Take a photo of a barcode or cover
jessdekkerreads's reviews
596 reviews
The Loneliness Files by Athena Dixon
Did not finish book. Stopped at 33%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 33%.
I got about 33% of the way through this nonfiction, much anticipated book, however, I had a hard time finding the motivation to push through. I do think there is a particular audience that will relate and ultimately love this book, but that just isn’t me. I found it to read more like a diary, and less like a nonfiction with facts, and philosophical musings on loneliness. And that’s okay, that might not be the intention of it, and fully be me and my unrealistic reader expectations. I just wasn’t gaining much from this read, and so, with that, I’m going to set it aside. Thank you to TinHouse and NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book, I truly appreciate the opportunity.
Voices in the Evening by Natalia Ginzburg
Did not finish book. Stopped at 0%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 0%.
Too many characters, lots of gossip, I’m just not interested or invested enough to continue.
The Trio by Johanna Hedman
3.0
REVIEW: The Trio by Johanna Hedman, translated from the Swedish by Kira Josefsson
(kindly sent to me by @europaeditions and @autumn_toennis out on 9/5/2023)
Here we go with more #jessdekkerramblingreviews - here are my notes:
We get two POVs, Thora & Hugo, with an examination of their trio relationship, how they perceive it, August being the only one we don’t hear directly from.
Thora: combative, defensive, walls up and guarded, judgmental at times
Hugo: unsure of himself, where he belongs. A quiet, mysterious way to him, observant.
Each character did not feel a sense of belonging. Trying to carve their own path.
Discussions of class, capitalism and politics. Butting head family dynamics.
All within an academic setting in Stockholm. If you’re looking for an academia contemporary novel, this is one to put on your radar.
There have been many comparisons to Sally Rooney: group of friends with complicated relationships ☑️ academic setting ☑️ trying to find their place in the world ☑️ what it’s lacking is Rooney’s philosophical prose and underlineable sentences.
Hedman gives you a real sense of place in Stockholm, with beautiful descriptions of the seasons and your surroundings.
As the title suggests, we are just following this trio relationship, the will they/won’t they, the push and pull, but also the little relationships made outside the trio as well.
Major questions of identity; how you fit in with different groups, how you feel as though you’re a different person with one group than you are with another.
“I realized that what I’d wanted to prove with my move to England was that I didn’t need them. Needing them seemed at odds with freedom, such as I’d understood it. And with this realization freedom became elusive, a memory or dream that couldn’t be put into words.” [pg. 227]
Feels like: elite academic parties; drinking wine out of plastic cups; end of summer bike rides; academic study sessions in darkly lit libraries; smoking cigarettes on a terrace in Paris; touching knees under the table; quick glances of desire across the room.
Final thoughts: I wanted to love this, and I think it’ll find its audience but it wasn’t an all time favorite
(kindly sent to me by @europaeditions and @autumn_toennis out on 9/5/2023)
Here we go with more #jessdekkerramblingreviews - here are my notes:
We get two POVs, Thora & Hugo, with an examination of their trio relationship, how they perceive it, August being the only one we don’t hear directly from.
Thora: combative, defensive, walls up and guarded, judgmental at times
Hugo: unsure of himself, where he belongs. A quiet, mysterious way to him, observant.
Each character did not feel a sense of belonging. Trying to carve their own path.
Discussions of class, capitalism and politics. Butting head family dynamics.
All within an academic setting in Stockholm. If you’re looking for an academia contemporary novel, this is one to put on your radar.
There have been many comparisons to Sally Rooney: group of friends with complicated relationships ☑️ academic setting ☑️ trying to find their place in the world ☑️ what it’s lacking is Rooney’s philosophical prose and underlineable sentences.
Hedman gives you a real sense of place in Stockholm, with beautiful descriptions of the seasons and your surroundings.
As the title suggests, we are just following this trio relationship, the will they/won’t they, the push and pull, but also the little relationships made outside the trio as well.
Major questions of identity; how you fit in with different groups, how you feel as though you’re a different person with one group than you are with another.
“I realized that what I’d wanted to prove with my move to England was that I didn’t need them. Needing them seemed at odds with freedom, such as I’d understood it. And with this realization freedom became elusive, a memory or dream that couldn’t be put into words.” [pg. 227]
Feels like: elite academic parties; drinking wine out of plastic cups; end of summer bike rides; academic study sessions in darkly lit libraries; smoking cigarettes on a terrace in Paris; touching knees under the table; quick glances of desire across the room.
Final thoughts: I wanted to love this, and I think it’ll find its audience but it wasn’t an all time favorite