oliveslittlelibrary_'s reviews
61 reviews

hopeful lighthearted reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

Isa is a twenty-one year old girl who has just moved from the UK to New York City alongside her best friend Gala, with virtually no plan. "Happy Hour" is the resulting novel. The epitome of a "summer read," it is a pleasant yet emotionally in tune stream-of-consciousness journey through one girl's three summer months in New York City.

My first praise for this novel is for its narrator. Isa is young and very much acts like it, but the author gives her an incredible emotional depth that is perfectly balanced with her decision-making that is, well, what you would expect from a girl in her twenties on her own in New York City. Sometimes I would be in the middle of a seemingly lighthearted passage-- Isa out on a date, taking an odd job, galavanting around the city late at night-- and suddenly be struck with a quote or observation that hit me where it hurt (as someone who is currently lost in my twenties myself). Isa's experiences are ones we can relate to, especially if you are a younger reader like me. The structure of the novel is made to feel like how it feels to grow up: like you're on FaceTime with your best friend, learning to navigate the ups and downs together yet simultaneously charting your own course.

Another praise I have for the novel is how well fleshed-out the world it takes place in is. Despite no specific mention of a time period--one could assume from context clues, though, that it is within 5-10 years of the present day--New York City is portrayed very well. It's glamorized, sure, but that's kind of the point. We're seeing it exactly how a newcomer is: through rose-colored glasses. I was fully immersed in this world when reading and despite being quite familiar with New York City, it made it all seem brand new.

I think something I might have liked to see even more of were Isa's moments in solitude. Though her best friend Gala does "complete" the world, per se, part of me might have been even more attracted to this novel had it just been about Isa completely charting her own course. That's very much a personal preference, though, and the novel still has moments of Isa's self-discovery scattered throughout. I am also partial to darker and occasionally more sad literature, and as I mentioned previously, this book felt very light and refreshing overall.

I wouldn't recommend this to people who need constant plot motion to keep them going, as it is virtually nonexistent in this novel, but you'll love this book if you want to read coming-of-age stories but don't want depressing ones. This is also a GREAT read if you are experiencing life alone in a city for the first time, or if you are about to.

ps: If you are still in the throes of "Brat summer" you should definitely read this: I think BRAT is the perfect companion album for this novel in my opinion (:

The Secret History by Donna Tartt

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challenging dark tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

Ok ok i needed a day to collect my detailed thoughts...

Holy sh*t this book is incredible. I have quite possibly never read a work by an author where the prose and pacing of the story was so well controlled. IMHO the only book that rivals how well-controlled this one was is A Little Life (and i may be biased bc that's one of my favorite books of all time, but still). I think the pacing of this book (and the impressive amount of control Donna Tartt has over her craft) was the most admirable thing about it from an artistic standpoint.

You kind of "love to hate" the characters in this book. Our narrator Richard comes from a much more humble background than his peers in the Classics department, so initially he is someone you are kind of rooting for--it's complicated--but as you watch him get so absorbed in the ways of his Hampden peers you question yourself all over again and wonder if you should really be on his side, or anyone's at all for that matter. Though bad things happen in the book, with a specific focus on two distinct acts of immorality by Richard and his peers, a specific "villain" is never really revealed or made obvious. I LOVED that about the book- it suggests that immoral acts are just acts and can be committed by anyone, even people one might not see as "immoral" people.

My critiques and what I would have liked to see more of:
Despite how well-paced and well-controlled the book was, the plot did lull at times. I think this partially just comes from it being such a long story and a deep study of character and scene. I was never tempted to DNF it, not at ALL, but I would say around the 2/3 mark, it lost a little steam. That's really it from me, though, stylistically.
Something i WISH this book did more of was characterize Julian, the Hampden Classics professor, a bit more. This is something I think the author deliberately chose to do--she wanted his background to remain a mystery--but I found myself wanting to understand him a bit more so I could better contextualize the impact he had on the students. I think a character study of Julian could be quite interesting had we had more info on him.

I think anyone who loves academia and morally ambiguous characters would especially love this book, even people fascinated with crime and the motives of criminals may love it too. However I think any reader could find something to love about The Secret History. I can see this book being studied in AP Lit classes in the near future (if it's not already) and being etched into the literary bible as a "modern classic."

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