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riften's reviews
288 reviews
Radio Silence by Alice Oseman
3.0
I would have felt so seen if I read this as a teenager. As an adult however, I need a little more decisive plot to end the novel (and reassure me that these poor kids will suffer no longer)
Would LOVE to listen to Universe City irl
Would LOVE to listen to Universe City irl
The Good Immigrant by Nikesh Shukla
2.0
What a missed opportunity. There is so much to say about the burden of the “good immigrant” - the apologia, the self-sanitisation, the fear of citizenship and belonging being snatched away from us. And this book skimmed straight past it!
These essays were instead superficial and rather self-pitying. Less of a meditation on “the good immigrant” and more a, here: let’s line up these ten Black and Asian people and have them tell random, unconnected anecdotes.
Some essays were bland but inoffensive, while others really annoying. I especially disliked Coco Khan’s apology to the white man she did not sleep with. It smelled of All Lives Matter.
When you decide to write about Shamima Begum, Windrush, the way Muslims have had to bend over backwards to prove they are not terrorists. Let me know!
These essays were instead superficial and rather self-pitying. Less of a meditation on “the good immigrant” and more a, here: let’s line up these ten Black and Asian people and have them tell random, unconnected anecdotes.
Some essays were bland but inoffensive, while others really annoying. I especially disliked Coco Khan’s apology to the white man she did not sleep with. It smelled of All Lives Matter.
When you decide to write about Shamima Begum, Windrush, the way Muslims have had to bend over backwards to prove they are not terrorists. Let me know!
The Case of the Missing Marquess by Nancy Springer
2.0
Not much of a mystery, and a bit of an underwhelming adventure too. The set-up in the Holmes’ family home is the highlight of the book, but sadly as soon as we journey onwards, I progressively lost interest. The titular mystery was far less interesting than Enola’s mother’s disappearance - and both cases were hugely anticlimactic and strangely paced.