silverliningsandpages's reviews
386 reviews

The story follows three women: disillusioned Kemi, who moves from America to Sweden to take up a high profile as Diversity and Inclusion Director; Brittany-Rae, once a super model and now a flight attendant who chases freedom and financial security; and traumatised refugee Muna who lost her family crossing the Mediterranean who is seeking a new start.

This novel offers a fascinating commentary and fresh perspective on bias, racism, tokenism, fetishism, immigration and otherness. Ultimately it’s about breaking free from societal expectations, realising ambitions and the universal desire to belong. The opening credits of the book are particularly poignant and capture the essence of the story:

“To anyone who has ever felt unappreciated, uninvited, or invisible…Your voice is more powerful than you think. You are allowed to exist without explanation. Never let the world convince you that your struggles are invalid.”

I wasn’t entirely convinced by one of the subplots but this is a very ambitious and assured debut; I’ll be waiting to see what author Lolá Ákínmádé Åkerström writes next.

4/5 🌟

Wintering: The Power of Rest and Retreat in Difficult Times by Katherine May

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emotional hopeful informative inspiring mysterious reflective sad slow-paced

“Life meanders like a path through the woods. We have seasons when we flourish and seasons when the leaves fall from us, revealing our bare bones. Given time, they grow again.”

“Doing those deeply unfashionable things—slowing down, letting your spare time expand, getting enough sleep, resting—is a radical act now, but it is essential. This is a crossroads we all know, a moment when you need to shed a skin. If you do, you’ll expose all those painful nerve endings and feel so raw that you’ll need to take care of yourself for a while. If you don’t, then that skin will harden around you.”

5/5🌟 I read this in January and adored the lyrical writing and the wholesome, gentle message of responding to the need to slow down.

The Glass Hotel by Emily St. John Mandel

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challenging dark emotional informative mysterious reflective slow-paced

I couldn’t even begin to explain this one apart from it centring on the collapse of a Ponzi scheme and the great themes of regret, memories and loneliness. I felt exhausted keeping up with it but maybe that was more to do with the virus. Glad I did and I’m giving it 4/5 🌟

Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel

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emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad 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

4.5

the more I think about Sea of Tranquility the more I loved it. I don’t really know how to describe it; it’s a time travel novel with references to our pandemic; it’s a story of a detective investigating a glitch in the timeline; it’s also about music and art, family, loss and love. As usual, there’s a gorgeously ethereal, melancholy quality to Mandel’s writing, and the world building and plot are incredible. Giving it a 4.5/5🌟 because the pacing was a bit slow at the start but it’s so clever and made me cry (that always elevates my star rating 😁)- definitely a favourite for 2022 and the best time travel I’ve ever read.

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silverliningsandpages's reviews 386 reviews

silverliningsandpages's reviews
386 reviews