mariebrunelm's reviews
363 reviews

Passing by Nella Larsen

reflective sad slow-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

This thought-provoking little classic holds a punch. Our two protagonists are Black women who grew up together before growing apart, reunited in 1927 Chicago, more than ten years later and catching up. Both are light-skin Black, but while Irene married a Black man and lives within the Black community, Clare passes as white, married a white man and lives in the white community.

As the title suggests, this novel explores the concept of passing through the experiences of these two women. It is a fascinating insight into life in the 1920s for the Black community, and an excellent character study as well. Nella Larsen confronts those characters in a series of encounters, making the plot rather minimal, so I won’t say more about it. The prose is easy to read and helps make this a book to put in every hand.

In 2020, Brit Bennett recently released a novel that was a contemporary companion to Passing, entitled The Vanishing Half. I haven’t read it but have heard good things about it.

PS: there is no word in French that comes close to a translation for the concept of “passing”. The translation has had two different titles, “Passer la ligne” (“crossing the line”) and “Clair-obscur” (“chiaroscuro”).

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism and Racial slurs

Nophek Gloss by Essa Hansen

adventurous challenging dark emotional sad tense slow-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

4.5

Caiden is a mechanic, living a simple life on a planet that is always the same. His community is supposed to take care of cattle and not ask questions. One day the unthinkable happens and Caiden is left barely alive on a planet he had no idea even existed, pushed to the edge by multiple traumas. To escape, and to live, he'll have to go and grow further than he ever imagined, and unveil secrets strong enough to topple a galaxy.

What a ride. Let me tell you this book is *intense*. I bought it lured by its queer and neurodivergent rep, but was a bit daunted by what seemed like complex world-building, from what the reviews suggested.

Actually, I found that the world wasn’t especially complex at its core, but it took some effort to grasp it and make my way through the story at first, because of the very lush prose. I hadn't expected such detailed descriptions and exhaustive vocabulary. It was amazing, don’t get me wrong, but also took me longer to read. My aphantasic mind (I can’t picture mental images when I read) had a really hard time with the very visual narrative the author has created. I thought it was objectively fabulous, just not something I could relax into.

But then, I was introduced to the characters and especially to the crew of misfits that take Caiden in. From then on, I was hooked. That is what found family is. Those mismatched personalities and wildly different species of being made me feel just like a Becky Chambers book can. With a liberal dose of trauma added on top. Because that book is NOT gentle. The opening chapter is very violent, and it’s only the beginning. However I didn’t find violence was gratuitous because it served a whole reflection on trauma and identity that spans the whole novel. So definitely not for the faint-hearted, but also, I think, well-handled and rewarding.

Rep : neurodivergent character, genderfluid character.
Additional trauma for eugenism.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Violence, Gore, and Death of parent

Arcadia by Estelle Faye

adventurous hopeful lighthearted mysterious fast-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

4.5

Nour et son grand-frère Kassem mènent une vie tranquille au palais,qu’ils n’ont cependant pas le droit de quitter. Ils contemplent tous les jours la mer au loin, le domaine des pêcheurs chez qui sévit parfois une malédiction qui couvre leur peau d’écailles et les condamne à l’exil. Nour et Kassem sont supposés être à l’abri au palais, jusqu’au jour où Nour est touchée à son tour. Elle doit alors quitter son monde, mais c’est sans compter sur Kassem qui se lance à sa poursuite pour la sauver.

Ce roman jeunesse tout à fait charmant bouscule bien des clichés et se révèle rafraîchissant. Il est en outre servi par les ravissantes illustrations de Sanoé, dont j’avais déjà admiré le travail dans Les Mémoires de la Forêt de Mickaël Brun-Arnaud.

On retrouve chez Estelle Faye ce goût de l’aventure, de la mer, et cette détermination féroce à combattre les préjugés. Le premier tome de cette série peut se lire seul, mais quelques mystères demeurent et attisent la curiosité pour la suite.

 

Realms of Imagination: Essays from the Wide Worlds of Fantasy by Tanya Kirk, Matthew Sangster

informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

5.0

The British Library recently held an exhibition all about fantasy, its origins, ramifications and contemporary applications. No, I couldn’t go, and yes, it’s a tragedy, but thankfully I received the catalogue as a Yule gift, so I’m not too frustrated.

