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fleeno's reviews
943 reviews
Hey, Hun: Sales, Sisterhood, Supremacy, and the Other Lies Behind Multilevel Marketing by Emily Lynn Paulson
3.0
Early 2014 Emily Paulson received a Facebook msg from an old friend Becky. Well not a friend exactly, someone she'd gone to school with but never spoken to. "Hey hun, let's catch up!" Of course it was a ploy from Becky to recruit more members to her Multi Level Marketing scheme (MLM) and Emily, stay at home mum in desperate need of adult contact fell for it. Over the course of a decade Emily rose through the ranks, recruited a huge team, got the "free" car, and at one point was making over $45,000 a month. This insiders view of the MLM shows the predatory nature of MLMs, how the use and abuse customers and sellers, and why they are immoral to the core. Paulson refers to a lot of literature and studies and reflects on the cult like behaviour within MLMs, along with the dodgy (bordering on illegal) financial aspects. Throughout the book she also references the fact a lot of MLMs are largely white, Christian, often based in Utah, and how the pyramid upholds a patriarchal structure. She also makes comments about race and white supremacy which I don't necessarily disagree with, but there wasn't a lot of studies to uphold those views, it was just her opinion. There have been a few MLMs like Herbalife which purposefully targeted Hispanic communities, knowing they didn't speak English, didn't understand the contracts, and were less likely to go to the authorities for fear of being deported. Some of Paulsons arguments could have been better sustained by reference those types of events. I did appreciate though her views on how the company mined peoples misery - first her cancer diagnosis, then her battle with alcoholism, and then a second lot of cancer. The MLMs tumble into QANON, anti vaxer conspiracies during covid and the disturbing black face mask during BLM was awful but unsurprising.
Paulson doesn't name the MLM she was in, instead using a fictional name (though it was allegedly Roden + Feilds). She has said it's because she didn't want people to excuse their own MLM by saying hers was bad but theirs is OK, they're literally all the same. Herbalife, Young Living, Amway, Plexus, doTerra, Scentsy, Mary Kay, they are all the same - though arguably Amway is the blueprint for all MLMs and the most insidious (in my opinion). While I enjoyed the insiders view into my most loathed businesses, it was somewhat soured by the fact Paulson had reservations about the business very early on, was sure she needed to leave, and yet stayed for years, knowlingly earning money off people who couldn't afford it. The fact she was still pulling $10K from her downline when she hadn't sold any product or recruited new staff in over a year says everything about how dodgy multilevel marketing schemes are.
Paulson doesn't name the MLM she was in, instead using a fictional name (though it was allegedly Roden + Feilds). She has said it's because she didn't want people to excuse their own MLM by saying hers was bad but theirs is OK, they're literally all the same. Herbalife, Young Living, Amway, Plexus, doTerra, Scentsy, Mary Kay, they are all the same - though arguably Amway is the blueprint for all MLMs and the most insidious (in my opinion). While I enjoyed the insiders view into my most loathed businesses, it was somewhat soured by the fact Paulson had reservations about the business very early on, was sure she needed to leave, and yet stayed for years, knowlingly earning money off people who couldn't afford it. The fact she was still pulling $10K from her downline when she hadn't sold any product or recruited new staff in over a year says everything about how dodgy multilevel marketing schemes are.
Hey, Zoey by Sarah Crossan
4.0
Dolores likes her marriage. It's quiet, orderly, and simple. Then one day she finds a robot sex doll (Zoey) in the garage which elicits a rare emotional response in Delores. When she confronts her husband David he responds by moving out. Outraged and confused, Dolores begins talking to Zoey to see what that attraction is. A blank slate, Zoey soon fits into various roles in Dolores life, friend, confidante, punching bag and finally a mirror, Dolores realising they share the same qualities of passivity, of tolerance, of silence. Through the banal conversations and silence we hear Dolores’s efforts to keep the secret she has so painfully repressed all these years.
I thought this book may be a similar to Annie Bot (one of My favourite reads from last year), but as David continually says, this isn't about the doll. As Dolores reflects on her marriage and her mother's relationships, she is forced to confront her past and the faults her marriage she had ignored. I was expecting the story to revolve around Zoey and that she may hold answers, but she is a blank slate, an inanimate object. The story is far more introspective and deals with far more trauma than expected. The writing style has short, punchy sentences and paragraphs, making it a fast read. This is a novel that is reflective and shows, rather than tells a story, the space between the words and paragraphs reflective of the space and emptiness is Dolores and Davis relationship. I enjoyed this novel even though it was not quite what I expected.
