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lunabean's reviews
196 reviews
Worry by Alexandra Tanner
dark
funny
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Violence, and Animal death
Writers & Lovers by Lily King
emotional
sad
slow-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
2.75
I really wanted to love this one. I was recommended it, people told me they loved it, I contemplated buying a physical copy, sat on the decision for 2 weeks and finally spent money on it. I unfortunately am giving it a 2.5 stars.
Casey works as a waitress while she writes her novel that she’s been working on for 6 years. Grieving her mother who died unexpectedly, disheartened by a recent failed situationship, having crippling debt from student loans, and living in a desolate potting shed, Casey struggles to commit to her creative dreams while she grieves and battles anxiety. She eventually finds herself caught between 2 men and having to decide between them - the fireworks or the coffee in bed.
Since the protagonist is a writer, at one point she shares her view that a story is primarily about how it makes the reader feel and not so much about its themes and symbols. Ironically this book made me feel so BORED. What was the point of it? To me it was all over the place - we followed this insufferable protagonist throughout the book but I learnt nothing about her. She’s depressed, and we can sense the undertone of despair with every sentence. There’s nothing else that identifies her except her struggles- what motivates her to write? What makes her happy? And why do all the men she meet fall in love with her?? 😰🫨🥴 She literally never makes the first move and expects people to read her mind (leaving situations the moment she feels unmoored).
I can see readers perhaps relating to Casey’s melancholy, her gloom, despondency; how defeated and trapped she feels. Some of the writer’s lines are good, scattered here and there. But mostly a lot of the prose that describe Casey’s feelings and sensations felt removed.
The best kind of book to me is one that holds the writer’s voice very clearly, and we know that every sentence has been thought through, chosen, and important. A lot of the book felt pointless, or directionless, with unnecessary information that diluted everything else. Why is Casey’s father a peeping tom? What is the point of Casey knowing how to speak many languages? Why did we have to know about Paco, or Luke, or how Luke lost his child? The first quarter of the book was dedicated to these characters and for what reason? The story in the present could still go on without any of these characters. And on that note… the writer names EVERY SINGLE character, even a character she won’t ever mention again. She gives a short backstory to every single one- and for what purpose except to confuse😭 There’s a whole page on Mary Hand changing the candle lights of every single table at the restaurant, a page on George (??) whose wife left him for her doctor. Who is Victor Silva???? An unimportant character who later is involved in a small revelation at the last chapter, spurring 20 minutes of me flipping through the entire book trying to find who this man is and when in the book this man was introduced.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual harassment
Poor Deer by Claire Oshetsky
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
medium-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
5.0
HOW many times in our lives can we chance upon a book this extraordinary!!! I’ve never read anything like this, I haven’t felt so sad to finish a book in so long, I wanted to savour it slowly throughout…!! It was so compelling and creative and painful and explores big themes of grief and trauma and hope in a compact 220 pages❤️🩹
Margaret’s earliest memory is of the day her best friend Agnes died when they were 4 years old. No one knows the truth of what happened except Margaret. The tragic incident has since haunted Margaret for a decade - shame, guilt, and grief plaguing her for years, manifested in a creature called Poor Deer that she carries on her neck and back, burdened and terrified. She grows up haunted by what she’s done, bearing the rumours of the town, and the gradual withdrawal of her mother’s presence and love.
Under the scathing, reproachful eye of Poor Deer, 16 year old Margaret is penning down the truth of the day her friend Agnes died, but she has difficulty differentiating reality from the made-up stories she has been telling herself. Poor Deer is breathing warm air down her neck, chastising her for her “wicked ways” and forcing her to face the truth of that traumatic incident. For years, Margaret has oscillated between alternative happy endings and painful honesty, revealing her desire to control the narrative while she shoulders the burden of her decade-long sorrow over losing her friend.
This story boldly shows us humanity, the many ways a child is dear, and the power of forgiveness and hope. I found Margaret to be very loveable, largely because the writer did such a great job depicting the evolution of the thoughts and emotions of a confused 4 year old girl grappling with trauma and big feelings, to a wiser 16 year old girl finally courageous enough to forgive herself.
The writing is simple, honest, and beautiful, the sentences short but so evocative and powerful. I was immersed throughout and I couldn’t see this story written in any other way. What an incredible, moving book I WANT TO READ THIS AGAIN AND AGAIN😭😭😭
Margaret’s earliest memory is of the day her best friend Agnes died when they were 4 years old. No one knows the truth of what happened except Margaret. The tragic incident has since haunted Margaret for a decade - shame, guilt, and grief plaguing her for years, manifested in a creature called Poor Deer that she carries on her neck and back, burdened and terrified. She grows up haunted by what she’s done, bearing the rumours of the town, and the gradual withdrawal of her mother’s presence and love.
Under the scathing, reproachful eye of Poor Deer, 16 year old Margaret is penning down the truth of the day her friend Agnes died, but she has difficulty differentiating reality from the made-up stories she has been telling herself. Poor Deer is breathing warm air down her neck, chastising her for her “wicked ways” and forcing her to face the truth of that traumatic incident. For years, Margaret has oscillated between alternative happy endings and painful honesty, revealing her desire to control the narrative while she shoulders the burden of her decade-long sorrow over losing her friend.
This story boldly shows us humanity, the many ways a child is dear, and the power of forgiveness and hope. I found Margaret to be very loveable, largely because the writer did such a great job depicting the evolution of the thoughts and emotions of a confused 4 year old girl grappling with trauma and big feelings, to a wiser 16 year old girl finally courageous enough to forgive herself.
The writing is simple, honest, and beautiful, the sentences short but so evocative and powerful. I was immersed throughout and I couldn’t see this story written in any other way. What an incredible, moving book I WANT TO READ THIS AGAIN AND AGAIN😭😭😭
So Late in the Day by Claire Keegan
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Maybe You Should Talk to Someone: A Therapist, Her Therapist, and Our Lives Revealed by Lori Gottlieb
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
5.0
Ghosts by Dolly Alderton
emotional
funny
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Good Material by Dolly Alderton
emotional
funny
sad
medium-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
5.0
The Membranes by Chi Ta-wei
challenging
dark
reflective
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? It's complicated
3.0
The Collected Regrets of Clover by Mikki Brammer
emotional
hopeful
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
This one’s about Clover, a death doula who helps people who are dying to die with clarity and dignity, who stays by their side to help them get their practical affairs in order and also to just be present and to listen. Although Clover helps people come to terms with their lives ending and listens to their dying regrets, advice, or confessions, she struggles with connecting with others and with loneliness in her personal life. Through this book we follow her as she tries to make friends, date, and come to terms with her own grief.
It wasn’t bad, just quite boring.. would be nice for people who are afraid of death and having regrets, or people who can see themselves in Clover as a late bloomer. There are heartwarming parts, but not enough for it to hold my attention.
It wasn’t bad, just quite boring.. would be nice for people who are afraid of death and having regrets, or people who can see themselves in Clover as a late bloomer. There are heartwarming parts, but not enough for it to hold my attention.