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notesbynnenna's Reviews (513)
I’ll start right off by saying that this was a disappointing read for me. I expected to like this novel much more than I actually did. I will also state that my reading experience may have been colored by my troubles with the ebook. I borrowed this ebook from the library and constantly had trouble loading the chapters. Since this book is split up into more than one hundred short chapters, you can imagine how stilted my reading experience was.
Plot-wise, you’ll already know what happens in this retelling of Pride and Prejudice if you’ve read the original. The story pretty much sticks to the original script, except that it’s set in the present day in Pittsburgh. In a recent review, I mentioned that my main criteria for a retelling is that it remain respectful of the original story, while adding a new twist. In this aspect, Eligible really fell short for me. Yes, the location was changed and the setting updated, but it wasn’t enough to make the story feel new and fresh. Structurally, as I mentioned before, the novel is divided into many short chapters. Because of this, I felt that the reading experience wasn’t smooth because the story was constantly stopping and starting. In addition, some of the chapters didn’t seem to add anything to the story and I was left wondering why they were included in the first place.
Let’s talk about the characters too. Most of the characters were terrible people. You know I don’t mind an “unlikeable” character (in fact, give me a twisted, diabolical main character any day), but my cardinal rule is that a character must be compelling. I didn’t find these characters very compelling. In fact, they were rather tiresome. I believe that they were purposefully written this way, but I still grew weary of these characters. The character that concerned me the most was Mrs. Bennet. She’s described by her own daughter as racist and makes offensive comments. The other characters react to her statements with embarrassment, but I felt that they should denounce her, or at least call out her bad behavior. I guess what bothered me the most was that Mrs. Bennet has this huge character flaw, but it’s written off as a kooky character quirk.
I guess I’ll stop carrying on about what I didn’t like in this book, but I was just really disappointed. To give the author credit, P&P is a difficult story to tackle. My disappointment in this book won’t prevent me from trying one of her other novels to see if the author and I might get along better with a different story.
Plot-wise, you’ll already know what happens in this retelling of Pride and Prejudice if you’ve read the original. The story pretty much sticks to the original script, except that it’s set in the present day in Pittsburgh. In a recent review, I mentioned that my main criteria for a retelling is that it remain respectful of the original story, while adding a new twist. In this aspect, Eligible really fell short for me. Yes, the location was changed and the setting updated, but it wasn’t enough to make the story feel new and fresh. Structurally, as I mentioned before, the novel is divided into many short chapters. Because of this, I felt that the reading experience wasn’t smooth because the story was constantly stopping and starting. In addition, some of the chapters didn’t seem to add anything to the story and I was left wondering why they were included in the first place.
Let’s talk about the characters too. Most of the characters were terrible people. You know I don’t mind an “unlikeable” character (in fact, give me a twisted, diabolical main character any day), but my cardinal rule is that a character must be compelling. I didn’t find these characters very compelling. In fact, they were rather tiresome. I believe that they were purposefully written this way, but I still grew weary of these characters. The character that concerned me the most was Mrs. Bennet. She’s described by her own daughter as racist and makes offensive comments. The other characters react to her statements with embarrassment, but I felt that they should denounce her, or at least call out her bad behavior. I guess what bothered me the most was that Mrs. Bennet has this huge character flaw, but it’s written off as a kooky character quirk.
I guess I’ll stop carrying on about what I didn’t like in this book, but I was just really disappointed. To give the author credit, P&P is a difficult story to tackle. My disappointment in this book won’t prevent me from trying one of her other novels to see if the author and I might get along better with a different story.
3.5 stars
I hadn’t read Poe since high school, but I remembered being introduced to his work for class and loving it. October seemed to be the month of switching up my reading habits, as I don’t read many graphic novels and I don’t read many short story collections. I was craving some old school horror though and decided that Halloween was the best time to read the master of the creepy short story.