I thought this book may be a similar to Annie Bot (one of My favourite reads from last year), but as David continually says, this isn't about the doll. As Dolores reflects on her marriage and her mother's relationships, she is forced to confront her past and the faults her marriage she had ignored. I was expecting the story to revolve around Zoey and that she may hold answers, but she is a blank slate, an inanimate object. The story is far more introspective and deals with far more trauma than expected. The writing style has short, punchy sentences and paragraphs, making it a fast read. This is a novel that is reflective and shows, rather than tells a story, the space between the words and paragraphs reflective of the space and emptiness is Dolores and Davis relationship. I enjoyed this novel even though it was not quite what I expected.
The Group by Sigge Eklund
5.0
Hanna has moved to Madrid to intern at a prestigious art gallery, and while the city is beautiful, she is lonely. Then she sees them - The Group, Tom, Samuel, and Leah. Glamorous and elegant, they are also foreigners, but unlike Hanna they are fabulously wealthy and their lives seem sophisticated and hedonistic. Hanna is desperate to belong to the group and be accepted by them - no matter what.
This was a great read, there is just the right tension throughout, while it is clear Hanna is lying about a lot, so are the rest of the group. The book has a slightly less murderous tone than The Talented Mr Ripley - and while Hanna is certainly no Tom when it comes to fooling the elite - it did remind me a little of a Ripley novel. While the group seem sophisticated and happy initially, it becomes clear as the story goes on they are just as lost and lonely as Hanna, and they are all perhaps a little crazy. This was a great story and a brilliant translation.
This was a great read, there is just the right tension throughout, while it is clear Hanna is lying about a lot, so are the rest of the group. The book has a slightly less murderous tone than The Talented Mr Ripley - and while Hanna is certainly no Tom when it comes to fooling the elite - it did remind me a little of a Ripley novel. While the group seem sophisticated and happy initially, it becomes clear as the story goes on they are just as lost and lonely as Hanna, and they are all perhaps a little crazy. This was a great story and a brilliant translation.
Bat Eater by Kylie Lee Baker
4.0
Its 2020 and Cora Zeng is working a crime scene cleaner after her sister Delilah was brutally murdered on a subway platform. The only thing she can tell the police is that the man wore a mask, a hoodie, and said the words "Bat Eater" before pushing Delilah in front of a train. Cora has been shut off from the world but lately she's noticed a trend of young, South East Asian women being viciously murdered and bays being left behind. Along with the potential serial killer she is also noticing a black spot which is turning more and more into a ghost like shape. Has Delilah turned into a Hungry Ghost or is it something more sinister? And who will get to cora first?
This was such a good mix of traditional Chinese superstition and pandemic horror. That crazy time when finding toilet paper was a blessing and someone sneezing was a curse. It captures the racist, anti Asian sentiment since covid and the variety of racism Asian people have had to deal with every day. This book combines traditional Chinese folklore with modern horror well, though it did take me a while to get into it.
This was such a good mix of traditional Chinese superstition and pandemic horror. That crazy time when finding toilet paper was a blessing and someone sneezing was a curse. It captures the racist, anti Asian sentiment since covid and the variety of racism Asian people have had to deal with every day. This book combines traditional Chinese folklore with modern horror well, though it did take me a while to get into it.
Clean by Alia Trabucco Zerán
3.0
Estela García is a house keeper and nanny for a well-to-do family in Santiago, Chile. Their child is dead and the cleaner - who of course is the prime suspect - has been locked in a room, where she begins to tell her story. Is it a confession? And to whom is she speaking? What follows is Estela’s account of her time working for the couple, whom she refers to as “the señor and señora.” Estela clearly resents her wealthy employers and both are condescending snobs, alternating between chiding Estela for every mistake and ignoring her existence. Estela has spent seven years being belittled, becoming smaller and more silent.
This is a story about class as social, economic and political troubles brew in the country. News of protests and public disturbances happen regularly in the backgroun until the family suffer a home invasionwhere Estela is cruelly humiliated. It is described as a literary horror and while there is an uneasy feeling in the home, with tensions rising, I never felt anything that sinister going on. In fact I was more worried about the homeless dog that visits the house than the child who dies (possibly because the dog was nice and the child was a horror). The ending was somewhat anticlimactic and I didn't feel like it reached the levels of tensions other reviews have described.
This is a story about class as social, economic and political troubles brew in the country. News of protests and public disturbances happen regularly in the backgroun until the family suffer a home invasionwhere Estela is cruelly humiliated. It is described as a literary horror and while there is an uneasy feeling in the home, with tensions rising, I never felt anything that sinister going on. In fact I was more worried about the homeless dog that visits the house than the child who dies (possibly because the dog was nice and the child was a horror). The ending was somewhat anticlimactic and I didn't feel like it reached the levels of tensions other reviews have described.
Funny Story by Emily Henry
2.0
Daphne is devastated when her fiance Peter leaves her for his childhood best friend Petra. Having followed Peter to his home town, Daphne knows no one except Petra's gilted boyfriend Miles, so she moves into his spare room because misery loves company. When they both receive a pity invite to Peter and Petra's engagement party Daphne tells Peter she and Miles are dating and they agree to fake date to get back at their ex's.
