onamoonbeam's reviews
193 reviews

Beloved by Toni Morrison

challenging dark mysterious sad

• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

i dont want to rate this i think i need to read it again to understand it fully. that being said there is so much narrative. so much hope and suffocating love to consider

Nervous Conditions by Tsitsi Dangarembga

emotional reflective tense slow-paced

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

3.75

the inherent burden of womanhood goddamn

Civil Service: Poems by Claire Schwartz

reflective slow-paced

1.25

I haven't read a lot of poetry but I can safely say this is the collection I've enjoyed the least. There are like 3? out of over 20 poems in here I can solidly say I like (apples, at night the censor watches his wife tuck his children into bed). I even met the author over Zoom and she was just as dull as recordings of her are. There's the expression of 'oh writers will sometimes include themes or connections that they themselves aren't aware of' but when one's whole book is guesswork. girl.

The history of intimacy by Gabeba Baderoon

3.75

quite nice. author very much in the mood of dragging out lingering moments

Waiting for the Barbarians by J.M. Coetzee

challenging reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

the story of the frontier's most pathetic man. i really hope this doesn't suffer from the same audience misidentification problem as catcher in the rye (people forgiving and identifying with the main character who is deeply flawed) . really good descriptive language, at points it does make it a bit slow, but by god the consistency with which this author describes pain attraction passivity is. hgh. makes a guy think!

When Rain Clouds Gather by Bessie Head

informative reflective slow-paced

3.5

book i've liked the most in south af lit so far. wow the environmental consciousness and finding peace do hit sometimes. beautiful nature descriptions

Down Second Avenue: Growing Up in a South African Ghetto by Es'kia Mphahlele, Es'kia Mphahlele

informative reflective

2.75

yep that's a life in the middle of a distraught country alright

Traveller to the East by Thomas Mofolo

fast-paced

2.0

that narrative sure can be affected by colonial modernity. culturally significant, not a great story on its own

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou

emotional reflective slow-paced

4.5

oh ok that's why she's one of the most famous authors of the last century and on an american quarter. such descriptive and emotional prose i want to eat it

Delicates by Brenna Thummler

emotional hopeful medium-paced

3.25

a lot more character driven than the last one! and i like eliza and her darkroom scenes