pran's reviews
208 reviews

A Brief History of Seven Killings by Marlon James

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adventurous challenging dark tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Pedro Páramo by Juan Rulfo

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Did not finish book. Stopped at 46%.

Too surreal, episodic and puzzling for me. Though I did get a faint sense of place. I felt like I was missing something the whole time… not really a fan when it feels deliberately difficult.

The Lying Life of Adults by Elena Ferrante

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hopeful lighthearted fast-paced

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

2.5

Not as strong as the Neapolitan Quartet. The first half was good, but it tailed off and became plot-driven towards the end.

Caste: The Lies that Divide Us by Isabel Wilkerson

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informative inspiring reflective slow-paced

3.75

It is difficult to rate this book as I do feel like it adds to the discourse and is very important in its own right as it's kind of pioneering. The inclusion of personal anecdotes and the stories of people Wilkerson spoke to was particularly powerful.

However, I think the development of the arguments fell a bit short for me. That being said, I think the book is so important in initiating the contemporary thought process about caste in America. I do not think it went far enough in defining caste in America as for me it felt synonymous with race whereas in reality it is a combination of race, socioeconomic group, gender, sexuality, level of conventional attractiveness, level of education. Therefore, I do not think that this book achieved what it set out to do as it failed to define caste in America as much more than racism, which it is much more than. However, I am rating it well because I very much enjoyed reading (and listening to) it and I learned a lot from the stories Wilkerson shared about the lived experiences of African-Americans.

I also took issue with the more science-y chapter as I felt the science had been misrepresented somewhat.

I also didn't feel like the actual depth of research Wilkerson did and the number of people she spoke to was necessarily reflected in the book as I think I was expecting the concept to develop further than it did.
I read it as I absolutely loved The Warmth of Other Suns and there was no way I was letting this go unread. But ultimately this fell short of my (albeit high) expectations.

For those listening on audio, the narrator is excellent!

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The Last Report on the Miracles at Little No Horse by Louise Erdrich

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dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

This book is definitely a slow-burn. Especially at the beginning as due to the time-switching, it can take time to join the current of the main story and characters.

However, I found it to be a beautiful book. I love the way Erdrich treats her characters so sensitively and without judgement, and this paired so well with Father Modeste's philosophy of love and refusal to pass judgement on his congregation.

My favourite part of the book was

the Modeste/Agnes's death. I found it so beautiful that they took ownership of their own death and did it exactly the way they wanted.

Overall it shows the beauty and importance of human connection and the love that can be formed between anyone, when people have an open heart and less judgement.

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Gathering Moss: A Natural and Cultural History of Mosses by Robin Wall Kimmerer

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informative inspiring lighthearted reflective relaxing slow-paced

4.0

This is a lovely short book about moss.
The audio is read by the author and is VERY relaxing.
Kimmerer's passion for plants and moss is infectious and really transmits to the reader/listener.

Pet by Catherine Chidgey

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dark mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Well-written, not cliché, discusses big themes including racism, sexism, body image. It is perhaps a little too ambitious with these but overall was a great novel.

Entertaining and a page-turner, but never felt vapid or empty. It felt quite fleshed-out considering it is a fairly short book. The plot is really propulsive and the characters are colourful. I enjoyed the dialogue as well.

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