drossg's reviews
16 reviews

The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen

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challenging dark emotional funny sad tense medium-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

3.0

My main thought while reading the book was that I hate the way Franzen writes about my mom, and then the last 50 pages or so were a kind of horror novella. I’m shocked and sad! I have no choice but to read Freedom and Purity.
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Taipei by Tao Lin

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

2.0

I do agree with that one guy who says that whether you like the book or not is besides the point, for what it's worth, and, to be fair, I mostly read this book to prepare to read Leave Society, which this book seems like a companion to, considering how much drugs they do, if that makes sense.
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A Person of Interest by Susan Choi

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emotional mysterious reflective sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

This book is 3 stars and not 4 only because I really just did not enjoy the sections that took place in the past, and that took up a significant portion of the book. That being said the payoff might be worth it for you! And I look forwarding to reading the author’s other work.
Stone Arabia by Dana Spiotta

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challenging dark emotional reflective sad slow-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

4.0

This one is difficult. I’d compare it to The Great Gatsby in that, while it’s far from my favorite novel, I would call it a perfect novel (I don’t actually know if this novel will, in the end, be judged as perfect, I’m more just commenting on the craft). Unlike F. Scott. Fitzgerald, though, Dana Spiotta has made me care about, and even like(!) unlikable characters (I also imagined Nik as Kyle MacLachlan, which helped)

As an aside I would recommend everyone watch The Devil and Daniel Johnston. The truth is stranger than fiction!
Mongrels by Stephen Graham Jones

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious reflective 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

5.0

I’m not much of a horror guy, but I really enjoyed what this book was using horror to do and the more I think about it the more I like it.
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A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again: Essays and Arguments by David Foster Wallace

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adventurous funny informative reflective relaxing medium-paced

4.0

Tropic of Orange by Karen Tei Yamashita

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challenging funny mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
A bit like watching Paprika, Do the Right Thing, The Limey, and Repo Man
White Teeth by Zadie Smith

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funny reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I enjoyed reading this book, Zadie Smith is a very entertaining writer. However, sometimes it felt like I was being written “at” if that makes any sense, but I also don’t know if that’s just something of a feature of English social novels™. 

I very much enjoyed all the sorts of irony in the book, particularly with the faithless-religious Samad and the not-so-religious but very full-of-faith Archie. I found all the characters endearing despite their flaws, except the Chalfens, who are my least favorite characters I’ve ever read about in my entire life (joking, slightly).
The Liars' Club: A Memoir by Mary Karr

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challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

I couldn’t say I “enjoyed” this book all the time. One of the chapters is the hardest thing I’ve read all year. It’s easy to see why, though, this book has inspired so many other memoirs. The genius of this one, though, is that the author never loses sight of the light. Her genuine love for her family always shines through. The literary merits are also worth pondering, particularly in relation to the telling of stories and the veracity of family tales. After reading this, I’m especially excited to read Lit
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Drown by Junot Díaz

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

3.0

Reviewing this book and rating it is difficult due to the controversies surrounding the author. Regarding my rating: reading this was not necessarily “enjoyable”, but you cannot help but care about the characters. That being said, the controversies surrounding the author make the work itself just feel cynical. But, do bad people have things perhaps worth saying and to consider? Hopefully, I think.

I will say, I do want to read the other books (I read this one because I wanted to read them, and that I still do is a mark in its favor). What does Yunior look like grown up? How does a grown up Junot Diaz write him? Hopefully one day we will find out.
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