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manureads's reviews
151 reviews
Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro
3.0
3.5 stars
I started this book thinking it was just a coming of age story and was pleasantly surprised to find out it was also a dystopia.
I loved the first ¾ of the book: the concept is original and I was quickly submersed in the world. The writing style is beautiful, simple but with a lot of depth. The author manages to make you go through a lot of emotions as you read: from delight to despair and anger, and even dread as you slowly come to realise what is going on. The characters are fleshed out and with distinct personalities. Their interactions with each other is definitely the driving force of the plot and provides with a good dose of tension which made the story interesting. I very much wanted to see what would happen next.
However, the ending was disappointing. It felt info-dumpy, the characters get a lot of information at once and a lot of background events are suddenly explained to us, despite not being relevant to Kathy’s (the protagonist’s) journey. But more importantly, it was anti-climactic: it felt rushed compared to the pace of the rest of the book and as a result we do not get to see or experience a proper reaction from Kathy. There is no acceptance or resignation, just a complete absence of response.
Overall, after I was done reading it took me some time to process how I felt about this book, but I would still recommend it if you’re looking for a slow paced emotional read.
I started this book thinking it was just a coming of age story and was pleasantly surprised to find out it was also a dystopia.
I loved the first ¾ of the book: the concept is original and I was quickly submersed in the world. The writing style is beautiful, simple but with a lot of depth. The author manages to make you go through a lot of emotions as you read: from delight to despair and anger, and even dread as you slowly come to realise what is going on. The characters are fleshed out and with distinct personalities. Their interactions with each other is definitely the driving force of the plot and provides with a good dose of tension which made the story interesting. I very much wanted to see what would happen next.
However, the ending was disappointing. It felt info-dumpy, the characters get a lot of information at once and a lot of background events are suddenly explained to us, despite not being relevant to Kathy’s (the protagonist’s) journey. But more importantly, it was anti-climactic: it felt rushed compared to the pace of the rest of the book and as a result we do not get to see or experience a proper reaction from Kathy. There is no acceptance or resignation, just a complete absence of response.
Overall, after I was done reading it took me some time to process how I felt about this book, but I would still recommend it if you’re looking for a slow paced emotional read.
Your Creative Career: Turn Your Passion into a Fulfilling and Financially Rewarding Lifestyle by Anna Sabino
3.0
Overall, not a step by step handbook but a great reality check. It’s motivational but not fluffy. I enjoyed the fact that she points out the need to define our own success and work mindfully towards it. However, the advice stays surface level and gets repetitive at times. Whilst each chapter had a theme there still was a lot of overlaps in the points they were making.
I would recommend it if you’re looking for that final push to start following your passion or if you’ve hit a wall after the initial inspiration for your project has faded.
I would recommend it if you’re looking for that final push to start following your passion or if you’ve hit a wall after the initial inspiration for your project has faded.
Golden Age and Other Stories by Naomi Novik
5.0
An absolutely delightful read! The stories are charming and I adored spending more time with the characters. A great read for Temeraire fans but I would also suggest it to those of you still on the fence about reading the full series because the stories capture wonderfully the rich world that Naomi Novik created.