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omnomicons's Reviews (139)
I read all 400-odd pages in exactly one sitting. It was THAT serious.
I swore to myself I would never read this book. I was honestly just overexposed to it because a year ago it was literally everywhere I turned. I thought it had to be overrated, that there was no way it was really that good.
Sorry to say, I was right. I picked this up at a friend’s place trying to pass time until they woke up. For that purpose, this book is perfect. Evelyn’s story is engaging and the Old Hollywood setting is glamorous and unusual. However, I didn’t feel sucked in or compelled to read more when I put it down. The narrator’s plot line failed to grip me and I’m not sure it was a necessary inclusion. It was a good book, but do I think it was a book of the year or whatever? Probably not.
Sorry to say, I was right. I picked this up at a friend’s place trying to pass time until they woke up. For that purpose, this book is perfect. Evelyn’s story is engaging and the Old Hollywood setting is glamorous and unusual. However, I didn’t feel sucked in or compelled to read more when I put it down. The narrator’s plot line failed to grip me and I’m not sure it was a necessary inclusion. It was a good book, but do I think it was a book of the year or whatever? Probably not.
Writers & Lovers accurately reflects its title, dividing it’s time faithfully between the two titular activities — writing and loving. The primary strength of this novel is its well-roundedness: Casey doesn’t compromise her writing for the men in her life, or vice versa. Even more importantly, she’s never asked to make that choice. Though her personally conflicts are deeply tied to both her unfinished novel and the men she’s seeing, King doesn’t fall into the trap of the themes of love and work at odds constituting the main plot lines. There’s also a wonderful timelessness to this novel; I had no idea it was set in the ‘90s until a historical event was actually mentioned. I honestly don’t even have any significant critiques, the only negative I see being that this novel didn’t feel groundbreaking to me or shift my thinking in any way. Regardless, Writers & Lovers feels like contemporary fiction at its best: a fair, even-handed and compelling portrayal of what it means to be an artist.
Perhaps not the most engaging book I’ve ever read, but certainly very fun and fresh! This book was recommended as something that fans of the show Yellowjackets would enjoy and the vibes were definitely super similar. However, We Ride Upon Sticks is definitely more light-hearted compared to Yellowjackets dark drama. The camaraderie between the team is so well written, and the interesting mix of first and third person almost makes you feel like you’re in the novel. I know some people find this annoying, but I loved the constant ‘80s references! The only thing that gave me some pause is the characterization of the women of color; it felt slightly stereotypical at certain points. This is also a super quick read and I read it in an evening and it didn’t leave a weird taste in my mouth like other books (I’m looking at you, A Little Life).
Informative and compelling, and a concept unlike anything I’ve ever read before.
I think surrealism is most palatable to me when it has a tilt of the lighthearted, and that was certainly the case for Bliss Montage. Ling Ma is a master of taking universal experiences from everyday life and stretching them to their limit until they ultimately break reality. The surreal nature of the short stories is grounded by Ma’s meditations on human nature: she explores the relationships between mothers and daughters, friends, lovers, and more. Probably one of my favorite short story collections.
It’s genuinely difficult to tell whether I loved or hated this book. Mona Awad takes surrealism to the next level, and the setting being a stereotypical sorority only magnifies the disorientation (but is certainly a genius move). My stomach was twisted up throughout this entire book. Don’t read it on a plane like I did.
Joanna Rakoff is the reason I signed up for the vacant roles email alerts from Penguin Press.
I loved this book. Batuman’s voice is dry and witty and is painfully accurate to the feeling of somewhat adrift in the world. The supporting characters are delightfully confusing, but the tone manages to stay away from whimsy (which I think is the correct choice). Batuman immerses the reader in the relationship between Selin and Ivan, to the point where despite the toxicity between the two of them being clear, I really was unable to judge any of Selin’s choices — she was a painfully true character to me. One of my favorite reads of the year.