I’d read a few of these stories before, but many were new to me. Even for the stories I’d already read, I found myself delighted by the twist, as if it were all new to me. The stories that I enjoyed the most are some of the most well-known ones, including “The Murders in the Rue Morgue” and “The Cast of Amontillado.” I also loved the stories that reminded me of the classic detective stories of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Agatha Christie (although I suppose Poe came first!). Since the language is a bit dense, I decided to read one or two of these stories a night, and I really enjoyed dipping in and out of the collection.
I hadn’t read Poe since high school, but I remembered being introduced to his work for class and loving it. October seemed to be the month of switching up my reading habits, as I don’t read many graphic novels and I don’t read many short story collections. I was craving some old school horror though and decided that Halloween was the best time to read the master of the creepy short story.
I’d read a few of these stories before, but many were new to me. Even for the stories I’d already read, I found myself delighted by the twist, as if it were all new to me. The stories that I enjoyed the most are some of the most well-known ones, including “The Murders in the Rue Morgue” and “The Cast of Amontillado.” I also loved the stories that reminded me of the classic detective stories of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Agatha Christie (although I suppose Poe came first!). Since the language is a bit dense, I decided to read one or two of these stories a night, and I really enjoyed dipping in and out of the collection.
4.5 stars
I am now one of the many people who sing Tana French’s praises. October was the perfect time to tackle my first Tana French novel, which was sitting on my TBR shelf for months.
When Adam is a young boy, he goes into the woods with his two best friends, but he is the only one to make it back out of the woods. The disappearance of his friends is investigated, but the case is never solved. Several years later, Adam has become a detective, and picks up a case that brings him in contact with his past.
Oooo, this was so good. The pacing is slow and steady, but so engrossing throughout. More than two-thirds of the way through the novel, I still had no idea who did it and only slowly began to understand what happened at the very end. The book is set in Ireland and the descriptions of the setting are vivid. With the woods in particular, I could feel some of the terror that Adam felt on that fateful day when his friends disappeared. French’s characters are rich and I felt like I was investigating this case alongside them. I was wholly invested in the story and felt each defining moment keenly.
In this book, French explores relationships between family members and between friends. There is definitely an air of nostalgia here, as the novel switches back and forth between the present day, the recent past, when Adam is investigating the case, and the more distant past when Adam was a kid. There is much more I could say about this, but I don’t want to discuss anything that might give away the plot. If you’ve read this novel, let me know, so I can talk about the thing that I’m dying to talk about! This was the perfect blend of literary fiction, mystery, crime, and suspense, and I cannot wait to read the rest of the novels in this series.
I am now one of the many people who sing Tana French’s praises. October was the perfect time to tackle my first Tana French novel, which was sitting on my TBR shelf for months.
When Adam is a young boy, he goes into the woods with his two best friends, but he is the only one to make it back out of the woods. The disappearance of his friends is investigated, but the case is never solved. Several years later, Adam has become a detective, and picks up a case that brings him in contact with his past.
Oooo, this was so good. The pacing is slow and steady, but so engrossing throughout. More than two-thirds of the way through the novel, I still had no idea who did it and only slowly began to understand what happened at the very end. The book is set in Ireland and the descriptions of the setting are vivid. With the woods in particular, I could feel some of the terror that Adam felt on that fateful day when his friends disappeared. French’s characters are rich and I felt like I was investigating this case alongside them. I was wholly invested in the story and felt each defining moment keenly.
In this book, French explores relationships between family members and between friends. There is definitely an air of nostalgia here, as the novel switches back and forth between the present day, the recent past, when Adam is investigating the case, and the more distant past when Adam was a kid. There is much more I could say about this, but I don’t want to discuss anything that might give away the plot. If you’ve read this novel, let me know, so I can talk about the thing that I’m dying to talk about! This was the perfect blend of literary fiction, mystery, crime, and suspense, and I cannot wait to read the rest of the novels in this series.
