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ktrain3900's reviews
275 reviews
My Promised Land: The Triumph and Tragedy of Israel by Ari Shavit
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
4.5
A beautifully written if overlong personal history that could but ultimately is unlikely to persuade many to change their minds. Israel, and Zionism, are difficult for a lot of folks, myself included. They're more complicated and less monolithic than I'd previously thought, yet I'm more pessimistic than ever that there's any resolution or peace to be found for all parties after reading this book (especially when you consider what's happened in the past year and a half or so). A heartbreaking patriotic love story for one's imperfect country, particularly in light of its unheeded albeit somewhat broad warnings.
After the Death of Shostakovich Père by Maya Sonenberg
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
2.75
Maybe it was too esoteric for me, or too lyrical. Maybe it helps to be more familiar with Borges. Maybe I find the subject more interesting than the execution. Maybe instead of having a dead father, you should have a living one. Whatever the case may be, this just left me feeling empty and sad. The writing is good but this made me think about death with a depth I can't quite handle right now.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Death of parent
Despite how short this book is, I found it very depressing and it put my mind in a dark place. YMMV.
Drop City by T.C. Boyle
adventurous
challenging
hopeful
informative
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
There are bad people on both sides, friends. Self-absorbed, me-first, attention-seeking losers who you just can't wait to see get their comeuppance. And there are good people, too. Often but not always naive, frequently taken advantage of, determined and hard-working. This story is filled with both, a saga that pushes forward like a river bursting with snowmelt, lives replete with betrayal, trickery, and reprehensible behavior, tinged with drugs, but also with love and genuine good spirit. The writing is rich with evocative detail and imagery, from hot, dirty California to cold, brutal Alaska. If you're looking for an adventure story that will have you turning pages, yearning for an ending, yelling at the characters, and you can stomach some nastiness, this is your book. A solid 3.5 stars rounded down.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape
Moderate: Drug use, Racial slurs, Alcohol
Minor: Animal death, Death, Fatphobia, Misogyny
Trust by Hernán Díaz
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
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
3.75
When a book is divided into such disparate sections (albeit intricately linked) it can be hard to rate it as a whole. Certainly it helped that I have some background knowledge of finance and am a huge fan of Edith Wharton's oeuvre. (Is there a prize for being the millionth person to mention her in their review?) There was a cleverness to it, but I can't help but wonder if it couldn't have been more clever? If the first and second sections had been woven together with Ida's narrative, it probably would have helped some of the drag I felt in the first two sections and allowed for a similar level of discovery, nevermind that Ida is more dynamic and relatable than the other characters. That said, the writing was distinct and controlled, and the book had some interesting things to say about class, privilege, voice, and the crafting of any sort of narrative or story, however true or fictional it's meant to be.
Off with Her Head: Three Thousand Years of Demonizing Women in Power by Eleanor Herman
emotional
funny
informative
medium-paced
3.5
A snappy but uneven intro to (mostly white) feminism.
What do I mean by uneven? A few things. One is that the subtitle suggests the book will cover a lot of history but it covers as much contemporary politics as it does history. Another is that it tends to dwell overlong in some chapters (and on some people) while other chapters and folks felt like they were given short shrift. Some material felt like maybe it was in the wrong chapter, or could have been in any chapter. Then there's the humor, which mostly worked for me, although there were a few lines where I said "Yikes where was the editor?" Maybe it was actually the editing that was uneven and not the writing?
There's nothing new here for any student of feminism or history or politics, but overall it was a fun ride. That last hopeful chapter reads a lot differently in light of some of our social media overlords recently removing fact-checking (and I sure hope this sentence doesn't age well). Suffice it to say that patriarchy's not going gently into that good night so we still need books like this to do some raging. 3.5 stars not rounded up.
What do I mean by uneven? A few things. One is that the subtitle suggests the book will cover a lot of history but it covers as much contemporary politics as it does history. Another is that it tends to dwell overlong in some chapters (and on some people) while other chapters and folks felt like they were given short shrift. Some material felt like maybe it was in the wrong chapter, or could have been in any chapter. Then there's the humor, which mostly worked for me, although there were a few lines where I said "Yikes where was the editor?" Maybe it was actually the editing that was uneven and not the writing?
There's nothing new here for any student of feminism or history or politics, but overall it was a fun ride. That last hopeful chapter reads a lot differently in light of some of our social media overlords recently removing fact-checking (and I sure hope this sentence doesn't age well). Suffice it to say that patriarchy's not going gently into that good night so we still need books like this to do some raging. 3.5 stars not rounded up.
