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freethefrican's reviews
254 reviews
What Once Was Mine by Liz Braswell
Did not finish book.
Did not finish book.
Story wasn’t giving what I was expecting. Narrator was fantastic though.
Really Good, Actually by Monica Heisey
emotional
funny
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I largely didn't like this and could barely stand the writing style but I can definitely say the story improved as it progressed.
Big Swiss by Jen Beagin
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Interesting premise and sort-of interesting execution. I think I would have liked it more if I wasn’t already tired of meandering and somewhat plotless stories about weird women doing weird things.
I definitely see the reasons for the Ottessa Moshfegh comparisons and considering my current not-very-good feelings toward OM’s books, I may have chosen the wrong time to pick this up. Still, it was an odd but engaging read.
I definitely see the reasons for the Ottessa Moshfegh comparisons and considering my current not-very-good feelings toward OM’s books, I may have chosen the wrong time to pick this up. Still, it was an odd but engaging read.
Maame by Jessica George
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
“Fun doesn't equate to happiness; at the very least, it lends you happiness and I want to know how to keep it.”
Madeline really had me out here ready to throw hands at anybody who tried to hurt her. I got quickly attached to and very protective of her.
It was a coming of age story that was wonderful in all its starts and stops. The narrative was woven in such an interesting way—from mundane google searches that came from random (and sometimes precise) thoughts to dealing with family and work drama and even grief. It showed the weirdness of romantic interest especially from a naive and earnest mindset where you’re not sure what you want or even what you should want but you know you crave connection and so you sort of just take what you get.
It showed how people never really get it right on the first go and how things that seem good in the moment can quickly turn sour.
It showed grief, depression, and anxiety in ways that highlighted how a person can be high-functioning but still be suffering mentally and not know it.
Personally, I found it to be a love letter to the African girls who have had to grow up too fast so their families could have someone to rely on. The girls who were everyone’s mother but no one was there to mother them. Girls who gave up personal freedom and comforts for fear that their wants and needs would impede on the wants and needs of others. The girls who had emotional, financial, and physical burdens placed on them at ages when they were too young to understand/do anything about it.
This was a fantastic debut.
“We grow up fast. Not by force, but because we are needed.”
"I think sometimes we're needed for the wrong reasons”
Madeline really had me out here ready to throw hands at anybody who tried to hurt her. I got quickly attached to and very protective of her.
It was a coming of age story that was wonderful in all its starts and stops. The narrative was woven in such an interesting way—from mundane google searches that came from random (and sometimes precise) thoughts to dealing with family and work drama and even grief. It showed the weirdness of romantic interest especially from a naive and earnest mindset where you’re not sure what you want or even what you should want but you know you crave connection and so you sort of just take what you get.
It showed how people never really get it right on the first go and how things that seem good in the moment can quickly turn sour.
It showed grief, depression, and anxiety in ways that highlighted how a person can be high-functioning but still be suffering mentally and not know it.
Personally, I found it to be a love letter to the African girls who have had to grow up too fast so their families could have someone to rely on. The girls who were everyone’s mother but no one was there to mother them. Girls who gave up personal freedom and comforts for fear that their wants and needs would impede on the wants and needs of others. The girls who had emotional, financial, and physical burdens placed on them at ages when they were too young to understand/do anything about it.
This was a fantastic debut.
“We grow up fast. Not by force, but because we are needed.”
"I think sometimes we're needed for the wrong reasons”
Elektra by Jennifer Saint
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
A known story. Filicide, matricide, and vibes.
There’s a reason why Elektra’s end of things isn’t that popular; it’s just not very interesting. It also didn’t help that this book didn’t focus enough on Elektra till the last third of it. I would think a book named after a character seeks to make me understand the character more, not leave me bored and abhorrent of said character (not saying I have to love every protagonist but at least let my hatred have more substance to work with).
It felt more like Clytemnestra’s story. She was layered, complex, and her POV was tons more interesting. Elektra’s fixation on Agamemnon despite knowing what he did was weird and I found myself getting tired of her continuous and frankly unnecessary whining.
