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jess_esa's reviews
512 reviews
Maurice and Maralyn by Sophie Elmhirst
4.5
I had never heard of the shipwrecked couple Maurice and Maralyn before picking this up, and it's hard to believe this ever happened and that they genuinely did survive being out on the Pacific Ocean for months on a tiny raft.
My partner and I were laughing because Maurice's immediate consideration of ending it all and it being purely Marlyn's unhinged blind optimism getting them through is absolutely how it would go down if we ever found ourselves shipwrecked.
I have such a fondness for stories of married couples getting through tough times together and this is where this book shines, it's a book full of touching and tender moments both at sea and in the aftermath where they end up rescued by a South Korean crew, and later tour Korea, Hawaii, California, and beyond as their reluctant fame precedes them.
Being someone who has had a lot of skipper friends, friends with houseboats, and those who prefer life at sea, I couldn't help but think of them fondly whenever the couple talks about how suffocating they find life on land in the UK and was not surprised that they wanted to be immediately back at sea after their ordeal.
The pacing of this book is the only thing that stops me from giving it five stars, it takes a little too long to get to them setting sail and stays a little too long as we follow the couple into old age and beyond. The middle feels like being on the waves yourself, excitement followed by calm, only for things to amp up again unexpectedly.
It can also occasionally feel disjointed, especially towards the end where it feels like a journalist piecing together what information there is and it loses its narrative flow and voice.
Overall, this is a very special book and a quick read that I would recommend to anyone who enjoys stories of people surviving against the odds.
My partner and I were laughing because Maurice's immediate consideration of ending it all and it being purely Marlyn's unhinged blind optimism getting them through is absolutely how it would go down if we ever found ourselves shipwrecked.
I have such a fondness for stories of married couples getting through tough times together and this is where this book shines, it's a book full of touching and tender moments both at sea and in the aftermath where they end up rescued by a South Korean crew, and later tour Korea, Hawaii, California, and beyond as their reluctant fame precedes them.
Being someone who has had a lot of skipper friends, friends with houseboats, and those who prefer life at sea, I couldn't help but think of them fondly whenever the couple talks about how suffocating they find life on land in the UK and was not surprised that they wanted to be immediately back at sea after their ordeal.
The pacing of this book is the only thing that stops me from giving it five stars, it takes a little too long to get to them setting sail and stays a little too long as we follow the couple into old age and beyond. The middle feels like being on the waves yourself, excitement followed by calm, only for things to amp up again unexpectedly.
It can also occasionally feel disjointed, especially towards the end where it feels like a journalist piecing together what information there is and it loses its narrative flow and voice.
Overall, this is a very special book and a quick read that I would recommend to anyone who enjoys stories of people surviving against the odds.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts
Till We Have Faces by C.S. Lewis
slow-paced
5.0
Buckle in friends, because I loved this one.
I wouldn’t have picked this up without seeing a staff recommendation at a bookshop recently and truly didn’t expect it to be one of the best examples of character writing I’ve seen period. Genuinely, just wow.
I’ve read most of C. S Lewis’s fiction, but I haven’t had much experience with his non-fiction, and from what I’ve heard this is heavily inspired by his text The Four Loves which explores the different loves described in Greek thought. I will say this is the best of his fiction that I’ve read.
It’s worth mentioning that as a Christian theologian, Lewis draws heavily on Christianity and infuses it into all of his work and this book is no exception, it’s everywhere. As someone who did not grow up Christian but enjoys theology, I find this very interesting but it’s certainly worth bearing in mind. I think the end is where it is perhaps too heavy-handed.
Till We Have Faces is a retelling of the Eros and Psyche myth and sticks very closely to the text, up until a point, but is entirely focused on the interiority of Psyche’s older sister Orual. This novel is essentially Orual failing to deal with her attachment issues, self-delusion, and possessive love until she’s forced to confront the pain she’s caused everyone she’s cared for in a stunning second act.