This beauty holds together 20 chapters written by different authors, illustrated with exhibition pieces (not all of them are in there, but there are many). I won’t go into detail of every single chapter because we’d be here for a while, but the gist of it is there are four sections: “fairy and folk tales”, “epics and quests”, “weird and uncanny” and “portals and worlds”. Inside each one, there are chapters defining the concepts and others taking a deep dive into specific incarnations of each notion. My favourite chapter may have been Sofia Samatar’s “The Everything Book”, but they are all equally fascinating, although some of them were surprisingly short. But that’s just the PhD student talking, always hungry for more.

As Neil Gaiman says in the preface, be ready to write down tons of book recommendations ! The authors all do a great job of highlighting fantasy from all different parts of the world, and not only European fantasy. I loved it for that. This book is great for literature students, but I think it’s also accessible for the nerdy, academia-oriented fans of fantasy. 

 

Squire by Nadia Shammas, Sara Alfageeh

adventurous emotional funny reflective tense fast-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

5.0

In this visually gorgeous and sadly timely story, Aiza discovers that history is not, in fact, neutral. Born as a second-class citizen, Aiza dreams of becoming a squire, and then perhaps a knight, to wield a sword and become a hero, far from the limitations of her people. When she finally manages to enlist, she starts training with new recruits from all walks of life, and quickly makes friends — and enemies. But is she fighting the right enemy and for the right reasons?

I’m not sure I can praise this book enough. Friends, it is per-fect. From the anticolonial discourse and urge to question authority, to the swoon-worthy art style and colour palette, this graphic novel was very quick to capture my heart. Aiza is a stubborn character desperate to prove herself. Despite a rocky start, a few pages were enough to make me fall for her friend Husni who looks like a rich spoiled kid but has actually a good heart. I loved how nuanced the narration was, especially in the feeling of unease it creates as the grand military discourses fail to inspire Aiza as they should.
 Last but not least, the Palestinian-American and Jordanian-American authors masterfully weaved very current themes and situations in this fantasy setting to help us reflect on who gets to tell the story during a conflict.
 This book came with quite the hype after it was reviewed by people whose opinion I hold in high regard, and it absolutely lived up to my expectations. 

Rep : diverse cast, no romance, and disabled representation.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism and Xenophobia

Moderate: War, Violence, and Colonisation

Unaccustomed Earth by Jhumpa Lahiri

emotional reflective relaxing slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

This collection of short stories centers on the experiences of first- or second-generation Bengali immigrants in the USA. I picked it up very randomly when my local library had a clear-out of the English section, as an opportunity to branch out. And it worked !

The first short stories in the book are on the longer side and introduce unrelated characters, whereas the last four shorter pieces follow the same two characters at different points of their lives, alternating between their two points of view.

Although it took me a few dozen pages to ease into the slow rhythm of the narratives (and that’s from someone who had just read a slow and contemplative novel just before that one), the book grew on me and I appreciated more and more as I progressed. All of the stories center on family relationships and the way people dance between their two cultures. Yet the author does an excellent job, it seemed to me, of charting their identity as something other than an either/or, often in contrast with parental figures. The main characters here are quietly determined not to disappear within a solely American or solely Bengali identity, but find meaningful ways to be both. Even though there are no at-length discussions of culture and heritage, those themes pervade the characters’ daily life and shine through here and there, making this book a thoughtful anthology that will probably speak to many readers embracing both aspects of their double heritage.

CW: death of parent, grief, cancer, infidelity, alcoholism.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent and Alcoholism

