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ladybirder's reviews
441 reviews
Six-Dinner Sid by Inga Moore
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
2.0
The Standing Chandelier by Lionel Shriver
funny
reflective
tense
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
I didn't expect to like a book about relationships so much. I found it so relatable, but it’s hard to explain why. Sometimes it was a thought that matched exactly what I was thinking at the time, sometimes whole situations were just like those I’d been in myself. It really helped me to connect to what was just a very simple story.
After reading the blurb I went into this expecting to read Jillian as a calculating character who takes a dislike to her friend’s new girlfriend/fiancee and does passive aggressive things to wind her up, but it turned out to be a lot more subtle. It is unclear who, if anyone, is in the wrong throughout, and my opinion changed from chapter to chapter as I saw certain scenes and discussions repeated through the eyes of different characters.
I disliked Paige, but mainly because of the way she’s written. She was a walking cliche - vegetarian (why not vegan?), anti-fur, anti-fracking, opinionated, self-appointed art critic. Each character at some point described the relationship between Weston and Paige as mismatched, disjointed, etc, and when you did get an explanation on why they worked well together, it focused a lot on sex. Weston spent more time describing their amazing sex life than he did her personality, and Paige dismissed the thought of incompatibility by bragging about how the shape of her breasts drove him wild...was this the only thing she had going for her, or did I miss something? It’s as if Shriver heard the phrase “She must be great in bed because I don’t know why he’s with her…” and created a whole character out of it.
When Weston finally tells Jillian that he can’t see her anymore, the reveal was a disappointment. She took it all in too quickly and didn’t seem to need much explanation or closure despite being apparently unaware of how deeply Paige disliked her. It didn't feel big enough to be the end of a 25 year friendship.
The ending was so frustrating. Without spoiling too much, it was hard to see what the whole thing descended into. It reminded me a little of the end of Cat Person. It was final, disappointing, and very realistic.
After reading the blurb I went into this expecting to read Jillian as a calculating character who takes a dislike to her friend’s new girlfriend/fiancee and does passive aggressive things to wind her up, but it turned out to be a lot more subtle. It is unclear who, if anyone, is in the wrong throughout, and my opinion changed from chapter to chapter as I saw certain scenes and discussions repeated through the eyes of different characters.
I disliked Paige, but mainly because of the way she’s written. She was a walking cliche - vegetarian (why not vegan?), anti-fur, anti-fracking, opinionated, self-appointed art critic. Each character at some point described the relationship between Weston and Paige as mismatched, disjointed, etc, and when you did get an explanation on why they worked well together, it focused a lot on sex. Weston spent more time describing their amazing sex life than he did her personality, and Paige dismissed the thought of incompatibility by bragging about how the shape of her breasts drove him wild...was this the only thing she had going for her, or did I miss something? It’s as if Shriver heard the phrase “She must be great in bed because I don’t know why he’s with her…” and created a whole character out of it.
When Weston finally tells Jillian that he can’t see her anymore, the reveal was a disappointment. She took it all in too quickly and didn’t seem to need much explanation or closure despite being apparently unaware of how deeply Paige disliked her. It didn't feel big enough to be the end of a 25 year friendship.
The ending was so frustrating. Without spoiling too much, it was hard to see what the whole thing descended into. It reminded me a little of the end of Cat Person. It was final, disappointing, and very realistic.
The Last Children of Tokyo by Yōko Tawada
dark
emotional
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? No
3.5
Very depressing but vague enough about the circumstances to not send me into a cold sweat about Armageddon all the way through.
I found the switching between POVs and tenses a bit distracting.
I found the switching between POVs and tenses a bit distracting.
Deception by Roald Dahl
adventurous
dark
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
No One Is Talking About This by Patricia Lockwood
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
medium-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
1.5
I would have DNF this if Col hadn't told me that the second half was better. It was better, but not good enough really.
Tampa by Alissa Nutting
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Memorial by Bryan Washington
emotional
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
3.5
Mowgli Street Food: Stories and Recipes from the Mowgli Street Food Restaurants by Nisha Katona
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
4.0
The best cookbook I have ever had, we cook recipes from this 2/3 times per week, it's changed the way we eat completely.
The reason it's not 5* is because some of the recipes look and taste completely different to how they do in the restaurant (which devastated me when I tried to make the paneer dish!), and a lot of the recipes have obviously been sized down from huge batches which results in odd things like having to put 1/8 of a teaspoon into a batch which will make 6 portions!
The reason it's not 5* is because some of the recipes look and taste completely different to how they do in the restaurant (which devastated me when I tried to make the paneer dish!), and a lot of the recipes have obviously been sized down from huge batches which results in odd things like having to put 1/8 of a teaspoon into a batch which will make 6 portions!
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
mysterious
reflective
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
2.5