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flyingfox02's reviews
260 reviews
Trust by Hernán Díaz
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
2.5
This book has won the Pulitzer Prize and was included in NYT's Best 100 Books of the 21st Century. I fail to see why.
Divided into 4 parts of different structures and perspectives, this novel centres around a Wall Street financier and how he achieved his wealth and power. Part 1 is a novel within a novel, and even though it's very simple in terms of plot, I found it to be the most compelling narrative out of the whole book. It fell off after that.
The book is trying to intrigue the readers to decide what is the truth. But nothing really grabbed me. There was nothing at stake, why should I care? None of the characters jumped out. I feel we didn't get enough time with character Mildred to be deeply engrossed in her perspective. So the final reveal at the end was just flat, like most of the book.
Divided into 4 parts of different structures and perspectives, this novel centres around a Wall Street financier and how he achieved his wealth and power. Part 1 is a novel within a novel, and even though it's very simple in terms of plot, I found it to be the most compelling narrative out of the whole book. It fell off after that.
The book is trying to intrigue the readers to decide what is the truth. But nothing really grabbed me. There was nothing at stake, why should I care? None of the characters jumped out. I feel we didn't get enough time with character Mildred to be deeply engrossed in her perspective. So the final reveal at the end was just flat, like most of the book.
James by Percival Everett
dark
funny
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
3.75
Freedom Is a Constant Struggle: Ferguson, Palestine, and the Foundations of a Movement by Angela Y. Davis
3.5
Not a fan of this format.
A Memory Called Empire by Arkady Martine
challenging
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
3.0
Mahit and Three Seagrass seem to be really good friends don't they
Gilead by Marilynne Robinson
I knew nothing about this book, had heard 1 positive review (which I didn't even remember what was said) which was why I picked it up. I didn't realise I would be struck with so much beauty.
This book is a series of letters from an elderly priest, who is nearing the end of his life, to his young son. He writes about his life, his own father and grandfather who were also priests, his Christian faith. He writes about existence, death, loneliness, community, resentment and grace, grief and love.
He writes to leave guidance for a son who will have to grow up without a father for most of his life. He writes to impart wisdom about life and faith. He writes so his son can learn about who his father was. And he writes with so much love. So much love.
The writing is simply stunning. It is quiet and thoughtful. It's not preachy at all. It's funny. It is incredibly moving. Marilynne Robinson has injected within the prose the kind of fatherly love that squeezes your heart and makes you want to weep. The tenderness with which the Reverend talks about his wife, about his son, and to his son, it's just abundantly clear how much he loves them and how grateful he is for their mere existence. That is so beautiful to see. I think I teared up a couple of times.
I also appreciated the little musings on God and religion, even though I'm not a Christian. It did get a bit philosophical in the middle which took me out of it (skill issue on my part). This shouldn't deter non-religious people from picking up this book, because it's not a book about Christianity or religion. It's about the beauty of life, of nature, humanity, existence.
I absolutely loved it. It's something that I will come back to again and again, and I'm convinced I'll love it even more as I get older.
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I'm writing this in part to tell you that if you ever wonder what you've done in your life, and everyone does wonder sooner or later, you have been God's grace to me, a miracle, something more than a miracle.
How soft her voice is. That there should be such a voice in the whole world, and that I should be the one to hear it, seemed to me then and seemed to me now an unfathomable grace.
I knew nothing about this book, had heard 1 positive review (which I didn't even remember what was said) which was why I picked it up. I didn't realise I would be struck with so much beauty.
This book is a series of letters from an elderly priest, who is nearing the end of his life, to his young son. He writes about his life, his own father and grandfather who were also priests, his Christian faith. He writes about existence, death, loneliness, community, resentment and grace, grief and love.
He writes to leave guidance for a son who will have to grow up without a father for most of his life. He writes to impart wisdom about life and faith. He writes so his son can learn about who his father was. And he writes with so much love. So much love.
The writing is simply stunning. It is quiet and thoughtful. It's not preachy at all. It's funny. It is incredibly moving. Marilynne Robinson has injected within the prose the kind of fatherly love that squeezes your heart and makes you want to weep. The tenderness with which the Reverend talks about his wife, about his son, and to his son, it's just abundantly clear how much he loves them and how grateful he is for their mere existence. That is so beautiful to see. I think I teared up a couple of times.
I also appreciated the little musings on God and religion, even though I'm not a Christian. It did get a bit philosophical in the middle which took me out of it (skill issue on my part). This shouldn't deter non-religious people from picking up this book, because it's not a book about Christianity or religion. It's about the beauty of life, of nature, humanity, existence.
I absolutely loved it. It's something that I will come back to again and again, and I'm convinced I'll love it even more as I get older.
Moon of the Crusted Snow by Waubgeshig Rice
Did not finish book. Stopped at 46%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 46%.
My first book by an Indigenous Canadian author, which I really wanted to like but I had to dnf. I couldn't take it anymore. The writing is aggressively, violently mediocre. What happened to show don't tell? Why is there so much dialogue? What's with the filler scenes that add nothing to the plot? We don't need to know everything every character says or does. None of the characters had enough, or any, personality. The story is set in a First Nations community that has limited access and communication to the rest of the country, but there is absolutely no sense of setting in the narration. I don't care about the people, I don't care about the place, I'm not going to continue reading.
Soldier Sailor by Claire Kilroy
emotional
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Everyone with a mother and their mother need to read this book. Non-mothers especially because we don't understand how tough motherhood truly is.
The last few pages were so moving it made me tear up. After reading that, plus people's reviews and their own stories of their mother/being a mother, it was all I could do to not start sobbing. 💔
PS. This book could alternatively be titled "How Not to Be A Useless Potato Sack of a Husband".
The last few pages were so moving it made me tear up. After reading that, plus people's reviews and their own stories of their mother/being a mother, it was all I could do to not start sobbing. 💔
PS. This book could alternatively be titled "How Not to Be A Useless Potato Sack of a Husband".
In Memoriam by Alice Winn
2.5
More romance-y than I was expecting, that's not a genre I particularly enjoy. I was a bit bored to be honest. Maybe I was force-fed too much WW1 literature at school.
Home Fire by Kamila Shamsie
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
2.0
I almost DNFed it early on. I didn't care for any of the characters, found some of their choices very questionable. Something about the writing also didn't click for me.