After a few heavy books I needed something light and this certainly did not contain any depth. Daphne spends a lot of the book saying how boring she is and she's right, she is. The fake dating is so childish that I was shocked when they characters said they were in their 30s. Pretending to date their ex's new partners ex is immature and stupid. There is no tension between Miles and Daphne because it's clear they like each other from the begining. The only conflict is that they just got out of long term relationships but that's hardly an insurmountable reason to not be together. The whole basis for the title is that the story of how Daphne and Peter met was "a funny story" and that Miles and Daphne are also "a funny story", except they're not that funny. Maybe it's because I'm not well and my brain isn't fully functioning but I found this to be so low stakes there were literally no stakes. It was stakeless.
After a few heavy books I needed something light and this certainly did not contain any depth. Daphne spends a lot of the book saying how boring she is and she's right, she is. The fake dating is so childish that I was shocked when they characters said they were in their 30s. Pretending to date their ex's new partners ex is immature and stupid. There is no tension between Miles and Daphne because it's clear they like each other from the begining. The only conflict is that they just got out of long term relationships but that's hardly an insurmountable reason to not be together. The whole basis for the title is that the story of how Daphne and Peter met was "a funny story" and that Miles and Daphne are also "a funny story", except they're not that funny. Maybe it's because I'm not well and my brain isn't fully functioning but I found this to be so low stakes there were literally no stakes. It was stakeless.
The Postcard by Anne Berest
5.0
In January 2003, a mysterious postcard arrives at Anne’s mother Leila's house. The card, bearing a touristy photograph of the Opéra Garnier, is inscribed with the names of Anne’s great-grandparents and her great-aunt and -uncle, Ephraïm, Emma, Noémie and Jacques, all of whom were murdered at Auschwitz. The names are written in ballpoint pen in wobbly letters, on a card that contains no other words, no signature and no return address. The family speculates who could have sent the card, is it a threat or is something trying to reach out. Could the sending of the card be an act of harassment, fueled by resurgent antisemitism in an increasingly xenophobic Europe? Or is it more personal? Many years later after her daughter encounters antisemetic comments at school, Anne becomes fixated on the Postcard and her Jewish identity - an identity she knows little about. This fixation takes her on a journey of discovery about her family, the Rabinovitches, who travelled from Russia to Latvia, to Palestine, to France, and ultimately to Auschwitz, her grandmother Myriam the only survivor. Myriam was fortunate to marry a rich, non Jewish man, whose status initially spared her from being arrested and later whose money helped hide her. During the war Myriam worked with resistance and after she searched in vain for her family. What happened in the war shaped Myriam and she carried the scars for life, effecting her daughter and granddaughter, though Anne is determined to end the intergenerational trauma with herself. The tale of the Rabinovitche family could be one of any Jewish family at that time, forced from pillar to post, trying to make the best of their lives whilst the world crumbled around them. Know what happened it is easy to see how their choices led them closer to death and Anne asks her mother a number of times why didn't they run, why didn't they leave, why didn't they see the warnings, and most importantly, why didn't everyone around them defend their Jewish neighbours? But as Leila points out, we never assume the worst will happen, they never could have predicted their government's would turn against them, and people care primarily for themselves - she ponders how many groups there are in the world today who they know little about and therefore *care* little about. At one point Leila recounts her mother's efforts to have her families death certificates printed correctly, and the Leila's efforts to reclaim the items stolen from the family during the war. Not for the monetary value she is quick to say, but to make a point. To force rhe government to admit they sanctioned the murders of her family and stole from them.
This is a powerful novel, not just a story of the Holocaust but also the story of how families were impacted for generations, how nations recovered, and the silence from communities and governments after the war, a silence which continues. When Anne and Leila travel to the town the family lived before the war few people will talk, they are treated with suspicion. Even those who didn't know the family don't want to revisit the period. This is an amazing and complex multi-generational family story, with a nice little mystery about who sent the postcard and why.
This is a powerful novel, not just a story of the Holocaust but also the story of how families were impacted for generations, how nations recovered, and the silence from communities and governments after the war, a silence which continues. When Anne and Leila travel to the town the family lived before the war few people will talk, they are treated with suspicion. Even those who didn't know the family don't want to revisit the period. This is an amazing and complex multi-generational family story, with a nice little mystery about who sent the postcard and why.
The Lion Women of Tehran by Marjan Kamali
5.0
"When you see the women screaming in Iran for their rights please remember, desr Leily, that the force and duty of our screams have been gathering power for years."
