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lucithm's Reviews (112)
dark
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I’m a bit speechless ngl
I’ve read quite a few really disturbing books about women going insane but this ones gotta be at the top
Also extra points for the very unexpected cannibalism I genuinely didn’t see that coming… but also wtf 😭
I’ve read quite a few really disturbing books about women going insane but this ones gotta be at the top
hopeful
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
This should be called “BABITZ (and Didion)” instead of “Didion and Babitz” because like 80% of this book is just Lili Anolik absolutely worshipping Eve Babitz and everything that she does.
That alone isn’t a problem (in a way it’s very understandable) but I don’t really know what propelled her to write a book about Babitz and Didion, as she is clearly biased towards Babitz and at times seems to despise Didion.
Anolik seems to defend every mistake or bad decision that Babitz has ever made, yet refuses to give Didion any credit, which is a bit ridiculous.
I would however be lying if I said that I didn’t absolutely enjoy reading about all the gossip of 60s and 70s LA, and I also can’t deny how well researched this book is.
That alone isn’t a problem (in a way it’s very understandable) but I don’t really know what propelled her to write a book about Babitz and Didion, as she is clearly biased towards Babitz and at times seems to despise Didion.
Anolik seems to defend every mistake or bad decision that Babitz has ever made, yet refuses to give Didion any credit, which is a bit ridiculous.
I would however be lying if I said that I didn’t absolutely enjoy reading about all the gossip of 60s and 70s LA, and I also can’t deny how well researched this book is.
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
despite being really short and having a very simple premise, this book manages to be deeply impactful and really moving, I will probably think about this for a very long time.
the ending left me absolutely speechless, but after thinking about it, it makes perfect sense and is probably the most realistic outcome anyway, which makes it even more devastating.
I’m genuinely a bit speechless but I think that’s what the author intended.
the ending left me absolutely speechless, but after thinking about it, it makes perfect sense and is probably the most realistic outcome anyway, which makes it even more devastating.
I’m genuinely a bit speechless but I think that’s what the author intended.
dark
emotional
inspiring
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
shoutout to my grandmother and my 10th grade english teacher for convincing me to read this, after I’d already kinda written off john steinbeck - because this is one of the best pieces of literature I’ve ever read
I’m genuinely having a hard time putting my thoughts into words because I don’t think I’ve fully processed this book yet but OH MY GOD 😭😭
the characters in this (especially cal and cathy) are so well written and multilayered, I absolutely LOVEE the themes of good / evil and how we are born / what we choose to be because THOU MAYEST!!!
also don’t even get me started on samuel and lee…
I’m so used to classics being full of harmful and repetitive racial stereotypes and even though this one is far from being perfect in regards to that, having an Irish and a Chinese character who not only play major roles in the story but are also portrayed as wise, kind and caring was so refreshing <3
as someone who didn’t grow up religious at all, it took me a very embarrassing amount of time until I realised that this is a biblical retelling, but the moment I made the connection between their names and Abel and Cain I almost had a stroke
steinbeck’s writing style felt very simplistic most of the time (it was still deeply impactful and I have like 50 new favourite quotes now), and though I usually prefer a rather lush and flowery language, this really worked for me because I was so absorbed into the story and practically flew through this
this is probably the longest review I’ve ever written, yet I feel like there’s so much more I could say about this book yet none of it would ever do it justice…
but yeah this is the type of shit that I’ll still think about and come back to in years
I’m genuinely having a hard time putting my thoughts into words because I don’t think I’ve fully processed this book yet but OH MY GOD 😭😭
the characters in this (especially cal and cathy) are so well written and multilayered, I absolutely LOVEE the themes of good / evil and how we are born / what we choose to be because THOU MAYEST!!!
also don’t even get me started on samuel and lee…
I’m so used to classics being full of harmful and repetitive racial stereotypes and even though this one is far from being perfect in regards to that, having an Irish and a Chinese character who not only play major roles in the story but are also portrayed as wise, kind and caring was so refreshing <3
as someone who didn’t grow up religious at all, it took me a very embarrassing amount of time until I realised that this is a biblical retelling, but the moment I made the connection between their names and Abel and Cain I almost had a stroke
steinbeck’s writing style felt very simplistic most of the time (it was still deeply impactful and I have like 50 new favourite quotes now), and though I usually prefer a rather lush and flowery language, this really worked for me because I was so absorbed into the story and practically flew through this
this is probably the longest review I’ve ever written, yet I feel like there’s so much more I could say about this book yet none of it would ever do it justice…
but yeah this is the type of shit that I’ll still think about and come back to in years
challenging
emotional
mysterious
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
Where does music go when it's not playing? — she asked herself. And disarmed she would answer: may they make a harp out of my nerves when I die.
