katewilkins's reviews
232 reviews

Very Cold People by Sarah Manguso

dark reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano

emotional funny reflective 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? Yes

4.25

Digging to America by Anne Tyler

funny hopeful lighthearted reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

The Spinning Heart by Donal Ryan

challenging dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

Emma by Jane Austen

4.0

Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus

emotional informative inspiring lighthearted 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

March by Geraldine Brooks

dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Racism, Slavery, Violence, War

Moderate: Gun violence, Sexual violence

Minor: Incest

Straight Man by Richard Russo

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Infidelity, Sexual content, Alcohol

Moderate: Animal death

Minor: Animal death, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicide, Transphobia, Medical content, Pregnancy

The Way of Beauty by Camille Di Maio

emotional sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

A quick, cute, rather unimpactful read. Based on previous reviews, I had higher hopes, but they were far from met. I would recommend to someone who is neither a stickler for historical details nor challenging literature. As far as the history goes, there are references to historical events at the time it takes place, but that’s where it ends. The characters speak like folks from the 2000s, and there’s little attention paid to social expectations and standards, as well as accurate references/figures of speech. If you don’t care about that, it’s a sweet story that ambles along, and I can see why some people love it. In my view, the writing is basic and unchallenging, often with far too much explanation for characters emotional states (I prefer an author to “show me” how someone is feeling rather than just tell me.) Overall, I wouldn’t read it again or likely recommend it to most people. 

Fellowship Point by Alice Elliott Dark

emotional hopeful lighthearted reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Mental illness, Dementia, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Body shaming, Child death