki. The main protagonist was good company but not likeable. Imagine him as a straight man and all his young conquests women. 

Stoner by John Williams

emotional reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

The prose is so clear and intense. It’s very well written. Stoner is very frustrating though. He’s so lackadaisical, things just happen to him. He doesn’t even make the decision to go to university, it’s made for him. Then he switches to English because of a kind of epiphany. But he could just as easily continued with agriculture you feel.

Sad. That’s the word that is always used to describe this novel. It’s sad because Stoner constantly gives into other people. When happiness is in his grasp he allows it to get away.

His relationship with his mentally ill wife is excruciating at times. Stoner always loses to her in the war that constitutes their marriage. Unfortunately it’s not just him that suffers but also his emotionally damaged daughter.

But if it was a poorer novel I probably wouldn’t be bothered so much by these things!

The Karamazov Brothers by Fyodor Dostoevsky

challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Still a fascinating read. Maybe more so than when it was published. It tells us a lot about the  of Russia in the mid 19th century. 

So much of the book is concerned with psychology, especially mental ‘aberrations’ as the novel describes them. It seems every character is suffering. And so often they seem intent on self-harm. They work against their own interests and wishes. But often they just don’t seem to know what they want. So it’s still relevant in that way.

It’s a long book, sometimes hard work (The Grand Inquisitor I particularly struggled to fully absorb) it’s often thought provoking and quotable and mostly entertaining.

It’s a crazy ride!

The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway

adventurous dark sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Antisemitism