I also still wonder about the point of Cassandra’s POV. It was nice but Iphigenia’s would have been better to create a more robust view of the Mycenaean women’s relationship with their patriarch.
I did enjoy the writing. It was well done and the story made me rewatch Helen of Troy (still love that movie) but I think I’m done with mythological retellings for a while.
There’s a reason why Elektra’s end of things isn’t that popular; it’s just not very interesting. It also didn’t help that this book didn’t focus enough on Elektra till the last third of it. I would think a book named after a character seeks to make me understand the character more, not leave me bored and abhorrent of said character (not saying I have to love every protagonist but at least let my hatred have more substance to work with).
It felt more like Clytemnestra’s story. She was layered, complex, and her POV was tons more interesting. Elektra’s fixation on Agamemnon despite knowing what he did was weird and I found myself getting tired of her continuous and frankly unnecessary whining.
I also still wonder about the point of Cassandra’s POV. It was nice but Iphigenia’s would have been better to create a more robust view of the Mycenaean women’s relationship with their patriarch.
I did enjoy the writing. It was well done and the story made me rewatch Helen of Troy (still love that movie) but I think I’m done with mythological retellings for a while.
Butts: A Backstory by Heather Radke
informative
medium-paced
4.0
The emoji cover fooled me. It wasn’t comical or funny. It was a pretty detailed sort-of-history of the butt from anatomy to physiology to anthropology and even the eugenics angle. Oh and a lot of pop culture. Tbh, I don’t know that I want to know more on the subject than this book has given me. What more could I want? It highlighted the problematic history of the West with the derrière through Sarah Baartman’s story and more (I found myself crying when her remains were finally laid to rest in South Africa), I learnt about the history of clothes sizing and how ridiculous the already imperfect system has become, and I watched the author rebuke the Kardashians and other white women who “put on” the features that come naturally to black women (who are generally looked down upon for having said features) and then take them off when it suits them.
It was a good read but my favourite quote from it didn’t even have anything to do with butts:
“The existence of a man-made object is concrete evidence of the presence of human intelligence operating at the time of fabrication,” says art historian and object expert Jules Prown.
“Artifacts, then, can yield evidence of the patterns of mind of the society that fabricated them.” In other words, someone intentionally made every object that exists, and even if the maker didn’t realize what they were doing, they brought their culture, beliefs, and desires to the task.”
It was a good read but my favourite quote from it didn’t even have anything to do with butts:
“The existence of a man-made object is concrete evidence of the presence of human intelligence operating at the time of fabrication,” says art historian and object expert Jules Prown.
“Artifacts, then, can yield evidence of the patterns of mind of the society that fabricated them.” In other words, someone intentionally made every object that exists, and even if the maker didn’t realize what they were doing, they brought their culture, beliefs, and desires to the task.”
Spare by Prince Harry
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
To be honest I’ve never really cared for/been interested in the royal family and this book further showed me that I will never care for or be interested in them beyond this.
Harry has experienced, for years, a level of scrutiny and harassment from the press that would make anyone angry and need to speak up and own their narrative. He watched his mother go through it and practically get killed under that scrutiny/harassment, he spent his formative years going through it, and now that he’s an adult with a wife and children, he’s had to watch the people he’s come to love the most experience such vileness. That would make anyone angry and voice out.
I, personally, didn’t have any issues with the parts people felt were “oversharing”. When put into context, they were just a part of his narrative and it is a memoir after all. There were parts that felt a little tone-deaf but he’s a privileged white man going through life so I can’t say I expected anything else but at least he seems self-aware and willing to learn and change.
All in all, It mostly made me sad and I kind of wish I’d not read it.
Harry has experienced, for years, a level of scrutiny and harassment from the press that would make anyone angry and need to speak up and own their narrative. He watched his mother go through it and practically get killed under that scrutiny/harassment, he spent his formative years going through it, and now that he’s an adult with a wife and children, he’s had to watch the people he’s come to love the most experience such vileness. That would make anyone angry and voice out.
