flyingfox02's reviews
260 reviews

The Housemaid by Freida McFadden

fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No

1.5

I read this book with a friend who devoured it in 2 days and absolutely loved it. I finished within 3 days and.. didn't like it as much. The chapters are short which made for a very quick read. It's also entertaining, I'll give it that. But that's all the positives I can think of.

The plot is so incredibly predictable. While reading this book I kept thinking, it feels like I've heard this story before. Whether from a tv show, another book, I don't know. It's just not new or original whatsoever. Not a single thing that a character says or does surprised me. 

Well except one at the very end (at the funeral, if you know you know. No the funeral isn't a spoiler, someone was found dead in the epilogue.) That bit was unexpected but also silly, I actually laughed. A humourous ending that probably isn't supposed to be.

The characters are awfully bland and one-dimensional. They're basically walking stereotypes. Millie (the housemaid) annoyed me so much. There are 2 male characters in this story (not counting the police officers) and Millie just loves telling us how "hot" and "handsome" they are. We get it first time, no need to keep banging on about it.

Honestly I'm not too disappointed. A third of the way through I thought this was destined to be a 3 star read at best and that was being optimistic. The end bit with the police was so convenient that it's just lazy writing. Plot twists are non existent. No adrenaline rush, heart palpitations, or nailbiting moments. Just another poor excuse of a thriller.

How to Say Babylon by Safiya Sinclair

4.25

Safiya Sinclair is a poet and that is evident in the way that her sentences seem to sing at times, with deliberate rhythm and rhyme of carefully picked out words and beautiful metaphors. The stunning prose is matched with her remarkable storytelling ability, as she recounts her experiences of growing up in a strict Rastafari household under the suffocating grip of her angry father. Sinclair's relationship with him is deeply complex and harrowing to read, but she's able to dig into the story of his own upbringing without excusing his behaviours. Her mother is loving, gentle, strong, the one who shielded her and her siblings from her father's anger, but Sinclair also recites how she has hurt and been hurt by her mother. It is this ability to paint the people in her life fully, without making one out to be a monster or a saint, that makes this memoir so rich and engaging.

The Most Secret Memory of Men by Mohamed Mbougar Sarr
Did not finish book. Stopped at 14%.

This book has been compared to the wonderful, magical The Shadow of The Wind, so I was riding on that extremely high expectation coming into this. Unfortunately I have not seen enough of that, and I'm not very intrigued about the plot (it's a slow development) or themes to enjoy the book as it is. The writing is poetic but it's also indulgent and dense at times. I'm just not in the right headspace to continue with this book right now, and my other CRs are a lot easier to digest and enjoy anyway. I might come back to it in the future, I might not.

Crooked Plow by Itamar Vieira Junior

• Loveable characters? Yes

3.75

I don't know what was missing from this book. At one point I had this feeling where I was like, wow I really care about these characters, the community, this place. And from there I had this expectation that we would reach a huge climax, emotionally and plot-wise. But it felt a bit stagnant, especially in Part 3, and I became a bit disinterested. The ending also left me feeling unfulfilled.

Aside from that, I think the writing was fantastic. There was nothing dramatic, no overly lyrical prose, in fact it was very simple but there was a lot of depth to it. Also, this book is divided into three parts, which are all written in first-person but by a different narrator each time. As a general rule, I dislike first-person narration in contemporary fiction BUT I thought it was impressively well done here. The switch in POVs didn't feel awkward either. And I loved the magical elements in the story, as well as the history of Black farmers in Brazil. 

Pleasantview by Celeste Mohammed

3.5

Really good collection of individual stories. I think some of them had been published as standalones and weren't meant to have a definitive conclusion? That's why some plot threads felt unresolved, like the bit about leatherback turtles, that was really interesting but it was never mentioned again after the first few chapters. Some chapters are written in the Trinidadian dialect, just like how the characters speak, which evoked a strong sense of place.

Flatland by Edwin A. Abbott

funny slow-paced

3.5

Tickles my brain.

Undiscovered by Gabriela Wiener

slow-paced

1.0

Thank goodness that's over.

What I'd Rather Not Think About by Jente Posthuma

reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.25

How could I have been so stupid. For 70% of this book I thought it was a memoir, but it's actually fiction 😭 It made me emotionally detach from the narrative slightly. But that it could fool me like that, I guess it was really authentic and moving? I really enjoyed it, and I don't say this about a lot of books but it could be worth a reread.

Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke
Did not finish book. Stopped at 29%.

Superb writing but the plot and pace are letting me down. Will come back to it at some point.

A Flat Place by Noreen Masud

emotional reflective medium-paced

3.75

I don't think listening about nature works for me, it took a while to connect with the narration on flatlands. Orkney was interesting though. As for the story of the author's life, it was poignant and sad. Maybe reading the book would've been better because her writing is beautiful.

But the audiobook narrator Shazia Nicholls did a great job. I could almost believe she was the author herself.