It’s unbelievably frustrating to be in this character’s head while she resents the people close to her for having a life outside of her, and perceives ill will at every imagined slight, further pushing her into her wretchedness. She’s such a real type of person that I can only liken her to Hamlet, in that C.S Lewis —like Shakespeare —has managed to capture so accurately the mind of someone who is in a prison of their own making.
Orual relies on self-delusion so acutely that after losing Psyche, she leans on her alter ego as the Queen so that she doesn’t have to confront reality, something she never was capable of doing anyway “already so wounded that all my life had been but a hiding and staunching of that wound”.
While Psyche undergoes trials at the hands of the gods before achieving transformation, Orual must unpack her own life of distortion to finally see what’s underneath “I the swollen spider, squat at its center, gorged with men’s stolen lives” before herself facing a literal trial.
While Orual is certainly the meatiest character in this book, it’s possible to dig into any of the side characters as deeply, particularly Fox, Psyche, and Ungit, Lewis’ fascinating distorted version of Aphrodite that is deeply entwined spiritually with Orual.
I could probably talk all day about this book so, safe to say, I highly recommend it.
The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
4.25
Clearly, all my friends who insisted this was the retelling for me wanted me to suffer terribly, and to that, I say, what did I ever do to you?
I highly recommend reading this while playing AC Odyssey which I somehow accidentally made happen.
Gorgeous book, not always perfect, but so beautiful in that rip your heart out way.
I highly recommend reading this while playing AC Odyssey which I somehow accidentally made happen.
Gorgeous book, not always perfect, but so beautiful in that rip your heart out way.
The Woman in Me by Britney Spears
fast-paced
4.0
It doesn’t go into much you don’t already know, especially with all of the leaks online and the fact there’s clearly a lot left out of the story. But there’s something about hearing it laid out like this, truly wtf. So harrowing.
I genuinely hope she’s left alone to live her best life.
I genuinely hope she’s left alone to live her best life.
Impossible Creatures by Katherine Rundell
2.0
Children’s books have a special place in my heart, and I’m always open to them so I was excited for this one considering all the hype.
There was lots about it that was charming, the main characters in particular were immediately endearing.
Sadly almost the entire story is just cherry picked from other children’s fantasy, particularly His Dark Materials as Pullman's alethiometer, knife, and even the concept of dust can be found here. References to Le Guin and Diana Wynne Jones are also immediately obvious. It’s so much more than a writer simply drawing on the lore of the genre.
Would I care about this if I were 12? Probably not. So, I would not hesitate to buy this for a young reader but it does make for a frustrating read when you know and love what’s come before.
There was lots about it that was charming, the main characters in particular were immediately endearing.
Sadly almost the entire story is just cherry picked from other children’s fantasy, particularly His Dark Materials as Pullman's alethiometer, knife, and even the concept of dust can be found here. References to Le Guin and Diana Wynne Jones are also immediately obvious. It’s so much more than a writer simply drawing on the lore of the genre.
Would I care about this if I were 12? Probably not. So, I would not hesitate to buy this for a young reader but it does make for a frustrating read when you know and love what’s come before.
Tom Lake by Ann Patchett
slow-paced
3.75
While a bit slow at times for my taste, you have to admire how beautifully Patchett weaves in various plays like Our Town, The Cherry Orchard, King Lear and more with love and intent.
It truly is a letter of love to the stage and Our Town in particular. I’m so glad I read Our Town before diving into this because I think you’d miss out on a lot if you didn’t at least vaguely know it.
I really appreciated how much emotion, empathy (or honestly, just humour) Patchett can convey in a single sentence, she really is a fantastic writer with a real appreciation for the quiet beauty of kindness.
It truly is a letter of love to the stage and Our Town in particular. I’m so glad I read Our Town before diving into this because I think you’d miss out on a lot if you didn’t at least vaguely know it.
I really appreciated how much emotion, empathy (or honestly, just humour) Patchett can convey in a single sentence, she really is a fantastic writer with a real appreciation for the quiet beauty of kindness.