fernfuentes's reviews
366 reviews

My Struggle, Book Three by Karl Ove Knausgård

dark emotional informative reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

First off, I am salivating over the fantastic transition between volume 2 and volume 3. Ending 2 with memories of childhood flooding in at the sight of his childhood town, to then all of volume 3 being about those formative years was absolute perfection. 

Now, volume 3. This one broke my heart a million different ways. Karl Ove’s fear and hatred for his father was written so incredibly that he would be describing something as meaningless as losing a sock and I would be filled with fear for what would happen when he got home. But on the other end, he so perfectly captures what it’s like to be a kid falling in love for the first time. This seems to be the least liked volume, but I loved every damn second of it.

My Struggle: Book Two: A Man in Love by Karl Ove Knausgård

dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective sad slow-paced

5.0

"Technical? Technical? Easy for you to say, that is. You can spend twenty pages describing a trip to the bathroom and hold your readers spellbound.”
- Karl Ove Knausgård, My Struggle Book 2, pg. 124

This quote perfectly sums up how I feel about Karl Ove’s immense writing talent. In truth, he doesn’t do anything flashy at all, but there’s something so captivating about the way he strings together every single sentence. I don’t think I’ve ever felt about a work of nonfiction the way I feel about this 6 volume set.

Book 2 of My Struggle, titled: A Man In Love is possibly the most relatable work of literature I’ve ever read. From the look of other reviews, I can tell most people who read it feel that way. It’s terrifying how honest Knausgård is about himself in these books. In autobiographies, you always see the author essentially put themselves on pedestals. Not Karl Ove; across over 1,000 pages in the first 2 books, he’s made no effort to hide his darkest parts, and I love him for it. I could talk about this book for hours, because I really think it found me in a time of my life where I connect so deeply with his words. Instead, I’ll share some quotes from the book that hit me the hardest and I identified with the most. 

"The saint image. No modern person wants to be a saint. What is a saintly  life? Suffering, sacrifice and death. Who the hell would want a great inner life  if they don't have any outer life? People only think of what introversion can  give them in terms of external life and success. What is the modern view of  a prayer? There is only one kind of prayer for modern people and that is as  an expression of desire. You don't pray unless there is something you want."
- Karl Ove Knausgård, My Struggle Book 2, pg. 464

“Don't believe you are anybody.
Do not fucking believe you are somebody.
Because you are not. You're just a smug, mediocre little shit.
Do not believe that you're anything special. Do not believe that you're
worth anything, because you aren't. You're just a little shit.
So keep your head down and work, you little shit. Then, at least, you'll get something out of it. Shut your mouth, keep your head down, work and know that you're not worth a shit.
This, more or less, was what I had learned.
This was the sum of all my experience.
This was the only worthwhile thought I'd ever had.”
- Karl Ove Knausgård, My Struggle Book 2, pg. 501

“I toyed with the idea of suicide, I had ever since I was small and despised myself for that reason, it would never happen, I had too much to avenge, too many people to hate and too much due to me.”
- Karl Ove Knausgård, My Struggle Book 2, pg. 540

Please read these books. They’re incredibly real, like nothing I’ve ever seen and probably never will see again.

My Struggle, Book One by Karl Ove Knausgård

dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-paced

5.0

“I saw life; I thought about death.”

THIS!!!! Is a true, absolute, literary masterpiece. I’ve never found myself so enraptured by a work of nonfiction in my life. I can’t believe there are 5 more volumes. What a blessing. This is one of those that stays with you forever. Karl Ove’s gift of description is unmatched. The way he writes about his grandmother is incredibly haunting and heartbreaking. I am so glad I have all 6 volumes because I would die if I had to wait to read the rest.

Down with the System: A Memoir (Of Sorts) by Serj Tankian

emotional informative inspiring reflective sad slow-paced

5.0

Wow. Incredible book. I’ve always admired Serj because that dude stands on business at all times. He really is about that activist life. To hear that his love for making music didn’t come until later in his adult life is pretty amazing. I really appreciate the way this book deep dives into the Armenian Genocide that Türkiye committed in 1915. As for the SOAD stuff, I’m sure Daron has his own side to the story, but he definitely comes off as pompous here, and after reading this book, I don’t think we’ll ever get another SOAD album. I had no idea the drama was that intense.

Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros

adventurous dark emotional funny sad fast-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? Yes

5.0

Rebecca, you outdid yourself on this one, wow! It has to be really hard to give side characters strong development when the story is told in first person, but the development was top notch. Onyx Storm had the best story out of the 3 in my opinion. Super action packed, with fantastic plot and really great dialogue. It’s really hard to make me laugh when reading but some of the snarky comments from the gang really got me. That ending was soooo risky but honestly it has me ridiculously pumped for book 4!!!

Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros

adventurous emotional funny hopeful sad fast-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? Yes

5.0

Really enjoyed this sequel. Maybe even more than the first one? Loved all the new characters, and surprisingly fond of Cat. Omg that ending, man 😭😭😭 immediately jumping into Onyx Storm!!

Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros

adventurous dark emotional 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

This was so much fun! Rebecca is an excellent writer, and her characters were great and diverse. Fuck Dain. All my homies hate Dain. Really excited to dive right into the next book after that insane ending.

What You Are Looking For Is in the Library by Michiko Aoyama

hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted reflective relaxing 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

4.0

This was a really sweet book. Marketed as a novel, this is actually a collection of short stories, but they’re so interconnected that I can see how it works as a novel. Each story had a great message. The library itself plays a somewhat minor part on the forefront as we follow the lives of these individuals seeking knowledge and understanding. Will definitely be seeking out more titles by Michiko.

Evidence of the Affair by Taylor Jenkins Reid

adventurous emotional tense fast-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? Yes

5.0

What a fantastic story. I love the way it’s formatted. Even through the form of letters, I felt like I was getting such a full story, which could not have been easy to do, even less so with the constrictions of a short story. Can’t believe I’ve never heard about this story until now. 

The Answer is No by Fredrik Backman

funny lighthearted relaxing 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? Yes

5.0

Fredrik’s done it again! Really enjoyed this short story. Even at 68 pages, it felt so full. I’ve always enjoyed his writing style and humor. I definitely feel connected to Lucas. He is me and I am him. Please just leave me alone. Might fake a coma one of these days.