This book is excellent and I feel like there aren’t enough people talking about how good it is. The main character is Naomi, a slave in the South in the mid-1800s. The book begins with Naomi’s murder, hours after she’s given birth to a child. Naomi dies that night, but she doesn’t quite move on. Instead, she reflects on her experiences before her death, and those of her daughter after her death.
Deon wrote this story beautifully and Naomi was such a rich character. She has a heartbreaking life. I think the idea of having a dead narrator could easily go wrong, but it works really well in this novel. The helplessness and lack of control that Naomi experiences in her life is also reflected after her death. As she watches over her daughter, she wants to care and intervene for her, but she can’t.
This is an important story that’s beautifully written. Y’all should read this one!
Deon wrote this story beautifully and Naomi was such a rich character. She has a heartbreaking life. I think the idea of having a dead narrator could easily go wrong, but it works really well in this novel. The helplessness and lack of control that Naomi experiences in her life is also reflected after her death. As she watches over her daughter, she wants to care and intervene for her, but she can’t.
This is an important story that’s beautifully written. Y’all should read this one!
This year, for my birthday, I treated myself to a few more Puffin in Bloom editions in order to complete my set. I’ve seen the Shirley Temple movie adaptation of Heidi, but this was my first time reading the book. Heidi is orphaned at a young age and is cared for by her aunt. When her aunt receives an opportunity to work in Frankfurt, she decides to leave Heidi with her grandfather. Due to circumstances in the past, Heidi’s grandfather has become something of a hermit and the villagers are worried that he won’t be a suitable guardian for Heidi. However, Heidi is just the right person to show her grandfather that life is worth living and people aren’t so bad after all.
This book was very sweet. The story is somewhat as I remember, although I think the movie adaptation that I’ve seen varies a bit. Heidi has such a positive attitude. She faces several difficult situations as a child, but in each case, she tries to make the best of it and be a positive influence on the lives around her. In one section of the book, Heidi is very homesick and she just wants to return home; I think we’ve all felt that at some point. There some religious overtones, which I don’t mind, I just prefer that they be more subtle (although this is a children’s novel, so I suppose the author wanted to make sure she got her point across). This was a feel-good read and it’s just what I was in mood for at the time.
This book was very sweet. The story is somewhat as I remember, although I think the movie adaptation that I’ve seen varies a bit. Heidi has such a positive attitude. She faces several difficult situations as a child, but in each case, she tries to make the best of it and be a positive influence on the lives around her. In one section of the book, Heidi is very homesick and she just wants to return home; I think we’ve all felt that at some point. There some religious overtones, which I don’t mind, I just prefer that they be more subtle (although this is a children’s novel, so I suppose the author wanted to make sure she got her point across). This was a feel-good read and it’s just what I was in mood for at the time.
I got along fine with Ruth Ware's first novel, In a Dark, Dark, Wood, so I was willing to give this book a try as well. Turns out I much preferred this book. Funny enough, I was recently chatting with a friend who has read both books too, and she felt the opposite! I thought the main character, Lo, was much more believable, the setting was appropriately creepy, and the tension was high. Lo is a travel journalist who is invited to attend the maiden voyage of a new, boutique cruise ship. One night on the ship, she hears something terrible- the sound of someone falling overboard. The only problem is, no one is missing from the ship. Lo begins to investigate what she saw and heard, and doubts herself as she keeps coming up empty.
I can't help but compare the two books, so I'll tell you what I preferred about this one. I felt that Lo's occupation as a travel journalist was much more believable than Nora as a writer. Lo at least tried to do her job throughout the story, even if she wasn't always succeeding. Also, Lo's ambition and desire to do well on this trip really comes through.
I've never been on a cruise before and I might be a bit scared of them after reading this book. The idea of being trapped on a boat for several days with nowhere to go does not seem ideal, particularly in the scenes that take place below deck and below the water line. I'm not really claustrophobic, but the idea of being in a tiny cabin room, underwater, had me taking deep breaths of air in gratitude. There's also something so isolating about the sea, which certainly played into this story. Ware did a good job of setting the scene and creating a claustrophobic, stifling atmosphere.
