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evonna's reviews
13 reviews
Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman
emotional
funny
mysterious
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
4.0
Conversations with Friends by Sally Rooney
emotional
reflective
tense
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
4.0
To say I found every single character in this book insufferable would be an understatement. Oddly enough, this very facet sustained my reading. I have been particularly drawn to books on extramarital affairs as of lately and this quenched my thirst.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood
Moderate: Self harm
Playing in the Dark: Whiteness and the Literary Imagination by Toni Morrison
informative
medium-paced
4.5
My only complaint is that it is too short.
Intimacies by Katie Kitamura
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-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
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Incest, Domestic abuse, and Pedophilia
Luster by Raven Leilani
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I wanted to love this book so bad. I really did. However, as a reader, I was situated in an inner monologue that I could barely decipher without a dictionary by my side. Many of the metaphors went over my head. As a result, I was not able to empathize with our protagonist, Edie, as much I would have wanted to. Her motivations throughout the novel were foreign to me for the majority of the narrative.
Simply put, the writing style is just not for me. While others have described this as humorous, ain’t shit funny to me. This book is absolutely devastating. Poetically so. Despite my less-than-stunning review, I most definitely intend on rereading Luster because I cannot stop thinking about it, that's for sure.
Simply put, the writing style is just not for me. While others have described this as humorous, ain’t shit funny to me. This book is absolutely devastating. Poetically so. Despite my less-than-stunning review, I most definitely intend on rereading Luster because I cannot stop thinking about it, that's for sure.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abortion, Death of parent, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, and Suicide
People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
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
4.5
If a slow-burn rom-com and a coming-of-age story had a baby, this would be it. Admittedly, one kinda has to suspend disbelief while reading this kind of narrative. Nonetheless, it is extremely well-written and was constantly reinventing itself over the course of the book.
Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata
emotional
reflective
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
4.0
This could have been a 4 ⭐️ book EASILY. I wish the critique of capitalism was a tad more explicit. Also I think such critique would have benefited from the author giving us insight, from the perspective of Keiko, into how the coworkers act in an environment outside of the store.
edit: My gut was telling me to bump this book to 4 stars, so I bumped the book to 4 stars. The world-building of the convenience store coupled with conversations with “normal” people is an explicit, yet subtle, critique of capitalist ideology.
edit: My gut was telling me to bump this book to 4 stars, so I bumped the book to 4 stars. The world-building of the convenience store coupled with conversations with “normal” people is an explicit, yet subtle, critique of capitalist ideology.
Content Warnings
Minor: Rape
Corregidora by Gayl Jones
challenging
dark
emotional
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
4.0
Jones’ insight into intergenerational trauma and desire brought me to tears. If you like endings where everything is resolved with a ribbon tied around all loose ends, this book will leave you deeply unsatisfied.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Racism, Rape, and Incest