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emilyhwilliams's reviews
265 reviews
The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese
slow-paced
4.5
Okay unsurprisingly I really liked this book. It’s a rich, multigenerational story with characters that are easy to get attached to (even when you don’t always like them) and really intricate story building. Reading the acknowledgements after and seeing how much of the stories, setting, and characters were built on Verghese’s experiences or inspired by his families stories was really cool. 0.5 points docked because this book was sooooo long and sometimes slow to get through
Everything I Know About Love: A Memoir by Dolly Alderton
emotional
funny
medium-paced
4.0
Really a memoir about the wonderful love of female friendship more than anything. Made me so nostalgic for the crumbling house I lived in with my college roommates.
Big Swiss by Jen Beagin
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Honestly this was a really weird book with very unlikeable characters. It follows Greta, a middle aged woman living in a run down, centuries old farm house who works as a transcriber for a sex therapist. She frequently identifies people around town by their voices from therapy session, but forms a significant attachment to a woman she calls “Big Swiss.”
There’s a lot of layers (and trigger warnings) to this book about mental health, abuse, infidelity. What I liked was how specifically and richly each character was written. I was never bored by Greta’s inner monologue or chaotic commentary. Despite this, all the characters were SO unlikeable to me, which made it hard to get really attached.
There’s a lot of layers (and trigger warnings) to this book about mental health, abuse, infidelity. What I liked was how specifically and richly each character was written. I was never bored by Greta’s inner monologue or chaotic commentary. Despite this, all the characters were SO unlikeable to me, which made it hard to get really attached.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Infidelity, Suicide, Death of parent, Physical abuse, and Blood
A Novel Bookstore by Laurence Cossé
slow-paced
3.0
Fine. There’s a lot of imbalance in division of the plot. Didn’t really get closure at the end which was frustrating. Characters were rich and lovable with a really romanticized setting of this beautiful bookstore. Also really liked the commentary of what defines a good book and how being able to relate that to the discussions I see online sometimes about how reading XYZ is “better” than reading something else because it’s more literary or serious appearing.
Euphoria by Lily King
adventurous
challenging
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
5.0
Absolutely wonderful. Could sense and feel all the work, research, and heart that went into this book. It’s historical and inspired by Margaret Mead, a anthropologist from the 1930s, but with a really longing romance. I couldn’t put it down.