Moderate: Cancer and Infidelity

Poussière by Rosamond Lehmann

reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

In the quiet English countryside, the children of two families grow side by side. On one side of the hedge is Judith, an only child longing for connection, and on the other are the Fyfe children, four boys and a girl who are often happy to invite Judith to play with them. As they grow older, the dynamics of the group keep shifting, and when feelings come into play, things are bound to get complicated.
I had this book on my radar for the longest time, as I was drawn to its supposedly elegant prose and English-countryside setting. It lived up to this part of the bargain, and added the even better perks of a Cambridge section when the main character goes to university, and queer vibes. It is indeed quite clear that the heroin is bisexual. Even with the flowery 1920s prose, there is little doubt, which made things a lot more interesting than I'd anticipated. That being said, I didn’t find the book thrilling. It is quite elegant and contemplative, yes, but it deals heavily with the main character's inner turmoils and psychology. Though I praise the book for it, it’s not a type of literature I'm particularly fond of. I loved the setting and the queerness, but of course the book remained a product of its time and there were a couple of uncomfortable paragraphs (just a couple, fortunately. But oh boy you’d better not be anything other than pretty or you’ll be the scum of society). All in all, it was a very slow book, with exquisite descriptions of atmosphere but little plot.
Bonus point for a vintage copy that smells just like the books at my grandparents’ house.

The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien: Revised and Expanded edition by J.R.R. Tolkien, Humphrey Carpenter, Humphrey Carpenter, Christopher Tolkien

emotional informative reflective medium-paced

5.0

Last year, The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien, originally published in 1981, had a new and expanded edition. Some 150 additional letters were added to the book and give an even deeper insight into the life and work of the author. Many of them are from the correspondence with his son Christopher during the second world war, and a good number are from his exchanges with his publishers at Allen & Unwin. There are also a handful of letters written to Donald Swann who was composing music inspired by the legendarium.

I have already read the previous edition of the Letters for my PhD, and often refer to them in my studies. So of course I bought this volume as soon as it came out. The new material may not be groundbreaking, but there are many touching passages and a few interesting tidbits for my subject.

All in all, I’d recommend the Letters if you want a picture of the man behind the legendarium, in all his complexity and sometimes contradictions. He took time to answer lengthily to readers asking about obscure points of the history of Arda, or its philosophy, or its languages, and it’s really fascinating.

In Ascension by Martin MacInnes

emotional mysterious reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Book sent by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for a review.

Far out at sea, something has been found. Leigh is hired as a doctorate student in microbiology to take part in the expedition. She finds herself on this huge boat, living alongside dozens of other specialists, all bent on exploring what this discovery has to offer. She finds out the depths of the ocean are just as mysterious as the endless stretches of space, but this is only the first step of her journey.

This book grabbed me and I happily let myself fall under its spell. At first it reminded me of Sophie Griselle’s Into the Deep, a book I really enjoyed in 2022 (2021?). Of course, the two novels take very different directions, otherwise it wouldn’t be fun. Martin MacInnes chooses to explore the deep sea and beyond as well as the depth of human consciousness and the way memories shape us and our relationships with family, friends and colleagues. I loved how the author made me feel the exhilarating process of research and also the frustrations that come with the job. I also loved how he takes the readers further and further, but always showed the characters trapped in one way or another. This contrast worked really well.

I can’t really say much more because I think it’s better not to know too much about the story and its scope. But if you enjoy the intersection of science and yearning for the infinite, if you like your science to have some poetry and philosophy to it, then I encourage you to pick this book up.

Rep : sapphic MC.

---

Content Warnings

Minor: Domestic abuse

Préférence système by Ugo Bienvenu

reflective tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

Dans un futur proche, la sauvegarde des données est un problème de premier plan. Face à l’afflux constant de médias de tout ordre, une entreprise (sous l’égide du gouvernement ? Cela n’est pas dit) est chargée de décider quelles œuvres supprimer pour faire de la place. Yves est un employé chargé de présenter les dossiers à une commission souveraine. Il ne peut s’empêcher de devenir l’avocat de ces œuvres dont le destin se résume à une question de stockage. A moins qu’il existe une autre voie.

J’ai entendu parler de cette bande-dessinée dans le numéro 31 de Géante Rouge, qui la citait parmi des œuvres de SF abordant la question de l’art. Ni une ni deux, je suis allée l’emprunter à la médiathèque sans même l’ouvrir. Si je n’ai pas été réceptive au graphisme (qui se rapproche de l’esthétique des comics classiques), j’ai apprécié les questions que soulevaient le scénario sans proposer de réponse toute faite. Je suis restée un petit peu sur ma faim, mais l’auteur développe des idées tout à fait fascinantes.

---

Content Warnings

Minor: Violence and Pregnancy