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jennygaitskell's reviews
120 reviews
Black Butterflies by Priscilla Morris
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
A Sarajevo story inspired by the author's family's experience of the siege.
It has a wonderfully crafted sense of place, effective storytelling, and some very beautiful passages. I was fully engaged and reading beyond my bedtime.
An accomplished novel. Perhaps too polished for me to love completely; briefly telling not showing the horrors, and keeping all its plot promises.
For this reader, there was no need to be so polite.
It has a wonderfully crafted sense of place, effective storytelling, and some very beautiful passages. I was fully engaged and reading beyond my bedtime.
An accomplished novel. Perhaps too polished for me to love completely; briefly telling not showing the horrors, and keeping all its plot promises.
For this reader, there was no need to be so polite.
The Book of Beginnings by Sally Page
Did not finish book. Stopped at 20%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 20%.
The main character and her situation didn't interest this reader.
Shackleton by Ranulph Fiennes
adventurous
informative
medium-paced
3.75
Enjoyed learning more about Shackleton, and was amused by the author's interjections about his own adventures. Like the hero, the writing shines when out on the ice. The tone is utmost Daily Telegraph; to be read in an Old Etonian accent.
Burnout by Amelia Nagoski, Emily Nagoski
funny
informative
reflective
medium-paced
4.5
Excellent insights and many helpful resources, shared in a warm and playful way. With jokes, and plenty of room to think for yourself.
Area X: The Southern Reach Trilogy: Annihilation; Authority; Acceptance by Jeff VanderMeer
5.0
I loved this trilogy so much that I'm inspired to write my first review here.
The first book, Annihilation, creates an intense sense of Area X, a place both beautiful and unnerving, and sends us into a mystery with clever and edgy characters, building psychological discomfort into deep dread. The Biologist, from whose point of view the story is told, is a strong female hero with fascinating flaws. She is driven to solve Area X's riddle, whatever the danger.
The second book, Authority, switches points of view to Control, to reveal the politics, broken characters and horrific mistakes of the Southern Reach, a research institute which is failing to understand Area X. We're with Control all the way, desperate to learn more of and from The Biologist, disgusted by the Southern Reach's dark past, trying to fathom what Control's predecessor and colleagues really know and what they are up to. The possibility and proximity of disaster grows and overwhelms.
The third book, Acceptance, moves between points of view and points in time effortlessly, telling the true history that, with Control, we guessed parts of. The truth, as we understand it throughout the book, is heartbreaking, sometimes terrifying, and for the characters and readers, the final understanding of Area X brings more questions.
Throughout the trilogy, the language is often striking, the insights into human behaviour are moving. The gap between books, waiting for the next, was almost as uncomfortable as the experience of reading them, but the ending was just as it needed to be, and I'm content to leave Area X.
The first book, Annihilation, creates an intense sense of Area X, a place both beautiful and unnerving, and sends us into a mystery with clever and edgy characters, building psychological discomfort into deep dread. The Biologist, from whose point of view the story is told, is a strong female hero with fascinating flaws. She is driven to solve Area X's riddle, whatever the danger.
The second book, Authority, switches points of view to Control, to reveal the politics, broken characters and horrific mistakes of the Southern Reach, a research institute which is failing to understand Area X. We're with Control all the way, desperate to learn more of and from The Biologist, disgusted by the Southern Reach's dark past, trying to fathom what Control's predecessor and colleagues really know and what they are up to. The possibility and proximity of disaster grows and overwhelms.
The third book, Acceptance, moves between points of view and points in time effortlessly, telling the true history that, with Control, we guessed parts of. The truth, as we understand it throughout the book, is heartbreaking, sometimes terrifying, and for the characters and readers, the final understanding of Area X brings more questions.
Throughout the trilogy, the language is often striking, the insights into human behaviour are moving. The gap between books, waiting for the next, was almost as uncomfortable as the experience of reading them, but the ending was just as it needed to be, and I'm content to leave Area X.
Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse
4.0
There are concepts in this book which have stayed with me for a long time. It is elegantly written. At times I was frustrated by the hero's poor decisions and the pace.
Random Acts of Senseless Violence by Jack Womack
5.0
I think this is the dystopic that people should be reading now, as it is shows how things come undone.
The book is set in a USA that could be next week, starting with hints of dysfunction that spiral down into violent chaos. It tells the story through the diary of an innocent but tough teen whose preoccupations change radically as a result of the changes around her. I love the edgy slang which is introduced through accounts of her new friends and how it slowly comes to dominate her diary, just as the violence does.
The book is set in a USA that could be next week, starting with hints of dysfunction that spiral down into violent chaos. It tells the story through the diary of an innocent but tough teen whose preoccupations change radically as a result of the changes around her. I love the edgy slang which is introduced through accounts of her new friends and how it slowly comes to dominate her diary, just as the violence does.
The Halcyon Drift by Brian Stableford
3.0
Liked the noirish vibe in the beginning section, the irascible hero, and the visceral descriptions of space flight. Would've enjoying seeing more of his uninvited guest.
The Good Neighbour by Beth Miller
3.0
Great dialogue, a fascinating villain, and a witty look inside marriages and friendships, in this story of the new folks on the street who aren't at all what they seem.