Homa and Elaheh (Ellie) meet in elementary school in Tehran, the 1950s and instantly bond. Ellie's family have fallen in status after the death of her father, and despite her mother's fears that Homa is beneath them (and a communist to boot!) they become firm friends, spending every minute together, ditching school to run through the grand bazaar. After an explosive event at the end of school Ellie and Homa drift apart, Ellie marrying and moving to the USA, in the chaotic years before Iran’s 1979 revolution.
This is an absolutely gorgeous book about female friendship and revolution. Ellie and Homa are brilliant characters, complex and fully realised. The writing is interspersed with delicious descriptions of food, scents, and colours, bringing the Persian culture to life. Although the 2022 women’s rights protests only make a small appearance at the end of the novel, the themes of political freedom, fighting for what you believe in, and staying true to yourself are prominent throughout. Homa and Ellie teach each other these lessons, together they grow, and hope for a better future for Iran. Kamali clearly sets the scene that the women of Iran have been fighting for freedom for a long time and their rage has sustained them. With few exceptions, the men in the book are all good men who stand with the girls at protests, protecting them from police, protecting unwed mothers, supporting their wives, doing the right thing by the women in their lives even when the government deems those actions obtrusive and illegal. Kamali is subtle in her writing but makes it clear the enemy is the oppressive government and those who support it, and both men and women are fighting for freedom. This book made me cry but also gave me a deep respect for the shir zan - the Lion Women of Iran.
Homa and Elaheh (Ellie) meet in elementary school in Tehran, the 1950s and instantly bond. Ellie's family have fallen in status after the death of her father, and despite her mother's fears that Homa is beneath them (and a communist to boot!) they become firm friends, spending every minute together, ditching school to run through the grand bazaar. After an explosive event at the end of school Ellie and Homa drift apart, Ellie marrying and moving to the USA, in the chaotic years before Iran’s 1979 revolution.
This is an absolutely gorgeous book about female friendship and revolution. Ellie and Homa are brilliant characters, complex and fully realised. The writing is interspersed with delicious descriptions of food, scents, and colours, bringing the Persian culture to life. Although the 2022 women’s rights protests only make a small appearance at the end of the novel, the themes of political freedom, fighting for what you believe in, and staying true to yourself are prominent throughout. Homa and Ellie teach each other these lessons, together they grow, and hope for a better future for Iran. Kamali clearly sets the scene that the women of Iran have been fighting for freedom for a long time and their rage has sustained them. With few exceptions, the men in the book are all good men who stand with the girls at protests, protecting them from police, protecting unwed mothers, supporting their wives, doing the right thing by the women in their lives even when the government deems those actions obtrusive and illegal. Kamali is subtle in her writing but makes it clear the enemy is the oppressive government and those who support it, and both men and women are fighting for freedom. This book made me cry but also gave me a deep respect for the shir zan - the Lion Women of Iran.
Boy Parts by Eliza Clark
3.0
Irina is a photographer who strolls the streets of Newcastle searching for average looking men she can coerce into taking explicit BDSM photographs of. When she is invited to present work at a gallery in London Irina begins looking through her old work and reconciling events from her past.
This book is a commentary on misogyny, pornography, and the female/male gaze. Clark also explores sexual consent, the idea that an attractive woman can get away with acts of sexual violence that a man could never. Irina both loves and loathes this power, reeling men in and then becoming repulsed by their passivity. At one point she ponders, ‘I wonder what the fuck I have to do for people to recognise me as a threat.’ Irina is awful and has no redeeming qualities. She is manipulative and cruel, incredibly self-absorbed, and aggressive. She violates and abuses the men she uses for her photos and does not care about issues of consent. Her work and sexual exploits are so extreme I almost missed when she admits to killing a man (boy). One of the more upsetting passages was the fact she owned a cat called Fritz as do I, and her Fritz meets a sad ending. I did see a review which likened Irina to Bridget Jones however nothing could be further from the truth. Patrick Bateman is a much better comparison. This is a very intense book and while the writing was good, I can't say it was enjoyable.
This book is a commentary on misogyny, pornography, and the female/male gaze. Clark also explores sexual consent, the idea that an attractive woman can get away with acts of sexual violence that a man could never. Irina both loves and loathes this power, reeling men in and then becoming repulsed by their passivity. At one point she ponders, ‘I wonder what the fuck I have to do for people to recognise me as a threat.’ Irina is awful and has no redeeming qualities. She is manipulative and cruel, incredibly self-absorbed, and aggressive. She violates and abuses the men she uses for her photos and does not care about issues of consent. Her work and sexual exploits are so extreme I almost missed when she admits to killing a man (boy). One of the more upsetting passages was the fact she owned a cat called Fritz as do I, and her Fritz meets a sad ending. I did see a review which likened Irina to Bridget Jones however nothing could be further from the truth. Patrick Bateman is a much better comparison. This is a very intense book and while the writing was good, I can't say it was enjoyable.