The mystery in this book is less predictable, which I was quite happy about. Once you know the main secrets, the plot pretty much goes along as you'd expect, but I was in the dark for most of the book.
Overall, for me, this was certainly an improvement from In a Dark, Dark, Wood with better characters and a more compelling and believable plot. It was also a quick and entertaining read- perfect to take on your next trip.
I can't help but compare the two books, so I'll tell you what I preferred about this one. I felt that Lo's occupation as a travel journalist was much more believable than Nora as a writer. Lo at least tried to do her job throughout the story, even if she wasn't always succeeding. Also, Lo's ambition and desire to do well on this trip really comes through.
I've never been on a cruise before and I might be a bit scared of them after reading this book. The idea of being trapped on a boat for several days with nowhere to go does not seem ideal, particularly in the scenes that take place below deck and below the water line. I'm not really claustrophobic, but the idea of being in a tiny cabin room, underwater, had me taking deep breaths of air in gratitude. There's also something so isolating about the sea, which certainly played into this story. Ware did a good job of setting the scene and creating a claustrophobic, stifling atmosphere.
The mystery in this book is less predictable, which I was quite happy about. Once you know the main secrets, the plot pretty much goes along as you'd expect, but I was in the dark for most of the book.
Overall, for me, this was certainly an improvement from In a Dark, Dark, Wood with better characters and a more compelling and believable plot. It was also a quick and entertaining read- perfect to take on your next trip.
3.5 stars
Madeline is the girl who lives in a bubble. She has a severe autoimmune disease and contact with anything in the outside world could cause a reaction and kill her. So she lives in carefully controlled environment and is content with her life, until a new family moves in next door. She starts talking to the boy next door, Ollie, and begins to dream about what life is like outside her four walls.
I thought this was a sweet and charming story. I enjoyed Maddie as a character; she’s mixed race (and it was great to read a novel with a mixed race protagonist) and bookish. The book also features different mediums (there are emails, notes, handwritten illustrations, and more) and I thought the incorporation of those formats was well done. I was really enjoying it and thought it was light-hearted and fun until a thing happened. And after the thing, I liked the book less. Not to the point where I wanted to stop reading, but still, the thing threw me for a loop. Even now, I’m trying to untangle my feelings about the thing and I think my problem is that it felt very inauthentic. Overall, I still liked the novel and I plan to read Nicola Yoon’s other book.
Madeline is the girl who lives in a bubble. She has a severe autoimmune disease and contact with anything in the outside world could cause a reaction and kill her. So she lives in carefully controlled environment and is content with her life, until a new family moves in next door. She starts talking to the boy next door, Ollie, and begins to dream about what life is like outside her four walls.
I thought this was a sweet and charming story. I enjoyed Maddie as a character; she’s mixed race (and it was great to read a novel with a mixed race protagonist) and bookish. The book also features different mediums (there are emails, notes, handwritten illustrations, and more) and I thought the incorporation of those formats was well done. I was really enjoying it and thought it was light-hearted and fun until a thing happened. And after the thing, I liked the book less. Not to the point where I wanted to stop reading, but still, the thing threw me for a loop. Even now, I’m trying to untangle my feelings about the thing and I think my problem is that it felt very inauthentic. Overall, I still liked the novel and I plan to read Nicola Yoon’s other book.
This was another excellent read that nearly made my favorites of the year. It’s set in Jamaica and tells the story of three women: Delores and her daughters, Margot and Thandi. Each woman has struggles to overcome and goals that they want to achieve.
Delores and Margot have placed all of their hopes and dreams on Thandi because she’s book smart. Both of them work really hard to provide for her because they believe that if she does well in school, she can become a doctor or a lawyer and really make something of herself. Meanwhile, Thandi feels this immense pressure and is apprehensive about sharing her own dreams.
