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pran's reviews
228 reviews
We That Are Young by Preti Taneja
challenging
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Where to start... this retelling of King Lear had a very strong start and I was really enjoying the first part of the book. It is told in 6 acts and each act is from the point of view of a different character, with short interludes from the pov of the 'Lear' character.
However, once I got to act four it felt far too repetitive and there was a lot of information which was ultimately irrelevant to the main story and ideas.
The bottom line is that I loved what Taneja was doing with this book but the editing was virtually non-existent, which led to the problems with pacing, repetition and syntax errors.
Another reviewer has complained about grammar/syntax errors in the book as well, but some of the examples they used were actually just Indian-English dialect. I want to clarify that I am aware of the difference, but there were multiple genuine errors in the book. It was even to the point where I was wondering if the correct draft of the book was sent to print.
I couldn't help but compare this book to Jane Smiley's A Thousand Acres, which I think was ultimately a better executed Lear retelling. However I think the setting of We That Are Young was much more interesting and unique.
Also, the title of the book references one of the main themes of the book, which is the conflict between youth and age in modern India, but this theme didn't seem, to me, to be addressed much in the book itself.There was too much focus on Jeet and Jivan's storylines in favour of the decline of Bapuji and how that impacted his relationship with his daughters, which would've fit better with the themes of the book.
However, once I got to act four it felt far too repetitive and there was a lot of information which was ultimately irrelevant to the main story and ideas.
The bottom line is that I loved what Taneja was doing with this book but the editing was virtually non-existent, which led to the problems with pacing, repetition and syntax errors.
Another reviewer has complained about grammar/syntax errors in the book as well, but some of the examples they used were actually just Indian-English dialect. I want to clarify that I am aware of the difference, but there were multiple genuine errors in the book. It was even to the point where I was wondering if the correct draft of the book was sent to print.
I couldn't help but compare this book to Jane Smiley's A Thousand Acres, which I think was ultimately a better executed Lear retelling. However I think the setting of We That Are Young was much more interesting and unique.
Also, the title of the book references one of the main themes of the book, which is the conflict between youth and age in modern India, but this theme didn't seem, to me, to be addressed much in the book itself.
The Vanished Birds by Simon Jimenez
adventurous
hopeful
reflective
medium-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
Beautiful, read about found family in a far future space opera setting.
I love the slow start to the story as it gave me a chance to get situated in the world, so I could understand the context of the story. The plot built momentum nicely in my opinion and I could barely put it down.
I could see Jimenez's passion for sci-fi, and also how the story was so rooted in reality in its criticism of capitalism.
One of my favourite aspects of the book was its discussion of the cost of human progress. If even one child is harmed (in reality, many more than just one are harmed) does that make human progress worth it?The 'progress' in question in The Vanished Birds is basically teleportation and it feels so trivial in the context of the suffering it causes Ahro and the cre w of The Debby.
This theme of the book really reminded me of the short story by Ursula Le Guin, The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas.
I think this highlights how we never hear the story from the point of view of the people who had to make the most sacrifices. Also, the idea of cultural dilation and colonialism were discussed in such an interesting way. It reminded me of Octavia Butler's Xenogenesis series. Corporate greed and capitalism can have a massive impact on generations to come and often it is brought about by small groups of people in hidden meetings.This is exemplified in the planets tradings with Allied space, where what starts as straightforward buying, and selling, ends up in the planet producing only one product and relying on Allied space for everything its inhabitants actually need to live. I t is the elected leaders that make these decisions on behalf of their people, but the impact of some of these decisions is irreversible.
Linguistically Jimenez is such a talented writer, but I particularly liked the metaphor ofAhro being on the island and his connections to Nia through the flute as little fires, and his hope/consciousness as The Kind One. It felt like a perfectly fantastical way to depict separation from family and the visceral pain that comes with it.
I love the slow start to the story as it gave me a chance to get situated in the world, so I could understand the context of the story. The plot built momentum nicely in my opinion and I could barely put it down.