I, personally, didn’t have any issues with the parts people felt were “oversharing”. When put into context, they were just a part of his narrative and it is a memoir after all. There were parts that felt a little tone-deaf but he’s a privileged white man going through life so I can’t say I expected anything else but at least he seems self-aware and willing to learn and change.
All in all, It mostly made me sad and I kind of wish I’d not read it.
If I Survive You by Jonathan Escoffery
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I absolutely loved this and I’ve come to realise I enjoy interconnected short stories as they tend to allow the narrative to flow seamlessly despite time jumps and perspective shifts. They also cut out unnecessary filler plotlines and I greatly enjoy that.
The themes of this book are rooted in a reality that’s completely different from mine and I found it interesting to read about the experiences.
The family drama was painful because the characters seemed to hold so much inside of themselves (love, anger, pain, frustration) but had a lot of difficulty showing their emotions in healthy ways. The two main characters were a little difficult to connect with especially since their stories of constant strife and struggle came with a certain hopelessness I desperately needed to seperate myself from. But their stories were so well told that I didn't mind the emotional stress.
Though not the main focus, Cousin Cukie’s story hit me the most. It was so tender and so brutal at the same time.
I can't say any of the stories had endings that tied up nicely but they were worth the experience.
The themes of this book are rooted in a reality that’s completely different from mine and I found it interesting to read about the experiences.
The family drama was painful because the characters seemed to hold so much inside of themselves (love, anger, pain, frustration) but had a lot of difficulty showing their emotions in healthy ways. The two main characters were a little difficult to connect with especially since their stories of constant strife and struggle came with a certain hopelessness I desperately needed to seperate myself from. But their stories were so well told that I didn't mind the emotional stress.
Though not the main focus, Cousin Cukie’s story hit me the most. It was so tender and so brutal at the same time.
I can't say any of the stories had endings that tied up nicely but they were worth the experience.
Eileen by Ottessa Moshfegh
challenging
dark
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
I'm glad I got introduced to Ottessa first through My Year of Rest and Relaxation because if I had read this first, I doubt I would have read anything else by her. Eileen and Lapvona seem to show the true essence of her writing style and I do not care for it. In this book especially, the style and narrative choices were really what did me in.
I will always find the sexualisation of children (especially just for the hell of it) unnecessary and tasteless and this book–especially the beginning–was rife with it.
All the talk about labial folds and bowels and vomit and urine felt like narrative choices that were intended to shock and just like Lapvona, they landed poorly for me.
The dullness of the actual story aside, Eileen was a deplorable protagonist but she also had a lot of potential. She was truly lonely and desperate for freedom, human connection, and kindness. Sadly, her desperation morphed into a form of self-loathing that sometimes made the book difficult to get through. She also had to deal with an abusive, undiagnosed/unmedicated but obviously alcoholic and possibly schizophrenic father and that would certainly take a toll on anyone.
The “great” climax of the book was meh and if you want to read a great third-act calamity, read Josephine Hart instead.
I did have a favourite quote though: “Idealism without consequences is the pathetic dream of every spoilt brat.”
I will always find the sexualisation of children (especially just for the hell of it) unnecessary and tasteless and this book–especially the beginning–was rife with it.
All the talk about labial folds and bowels and vomit and urine felt like narrative choices that were intended to shock and just like Lapvona, they landed poorly for me.
The dullness of the actual story aside, Eileen was a deplorable protagonist but she also had a lot of potential. She was truly lonely and desperate for freedom, human connection, and kindness. Sadly, her desperation morphed into a form of self-loathing that sometimes made the book difficult to get through. She also had to deal with an abusive, undiagnosed/unmedicated but obviously alcoholic and possibly schizophrenic father and that would certainly take a toll on anyone.
The “great” climax of the book was meh and if you want to read a great third-act calamity, read Josephine Hart instead.
I did have a favourite quote though: “Idealism without consequences is the pathetic dream of every spoilt brat.”