s_ketchum's reviews
5 reviews

The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett

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adventurous emotional sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

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A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara

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challenging dark emotional sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

While this book was well-written and you can tell where the author shined as a travel writer…I would not recommend this book to anyone, nor do I plan to read it myself ever again. This coming from someone who is a firm believer in reading stories to sharpen, intimidate, challenge, and evoke a response. Hanya did a beautiful job writing for Harold & Willem. As a parent myself, I resonated so much with Harold’s thoughts, his fears, his careful consideration when making any decision when it came to Jude. I felt the pangs of friendship as Willem did. Being ever so loyal and feeling your soul being suffocated knowing there is only so much you can do to save the person you love so desperately. But her writing for Jude felt irresponsible. He was given no room to see the light. Every time you think his character is going to allow himself to feel even a small glimpse of hope…it’s washed away with a
debilitating sickness, a suicide attempt, a death. Hanya seemed to take pleasure in his unspeakable tragedies, and that will never sit right with me.
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The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath

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challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Plath is a brilliant & detailed writer. She eases the reader into the certain insanity that descends upon the protagonist. As someone who has struggled with mental health myself, I could relate to the protagonist in her explanation of numb thought. This will be a book I will come back to time & again.
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The Midnight Library by Matt Haig

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adventurous dark hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

It was slow-paced to begin with, and a bit bland, but I believe Haig intentionally wrote it that way so we can feel the same hopelessness & void the protagonist was experiencing. Am very pleased that I pressed on and read the entirety of the story. Makes you think of how you’d live life differently if given a second shot. In addition, that it’s never too late to begin again.  
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The Barn: An Extraordinary True Story by David Hill, David Hill

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emotional hopeful inspiring fast-paced

3.25

A bit redundant in some areas, but ultimately does a decent job in capturing the author’s desire to  better  themselves despite the cards they were dealt. 
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