I could see Jimenez's passion for sci-fi, and also how the story was so rooted in reality in its criticism of capitalism.
One of my favourite aspects of the book was its discussion of the cost of human progress. If even one child is harmed (in reality, many more than just one are harmed) does that make human progress worth it?
This theme of the book really reminded me of the short story by Ursula Le Guin, The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas.
I think this highlights how we never hear the story from the point of view of the people who had to make the most sacrifices. Also, the idea of cultural dilation and colonialism were discussed in such an interesting way. It reminded me of Octavia Butler's Xenogenesis series. Corporate greed and capitalism can have a massive impact on generations to come and often it is brought about by small groups of people in hidden meetings.
Linguistically Jimenez is such a talented writer, but I particularly liked the metaphor of
The Gospel of the Eels: A Father, a Son and the World's Most Enigmatic Fish by Patrik Svensson
informative
reflective
slow-paced
4.5
11/22/63 by Stephen King
adventurous
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
The positives were what persuaded me to continue with the book.
The narration was excellent. The book was very well-researched. The plot was sufficiently interesting and suspenseful that it made me want to find out what happened.
But the negatives: I think King did so much research into the details of Oswald and Dallas in the early 60s that he included in the book that he forgot to write about one of the most important things (which is also relevant to the book)- the racism and racial segregation of the time. AllGeorge seems to talk about aside from the relevant historical details is how good the food tasted, how good the music was... ok, but the reason you are able to enjoy this freely is because you are a white man...
But then in the afterword King does mention what a hateful place Dallas was in the 60s, particularly when Kennedy came to visit.
I had issues with the white saviour complex Jake has.What makes you think that someone with an intellectual disability (whether acquired from physical trauma or otherwise) needs that disability reversing? Did you ask him? No, you just assume that because he has an intellectual disability, of course he would wish that he didn't have it. You don't know the details of someone's life and family and it is not fair to just travel in time and "fix" it.
I am of course aware that the ending proves to Jake that this is not such an easy fix and every action has a knock-on effect but I have issues that the character is portrayed as the "hero" but I think most of the things he does in the book are actually really fucked-up.
Secondly, why are there two separate female characters who suffer from physical disfigurement? What is your obsession with scarring the faces of your young, attractive female characters? And when it happens to Sadie, Jake is like, "well she's still beautiful to me". Oh you're such a good person for finding your fiance attractive even though she has a scar...
Sadie is made into a total martyr which I disliked, and he mentions her virginity far too much for my liking. I wasn't really invested in their love story at all because there is something that makes me feel uncomfortable about a white man travelling back in time to be with a white southern woman who's just so impressed by how much he knows about the future.
Also the book makes so many assumptions about how much the rest of the world is influenced by the United States. Do you think all other countries in the world are so stupid that they would explode into nuclear war just because the US is politically unstable? Give me a break.
There is another big thing I take issue with- I am sorry but there is NO WAY that if JFK had stayed alive that he would have DIVERTED MONEY from THE KOREAN WAR to improving race relations within the US. The military industrial complex is so separate from the ruling government in that they do not have much influence over it at all. So the whole plot of how bad things were when JFK stayed alive is completely unbelievable to me. And it is quite important that that is believable because that is the main reason why Jake resets everything so it underpins the ending.
The narration was excellent. The book was very well-researched. The plot was sufficiently interesting and suspenseful that it made me want to find out what happened.
But the negatives: I think King did so much research into the details of Oswald and Dallas in the early 60s that he included in the book that he forgot to write about one of the most important things (which is also relevant to the book)- the racism and racial segregation of the time. All
But then in the afterword King does mention what a hateful place Dallas was in the 60s, particularly when Kennedy came to visit.
I had issues with the white saviour complex Jake has.
I am of course aware that the ending proves to Jake that this is not such an easy fix and every action has a knock-on effect but I have issues that the character is portrayed as the "hero" but I think most of the things he does in the book are actually really fucked-up.