Possession by A.S. Byatt
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I read this book once before, many years ago, possibly in college--there are passages underlined dealing with curiosity, particularly that of women in myth & folktale, which was something I studied in college--or possibly in the years following, when that topic was still very much of interest to me. I loved the book then, and I still love it now. There is a lot here, exquisitely written, fully engaging, with wit and formality and fidelity, if perhaps a tad British, and starting to be a tad dated, for a contemporary American reader.
I don't recall specifically what I loved so much when I read it previously. I'd guess the love story, and the romance of discovery & research & academia, and the rich detail & atmosphere, the travel, museums, books, writing. Now, I see better the craft of the writing. Neither time period is favored, but wonderfully navigated and moved between, as is the poetry with the prose. The book is of each time and every place which it both inhabits and is inhabited by. The characters are full, flawed, strange, each distinct, yet also a bit cliched, enlarged, never overwhelmed by the plot, nor is the plot overwhelmed by them. There is a delicate balance maintained throughout.
In this reading, I paid more attention to the title, and to themes of possesion. One can be possessed by love, and possess (and be posssessed by) a lover. This veers to obsession, ownership of person as property, belonging to someone and thus off limits for all others, or the possession of a child by parents. There's the possession of actual property, of intellectual property, of the fine line of the law in regards to all forms of possession. There is spiritual possession, the belonging of the soul to the body as well as to other souls. Perhaps most importantly there is self-possession, belonging to oneself, being free and independent, and truly oneself. And this book touches on all of these themes with skill, poise, and a beating heart.
I don't recall specifically what I loved so much when I read it previously. I'd guess the love story, and the romance of discovery & research & academia, and the rich detail & atmosphere, the travel, museums, books, writing. Now, I see better the craft of the writing. Neither time period is favored, but wonderfully navigated and moved between, as is the poetry with the prose. The book is of each time and every place which it both inhabits and is inhabited by. The characters are full, flawed, strange, each distinct, yet also a bit cliched, enlarged, never overwhelmed by the plot, nor is the plot overwhelmed by them. There is a delicate balance maintained throughout.
In this reading, I paid more attention to the title, and to themes of possesion. One can be possessed by love, and possess (and be posssessed by) a lover. This veers to obsession, ownership of person as property, belonging to someone and thus off limits for all others, or the possession of a child by parents. There's the possession of actual property, of intellectual property, of the fine line of the law in regards to all forms of possession. There is spiritual possession, the belonging of the soul to the body as well as to other souls. Perhaps most importantly there is self-possession, belonging to oneself, being free and independent, and truly oneself. And this book touches on all of these themes with skill, poise, and a beating heart.
Content Warnings
Minor: Suicide
The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
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
3.75
An engaging and thought-provoking look at spirituality, mission work, colonization, and social structure. Sure some characters can grate at times. Sure some of the technical parts require some heavy-lifting suspension of disbelief even for sci-fi. Sure there's occasionally exposition and passive storytelling in places where I felt action would have better suited. But it's a first book, and it's incredibly well-written for a first book.
Content Warnings
Minor: Child death, Death, Rape, Murder
Johnny Got His Gun by Dalton Trumbo
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
This is not a likable book but it is a great book. I had a hard time answering the usual fiction questions as there's a uniqueness here that doesn't always lend itself to easy categorization. It is a stunning book, however, and a real gut punch, detailing a life flashing before a soldier's eyes if a flash can be in torturous slow motion down an endless dark hallway. This is a very difficult read, but also (and I generally hate using this word) a very necessary one, and it's somehow still a very relevant critique of our world.
Walking the Ojibwe Path: A Memoir in Letters to Joshua by Richard Wagamese
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
3.75
I'm not sure I have much to say about this book that wasn't said better by other readers. It's an exquisitely vulnerable account of a life's journey, with all of its flaws and errors, woven with Indigenous stories and broader lessons. In this time of toxic masculinity and a return to deeply divisive Christian capitalist patriarchy, this alternative possibility of full personhood is a breath of fresh air.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism
Coming Home by Brittney Griner
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
tense
medium-paced
4.0
While this book centers around Griner's saga in the Russian prison system--from the silly mistake that put her there, to her time in prison and a labor camp, to her release--it's also very much a story of seeking a sense of belonging. As a queer black woman of exceeding athletic ability and height (6'9"; even my tallest cousin, male and a Marine, is only about 6'5" or 6'6") Griner has always stood out. Without the extroverted personality to match, she repeatedly struggles with racist and sexist stereotypes and assumptions. Griner delves into these experiences in flashbacks shared throughout the main narrative of illegal detainment in Russia. This is a memoir that is both heartbreaking and deeply inspiring, and that is likely to ignite a spark to join the fight to return American hostages home.