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sas_lk's Reviews (355)
My feelings about this novel are weird. I felt a weird mix of wanting to slow my reading experience down because every word felt crucial - while at the same time feeling like the story was dragging... How does that make sense? I don't know.
The audiobook narrators were really good though.
The audiobook narrators were really good though.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder
Okay, objectively I can see Elena Ferrante is a good writer, but for some reason I just can't gel with her. I didn't like 'My Brilliant Friend' by her, but because every one loves it, I wondered if maybe I didn't like the book because we were following young girls. So I decided to read this one to see if the book is the problem or the author. But no, I don't think Elena and me are gonna be friends.
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
"I miss her and I miss her and I miss her," she began. "And I wait for the feeling to end because every other feeling has ended, no matter how intense, no matter how hard - but this won't. There's just no end to the missing. There was life before and there's life now. And I can't seem to accept it. I can't accept that I'll have to miss her forever. There will never be relief. There will never be a reunion."
The characters: wonderful. The concept: amazing. The plot: generally good, however, I wish the book had been longer.
The beginning/introduction to the whole story were a bit too long, which ended up making the rest of the book feel a bit rushed. It felt a bit like the author had a max page count she wasn't allowed to exceed, and only realised half way through the book that she only had half the page amount left. I wish we had spent more time with all the sisters together, processing their grief together - I felt like they were apart a lot of the time (but that might also be my expectations that were false).
It was by no means a bad book, on the contrary, it was really good - in a way that I know for a fact that Mellors will write insane books in the future, and that she maybe just needs to develop her writing skills a bit more. I will definitely pick up her first book soon, and then after that, I'll pick up all the others. She has a lot of potential and I'm excited to see what she comes out with next!
Although I did cry at the end, mainly because I know the pain, or atleast a very similar pain to the one they're experiencing.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Death, Drug abuse
I couldn't care less about what happens to Emily. Her and Wendell have 0 chemistry, actually they have negative 20% chemistry. I just can't get on board with them.
Emily constantly preaches how smart she is but I'm not seeing any of that supposed intelligence put into action. How about you stop telling me you're so smart and show me instead?
I would love to read a book where Wendell leaves Emily and has his own storyline without her.
Anyway, safe to say it's time to DNF this series. It's just gone downhill after book 1.
Emily constantly preaches how smart she is but I'm not seeing any of that supposed intelligence put into action. How about you stop telling me you're so smart and show me instead?
I would love to read a book where Wendell leaves Emily and has his own storyline without her.
Anyway, safe to say it's time to DNF this series. It's just gone downhill after book 1.
"They talk to me about progress, about 'achievements,' diseases cured, improved standards of living.
I am talking about societies drained of their essence, cultures trampled underfoot, institutions undermined, lands confiscated, religions smashed, magnificient artistic creations destroyed, extraordinary possibilities wiped out."
I am talking about societies drained of their essence, cultures trampled underfoot, institutions undermined, lands confiscated, religions smashed, magnificient artistic creations destroyed, extraordinary possibilities wiped out."
I've read a couple books now who branched out on Césaire's ideas in this essay, so it was cool reading the original. In Discourse on Coloniallism, Césaire mainly shares quotes from all sorts of white Western people and shares the complete absurdity that was the colonialist mindset. It's insane what people will do or say to convince themselves of someone else's lack of humanity.
"They thought they were only slaughtering Indians, or Hindus, or South Sea Islanders, or Africans. They have in fact overthrown, one after another, the ramparts behind which European civilization could have developed freely.
"They thought they were only slaughtering Indians, or Hindus, or South Sea Islanders, or Africans. They have in fact overthrown, one after another, the ramparts behind which European civilization could have developed freely.
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
John Boyne really made this book a perfect mixture of sadness, happiness, humorous, and dark af. He makes the reader aware of important topics without sounding like a textbook. He created characters that have all crawled into my heart and who probably won't leave any time soon. Beautiful.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Hate crime, Homophobia, Violence, Religious bigotry
Moderate: Murder
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A book about simply being alive, and choosing to live as we are. As humans, sometimes we think too much and care too much. So much so that we often forget that we're simply alive. What a beautiful little book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity, Suicide
Moderate: Animal death, Infertility, Death of parent
One day I stopped reading it and never picked it up again.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, War
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
I realise I love books with no plot, quiet writing, and profound emotion. Books that embody the miracle that life is, the quiet beauty of the world we live in. I loved it.
If you liked the concept of I Who Have Never Known Men, but didn't like it - this is the book for you.
If you liked the concept of I Who Have Never Known Men, but didn't like it - this is the book for you.