fannysshelves's reviews
80 reviews

To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf

emotional hopeful 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

4.25

I read this for school and I probably wouldn't have picked it up otherwise, since I typically don't enjoy slow paced books. This was also my biggest issue with the book, because very little happens. It is more about experiencing the writing style, which was complec, but it felt very rewarding once I got into it and was able to enjoy it a bit more. We switch perspectives a lot but it mainly focuses on Mrs. Ramsay and Lily Briscoe, a painter. The ending was quite emotional and it is definetly one of those books that I think you enjoy more when you re-read it. my favorite part was "Time passes" because of the interesting way everything was written, and of course the gorgeous writing.

Looking Glass Sound by Catriona Ward

dark mysterious 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

4.25

The Institution by Helen Sarah Fields

adventurous mysterious medium-paced

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

4.25

A very captivating story that I really enjoyed, however there were times where the characters acted very frustrating 

I'm Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy

emotional reflective medium-paced

4.75

Normal People by Sally Rooney

emotional inspiring 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

3.75

This is a re-read for me and I definitely enjoyed it more than I did last time. The writing is very captivating and I could really connect with the characters, but I did feel a lack of connection in between the snippets of storytelling. It’s a very emotional book that definitely has some beautiful quotes and I feel like I would have enjoyed it even more if I had been in a similar situation to the characters (age and living situation wise). (No quotation marks though, -.25 for that)

Better Than the Movies by Lynn Painter

emotional funny hopeful medium-paced

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

5.0

Perfection

The Idiot by Elif Batuman
Did not finish book. Stopped at 40%.

I really liked the premise but sadly the writing and the progress of the story weren’t captivating enough for me to keep reading

One of the Girls by Lucy Clarke

adventurous slow-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

2.25

I liked the premise and some of the characters, but the story dragged on for too long and the ending kind of disappointed me.

The Castaways by Lucy Clarke

adventurous 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? No

2.0

The setting really drew me in and had me hooked. Sadly, the story stretched out very slowly and I was quite unhappy with the ending. I also didn’t like the two main characters very much and couldn’t connect with them. 

Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel

adventurous emotional hopeful 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? It's complicated

5.0

While it started of slow, the pace really picked up after the first 100 pages and the second half of the book was truly great. It is told from multiple perspectives and all the different characters link together, which I really loved. I hadn’t heard anything about the book before reading it and that gave me a great experience