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sarahxify's reviews
691 reviews
The Presidency of Donald J. Trump: A First Historical Assessment by Julian E. Zelizer
informative
slow-paced
3.0
Mostly high quality essays discussing various aspects of Trump's presidency. Interesting although highly depressing, as you might expecting. Particularly found his use of the media interesting.
Already starting to feel outdated since he's about to start a second term, and makes that whole thing feel far more trepidatious.
Already starting to feel outdated since he's about to start a second term, and makes that whole thing feel far more trepidatious.
Foster by Claire Keegan
emotional
medium-paced
3.5
I always wish Clare Keegan's novels were a bit longer, but really enjoy these quiet, understated stories
Death Valley by Melissa Broder
Did not finish book. Stopped at 39%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 39%.
Found this narrator really self absorbed and uninteresting - wasn't very compelled by it so put it down
Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell
Did not finish book. Stopped at 7%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 7%.
Overall impressions thus far is that the writing is nice, the characters seem well-realised, and the setting is lovely - but this is just too racist for me. It's embedded into practically every scene, both implicitly and explicitly, and is just not something I want to be reading.
Kala by Colin Walsh
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This is a truly impressive debut. Set in a small town in Ireland, this literary thriller is about Kala, a teenage girl who disappeared twenty years ago. Her friends have reunited, and old mysteries and unanswered questions start to resurface.
Although this sounds like a rather tired and familiar plot, this book is incredibly well executed, with excellent writing and characterisation. The dialogue is convincing and manages to avoid a lot of the tropes I tend to find frustrating in these kinds of novels. The characters were a real standout here, there are a lot of them and Walsh manages to give them all a unique voice and feeling. The book feels very complex and very well-realised, although I will caveat that pure mystery/thriller readers will find the pacing of this frustrating and slow.
Although this sounds like a rather tired and familiar plot, this book is incredibly well executed, with excellent writing and characterisation. The dialogue is convincing and manages to avoid a lot of the tropes I tend to find frustrating in these kinds of novels. The characters were a real standout here, there are a lot of them and Walsh manages to give them all a unique voice and feeling. The book feels very complex and very well-realised, although I will caveat that pure mystery/thriller readers will find the pacing of this frustrating and slow.
The Safekeep by Yael van der Wouden
tense
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
The Silence Factory by Bridget Collins
Did not finish book. Stopped at 26%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 26%.
Have enjoyed Bridget Collins' previous two novels, particularly The Binding, but this one really isn't doing anything for me so putting it down.