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haniah's Reviews (150)
dark
emotional
funny
informative
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I would like to apologize for taking so long to read this book. It wasn’t that I wasn’t enjoying it, it was simply a personal problem of becoming illiterate last year.
That being said, WOW. I can’t emphasize how funny and interesting and nuanced this book was. I want to reread it over and over normally amount of time so I can understand the story better. I think Zadie Smith is an incredible writer. Thank you, Zadie.
That being said, WOW. I can’t emphasize how funny and interesting and nuanced this book was. I want to reread it over and over normally amount of time so I can understand the story better. I think Zadie Smith is an incredible writer. Thank you, Zadie.
Ms. Munro, the woman that you are. khala gifted me this book last summer when i was living in ottawa. i saw the cover and thought "damn that's ugly" and never gravitated towards reading it. well lo and behold a year later, two of the short stories are assigned in my class and the book is sitting on my shelf in my apartment.
AND WHAT A SHAME IT WAS THAT I NEVER READ IT BEFORE. you know those books of genius that sit on your shelf that you regret not giving a chance to, because a brilliant piece of writing was under your nose the whole time?? just waiting to be discovered?? that was this. there is this one passage in one of her short stories that read me like a book. it described my whole life. i was in shock. in shambles. I sent a video to three of my friends raving about how insightful of a writer she is. I think this is the perfect book to read in your 20s, as you try to figure out who you think you are. absolutely brilliant. I will read again.
AND WHAT A SHAME IT WAS THAT I NEVER READ IT BEFORE. you know those books of genius that sit on your shelf that you regret not giving a chance to, because a brilliant piece of writing was under your nose the whole time?? just waiting to be discovered?? that was this. there is this one passage in one of her short stories that read me like a book. it described my whole life. i was in shock. in shambles. I sent a video to three of my friends raving about how insightful of a writer she is. I think this is the perfect book to read in your 20s, as you try to figure out who you think you are. absolutely brilliant. I will read again.
i might be dumb and confused because i read half of this when my eyes were like 7mm dilated at the optometrist, but lowkey i didn't understand half this book. maybe it's a book i need to read again to understand. even though i was confused, i was obsessed with the ending. it conpletly turned into a social commentary that i could get behind. which is also why i think it might deserve a re-read in my future to understand the nuance.
the thing is, I like Roxanne Gay's writing. but do I like her opinions? not always. often time, I am like girl stop. these are too many opinions. and that's coming from ME. I love having an opinion on everything and anything. and yet,,,, i couldn't do it here. they got kinda repetitive.
fast-paced
YEAHHHHHHHHHH. I finally get Ms. Keegan. I understand her. i want to be her. dare i say... i love her?? nooo that would be too much... unless?? jkjkjk
this story is quiet. it is understated. the story happens between the lines, just like the characters interact without speaking. there is so much left unsaid, yet you are blown away by the insight that is. the gaps almost make it more insightful. the ending??? breaks my heart. there were so many lines were my heart was ripped out of my chests and STOMPED on. she is just a child who wants to feel love. aren't we all. aHHHHHH Claire Keegan. darn you!!! how could you change my life forever.
p.s. i wrote my final english essay on irish fatherhood and masculinity in the 1980s and from that, i found my new favourite phrase "The Troubles". I am forever in debt to this book for introducing this to my vernacular so I can use it to be so very dramatic.
this story is quiet. it is understated. the story happens between the lines, just like the characters interact without speaking. there is so much left unsaid, yet you are blown away by the insight that is. the gaps almost make it more insightful. the ending??? breaks my heart. there were so many lines were my heart was ripped out of my chests and STOMPED on. she is just a child who wants to feel love. aren't we all. aHHHHHH Claire Keegan. darn you!!! how could you change my life forever.
p.s. i wrote my final english essay on irish fatherhood and masculinity in the 1980s and from that, i found my new favourite phrase "The Troubles". I am forever in debt to this book for introducing this to my vernacular so I can use it to be so very dramatic.
this book was slightly too revolting and gross, and not even in a good way. it was in a way that made me want to skip paragraphs because they got too sickly repetitive?? too much?? but definitely still an interesting story and short read that twisted my mind enough for me to enjoy.
not 4 me luv, not 4 me. i will give credit where credit is due and say this title is incredible. thoughts on self-delusion?? sign me up. i love deluding myself. but actually reading these essays? i wish i was in a delusion. i am so sorry to ms. tolentino but this felt like i was reading the thoughts of someone who was reflecting for the very first time in their life. ever. i read nothing profound or new. i am not sure what conversation she was adding to on these topics. some essays i got very bored of and had to skip through. all that to say, she is a very good writer and that was the redeeming quality of this book.
maybe my ecology courses have hammered this into my head too much already, but i don't think this was anything new for me?? the book did an incredible job of laying out the evidence, and very well researched. it just felt too similar to the other doomsday environmental books that i get sad reading and eventually bored of. perhaps i am desensitized which is the wrong thing to be in a climate crisis. but i am tired. what can i do
fast-paced
not as good as the first one but definitely not bad!! this concept is so cute, the characters are very much millennial but still very endearing. and it is cheesy enough but doesn't take itself too seriously, so i am not cringing the whole time. i love this style of romance.
fast-paced
i read this for english class and genuinely did not know why it was so special. however, like always, we talked about it in class and i finally got it. it was so contrary to what people showed on stage: a single mom, child out of wedlock, interracial relationship, so many topics that were on the fringe. but this translate so beautifully into today's world.