Clarice Lispector might be one of my new favourite authors, she really reminds me of Virginia Woolf’s books but I definitely need to read more of her stuff.
To be honest the stream-of-consciousness-esque style was really hard to get through at times and it took me embarrassing 3 attempts to get past the first few pages, but once you get used to the writing style it’s just so rewarding.
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
you know you’re doing everything right when you’re ronald reagan’s #1 public enemy 😜
seriously though, this book made my resentment for the police grow with every page that I turned, and I think that it’s sooo important to read books that reflect the current political climate in the world (especially in the states).
I’m also really surprised by the lack of appreciation for angela davis in the main stream media, she is such a powerful person with an incredibly compelling story, I feel like I’ve learned so much by reading this
seriously though, this book made my resentment for the police grow with every page that I turned, and I think that it’s sooo important to read books that reflect the current political climate in the world (especially in the states).
I’m also really surprised by the lack of appreciation for angela davis in the main stream media, she is such a powerful person with an incredibly compelling story, I feel like I’ve learned so much by reading this
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
I need every art lover to read this, this was sooo eye opening and really changed the way I think about and look at art.
This book was surprisingly really accessible, it never uses unnecessarily complicated technical language and the line of argumentation is very easy to follow imo, and the plot just really interesting in general.
Right now I feel very inspired to go into the next random art gallery and over analyse every single painting there.
Also love to see the berthe morisot appreciation 🥰🙏🙏
This book was surprisingly really accessible, it never uses unnecessarily complicated technical language and the line of argumentation is very easy to follow imo, and the plot just really interesting in general.
Right now I feel very inspired to go into the next random art gallery and over analyse every single painting there.
Also love to see the berthe morisot appreciation 🥰🙏🙏
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-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
Is it casual to dedicate an entire novel to your “best friend” about your relationship with eachother in which you absolutely worship her and mention that you’re in love with her multiple times and then just change the names so it passes as fiction? 🤔🤔😛😍
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
this book was so good, it made me want to learn Italian, just so I could read it in the original language 😭😭
this had possibly the most beautiful writing style I’ve ever encountered, and the way elena ferrante writes about language and the words we choose to express ourselves is so inspiring.
she manages to paint such an authentic picture of a lower class neighbourhood during the post-war period in naples, and I love how the political and cultural climate during that time becomes more and more important as the book progresses, I’m literally itching to read the rest of this series.
I could probably talk about lila and lènu’s characterisation, let alone their relationships for hours, it feels so representative of how young girls behave and how truly complex female friendships are.
I also can’t stop thinking about the contrast of the first scene, full of childish curiosity and naivety and the last scene, which quite literally represents the loss of innocence and the start of the harsh and cruel reality of adulthood <\3
this had possibly the most beautiful writing style I’ve ever encountered, and the way elena ferrante writes about language and the words we choose to express ourselves is so inspiring.
she manages to paint such an authentic picture of a lower class neighbourhood during the post-war period in naples, and I love how the political and cultural climate during that time becomes more and more important as the book progresses, I’m literally itching to read the rest of this series.
I could probably talk about lila and lènu’s characterisation, let alone their relationships for hours, it feels so representative of how young girls behave and how truly complex female friendships are.
emotional
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
Proof of how even the most simplistic stories can be deeply impactful if they are written in a thought provoking way.
I could read about deborah levy talking about her everyday life forever simply because the way she writes is so so beautiful - every sentence is pure poetry, she makes me wanna become one of these people who annotate their books.
Lowkey scared to read the final part of this trilogy because I don’t want to run out of her autobiographical literature 💔
I could read about deborah levy talking about her everyday life forever simply because the way she writes is so so beautiful - every sentence is pure poetry, she makes me wanna become one of these people who annotate their books.
Lowkey scared to read the final part of this trilogy because I don’t want to run out of her autobiographical literature 💔