The characterization is excellent in this novel. I felt like I really knew each of these women and understood what motivates them. I also loved the setting and getting a taste of life in Jamaica. The author discusses race and beauty and the idea that darker skin is ugly, while light skin is beautiful. Delores even says something along the lines of, “There is nothing worse than being dark, poor, and ugly” and this idea is ingrained throughout the community.
The author also explores the lives of the residents of this town in Jamaica. The jobs at the resorts are considered cushy jobs because they pay relatively well, but at the same time, the development of new resorts is driving people out of their own homes.
I thought this was a fascinating, well-written novel, filled with true, yet heartbreaking observations. It’s definitely one to add to your TBR if you haven’t read it.
Delores and Margot have placed all of their hopes and dreams on Thandi because she’s book smart. Both of them work really hard to provide for her because they believe that if she does well in school, she can become a doctor or a lawyer and really make something of herself. Meanwhile, Thandi feels this immense pressure and is apprehensive about sharing her own dreams.
The characterization is excellent in this novel. I felt like I really knew each of these women and understood what motivates them. I also loved the setting and getting a taste of life in Jamaica. The author discusses race and beauty and the idea that darker skin is ugly, while light skin is beautiful. Delores even says something along the lines of, “There is nothing worse than being dark, poor, and ugly” and this idea is ingrained throughout the community.
The author also explores the lives of the residents of this town in Jamaica. The jobs at the resorts are considered cushy jobs because they pay relatively well, but at the same time, the development of new resorts is driving people out of their own homes.
I thought this was a fascinating, well-written novel, filled with true, yet heartbreaking observations. It’s definitely one to add to your TBR if you haven’t read it.
Nora is invited to the hen (bachelorette) weekend for her friend Clare, but it’s strange because she hasn’t spoken to Clare in nearly ten years. She decides to go anyway, at the very least to find out why Clare has decided to reach out after all these years. The invitees travel to a house in the woods in the English countryside, where things take a dark turn…
Meh. I felt pretty ambivalent towards this book. About two-thirds of the way through, I noticed that I kept putting the book down and tuning into something else. It just wasn’t holding my attention anymore. But I still finished it because it was an easy read and I wasn’t that far away from the end.
This was so predictable, to the point where things happened exactly as I thought they would. I didn’t care about any of the characters or their relationships because they were all one-dimensional. Also, Nora is supposed to be a crime writer in this book, but I just didn’t buy it. I think that if she were a good writer, she’d also have been able to predict where the story was headed. I enjoyed the setting and thought the premise had promise, but this book didn’t thrill me.
Meh. I felt pretty ambivalent towards this book. About two-thirds of the way through, I noticed that I kept putting the book down and tuning into something else. It just wasn’t holding my attention anymore. But I still finished it because it was an easy read and I wasn’t that far away from the end.
This was so predictable, to the point where things happened exactly as I thought they would. I didn’t care about any of the characters or their relationships because they were all one-dimensional. Also, Nora is supposed to be a crime writer in this book, but I just didn’t buy it. I think that if she were a good writer, she’d also have been able to predict where the story was headed. I enjoyed the setting and thought the premise had promise, but this book didn’t thrill me.
I listened to the audiobook version of this book, and I think it was the right call. Before reading this, I wasn't super familiar with Phoebe Robinson, but I knew she was a comedian and that she has a podcast with Jessica Williams called 2 Dope Queens. I was sold by the title (seriously, so good), and the description. The book is full of essays about race, gender, pop culture, and more. This was a pretty fun to listen to. I was able to identify with some of her experiences and, as a black woman, I found a lot of Robinson's observations on race spot on. Of course, she puts a humorous spin on things, but sometimes she takes a step back and uses a more serious tone. At some point, she talks about using humor as a coping mechanism, as a way to deal with and process some of the experiences she's had to face. She and I have led very different lives, but it's always nice to read something by someone who gets it, who knows what it's like. Consider me now a fan of Phoebe Robinson, and I'll be keeping an eye out for whatever she does next.
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The audiobook was fun! 3.5 stars
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The audiobook was fun! 3.5 stars