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katreads2022's reviews
50 reviews
The New Silk Roads: The Present and Future of the World by Peter Frankopan
medium-paced
2.5
Shockingly poorly-written and rushed, “The New Silk Roads” fails to live up to the insightfulness of its excellent predecessor. Frankopan clearly is better suited to writing history rather than recounting recent events: unfortunately, developments in Central Asia from 2015 to 2018 make up the bulk of the book with little more analysis than a simple news recap. If you’re looking for a summary piece on the rise of the East during precisely these years, there is perhaps no better resource. I say those years because “The New Silk Roads” has aged astonishingly in just a little more than three years. Some of the tidbits of info are simply irrelevant due to the chaos of recent years. This outdatedness isn’t Frankopan’s fault; however, for a book which attempts to glean some insight into the future of shifting global powers it loses most of its appeal. At times it feels like barely-significant events are shoved in to fit into a hardly fleshed-out narrative.
Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami
adventurous
challenging
emotional
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
MURAKAMI CANNOT WRITE WOMEN.
Like, seriously. His depiction of women, whom—unlike the other books of his I read—take up most of the energy in this book, is horrendous. They don’t feel like real characters. They feel like manic pixie dream girls envisioned by a man who doesn’t interact with women. And maybe that adds to the naïve narration of Toru, but some scenes are truly disgusting and quite frankly irredeemable. It’s a shame, since otherwise the prose is magnificently-written and immersive. The Murakami charm is definitely there: I felt like I was drawn into late 1960s Japan and could relate to the wistfulness of young adulthood portrayed. Unfortunately, the way in which women are portrayed in this book make “Norwegian Wood” one of my least-favourites from Murakami.
Like, seriously. His depiction of women, whom—unlike the other books of his I read—take up most of the energy in this book, is horrendous. They don’t feel like real characters. They feel like manic pixie dream girls envisioned by a man who doesn’t interact with women. And maybe that adds to the naïve narration of Toru, but some scenes are truly disgusting and quite frankly irredeemable. It’s a shame, since otherwise the prose is magnificently-written and immersive. The Murakami charm is definitely there: I felt like I was drawn into late 1960s Japan and could relate to the wistfulness of young adulthood portrayed. Unfortunately, the way in which women are portrayed in this book make “Norwegian Wood” one of my least-favourites from Murakami.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual assault, and Sexual content
Invisible Women: Data Bias in a World Designed for Men by Caroline Criado Pérez
emotional
informative
sad
medium-paced
4.0
A shocking, sad book. Really covers a breadth of issues facing women today. The breadth is so vast that sometimes coherency is sacrificed to cram in loosely related facts and figures. It is, however, wonderfully researched and an informative read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Hate crime, Misogyny, and Sexism
Moderate: Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Trafficking and Medical trauma
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
relaxing
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Really don’t get the hype. I understand there’s always natural intrigue towards the scandal of the elite classes, especially in the swaggy and sophisticated 1920s, but I find it hard to care about these entitled and privileged assholes moaning about how hard it is to be exorbitantly wealthy and powerful. I suppose that feeling is deliberate, however the mystery surrounding Gatsby is so artificial it’s burdensome. The novel also starts off frustratingly slow-paced ends breathlessly fast with little resolution. I guess the Roaring 20s vibes are vaguely nostalgic or melancholic for some?
The Best We Could Do by Thi Bui
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
4.25
The Hunchback of Notre-Dame by Victor Hugo
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Why We're Polarized by Ezra Klein
dark
emotional
informative
sad
medium-paced
4.0
I consider myself to be an obscenely obsessed political junkie and even I learned something from this informative book. Klein’s writing is refreshingly honest and perfect for those already acquainted with American politics. Be warned, as Klein himself admits, this book is more of a diagnosis than a prescription.
Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
It is easy to see the rich historical significance and cultural heritage of this book. It examines Okonkwo, a man who is deeply cynical of his own masculinity and belonging in a rapidly changing society. Although Things Fall Apart begins fairly slowly, the latter two parts pick up in terms of plot progression: after Okonkwo is exiled from his fatherland for seven years he returns to a society which relentlessly challenges him. Colonialism is examined from an African perspective ; Achebe was one of the pioneers of 20th century African literature and provides immense insight into this period.
Em by Kim Thúy
challenging
dark
hopeful
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
Brilliant work by Kim Thúy. I can only imagine the beauty of the work in its original French. Even in its translated version the prose stands out as particularly gorgeous. In a very staccato-like fashion Vietnamese history is traversed with a compelling cast of characters with short, blunt paragraphs. Sometimes I find narrative disjunction to be annoying or pretentious, here it perfectly emulates the messiness of reality and this tragic period. The craft in “Em” is simply superb and merits a read, if not a reread.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Blood, Grief, Murder, Colonisation, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward
dark
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
The language of this book is just so amazing. The prose alone vaunts it to exceptional, although the plot can be somewhat aimless and bare. Jesmyn Ward writes beautifully.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Physical abuse, Racial slurs, and Racism
Moderate: Death, Drug use, and Slavery