Secondly, why are there two separate female characters who suffer from physical disfigurement? What is your obsession with scarring the faces of your young, attractive female characters? And when it happens to Sadie, Jake is like, "well she's still beautiful to me". Oh you're such a good person for finding your fiance attractive even though she has a scar...
Sadie is made into a total martyr which I disliked, and he mentions her virginity far too much for my liking. I wasn't really invested in their love story at all because there is something that makes me feel uncomfortable about a white man travelling back in time to be with a white southern woman who's just so impressed by how much he knows about the future.
Also the book makes so many assumptions about how much the rest of the world is influenced by the United States. Do you think all other countries in the world are so stupid that they would explode into nuclear war just because the US is politically unstable? Give me a break.
There is another big thing I take issue with- I am sorry but there is NO WAY that if JFK had stayed alive that he would have DIVERTED MONEY from THE KOREAN WAR to improving race relations within the US. The military industrial complex is so separate from the ruling government in that they do not have much influence over it at all. So the whole plot of how bad things were when JFK stayed alive is completely unbelievable to me. And it is quite important that that is believable because that is the main reason why Jake resets everything so it underpins the ending.
Set My Heart on Fire by Izumi Suzuki
dark
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This book got me thinking about Suzukiâs âdiscoveryâ by the âWestern literary establishmentâ. About how she was seemingly plucked from obscurity as a deceased Japanese female sci-fi writer and now labelled as a âcounter-cultural iconâ and âahead of her timeâ. How part of the intrigue surrounding her is because of the inherent mystery that is her life. we donât know much about her because she wasnât particularly famous at the time of her writing and she died by suicide. It appears that she was chosen at this moment when both Japanese literary fiction/magical realism and speculative fiction More broadly are having a moment, to be published in the English language and that is ultimately how I discovered her. It makes me feel strange that these parts of her life- her suicide and lifestyle while she was still alive- are such integral parts of the marketing around her books and the reasons why people are so interested in her.
I thought the ideas in writing in terminal Boredom were unique and great to read, but it doesnât feel to me like the quality of her writing is whatâs being sold to me.
I would describe this book as auto fiction. It is episodic and gives the reader a glimpse into one part of Suzukiâs life mainly as a groupie.
I liked it because it didnât feel like she was trying particularly hard, but it still managed to evoke a feeling of that place and time. I didnât find it boring at all despite the fact that some of the encounters she discussed didnât seem to go anywhere. But that was part of the appeal. The book was published posthumously even in Japanese and it is not a work of sci-fi. Iâm not sure how we would know if Suzuki would ever have wanted this to be published but it certainly gives a very intimate look into her life during her 20s.
I thought the ideas in writing in terminal Boredom were unique and great to read, but it doesnât feel to me like the quality of her writing is whatâs being sold to me.
I would describe this book as auto fiction. It is episodic and gives the reader a glimpse into one part of Suzukiâs life mainly as a groupie.
I liked it because it didnât feel like she was trying particularly hard, but it still managed to evoke a feeling of that place and time. I didnât find it boring at all despite the fact that some of the encounters she discussed didnât seem to go anywhere. But that was part of the appeal. The book was published posthumously even in Japanese and it is not a work of sci-fi. Iâm not sure how we would know if Suzuki would ever have wanted this to be published but it certainly gives a very intimate look into her life during her 20s.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug abuse
Moderate: Domestic abuse
The Picture of Contented New Wealth: A Metaphysical Horror by Tariq Goddard
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Horror elements done mostly very well. Focuses on body horror and supernatural horror I would say. Not many jump scares at all.
Couldâve been scarier!!
However, inclusion of Emile wasnât needed if Goddard wasnât going to develop Brigit and Hartleyâs identities as parents any further. I think the book would have been better without him in it.
Overall enjoyed the read.
Couldâve been scarier!!
However, inclusion of Emile wasnât needed if Goddard wasnât going to develop Brigit and Hartleyâs identities as parents any further. I think the book would have been better without him in it.
Overall enjoyed the read.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Rape
Evil Eye by Madhuri Shekar
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
5.0
Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-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
3.75