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vivakresh's reviews
535 reviews
Cassandra at the Wedding by Dorothy Baker
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
A flawlessly written book. Am surprised to have never heard of it before — I read it because it was mentioned in Checkout 19.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide attempt
Bonjour Tristesse by Françoise Sagan
dark
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Really enjoyed this!
Borderless by Jennifer De Leon
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
sad
fast-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? It's complicated
4.0
Emotional book!! Page Turner. Damn these YA novels—they just kill me! Loved the story, the characters, and the themes. Wish I could’ve had a little more backstory on the mother and what she knew about the gangs, a little more character development for her and the boys maybe.
Checkout 19 by Claire-Louise Bennett
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Stream of consciousness, Joycean, very smart writing, unique, loved it. The spots with a bit of a plot were my favorite part, so I do wish there was more of that.
Small World by Laura Zigman
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
Cloyingly sweet and sentimental writing, one-dimensional characters, almost no plot but when something happens or is revealed it’s so obvious and predictable, and maybe the one interesting character/plot twist is just stuck on at the end. Having heard of the horrors at the Fernald, I was surprised to get no acknowledgment in the book. Also having watched the documentary about “crip camp” where disabled children could have a fun and inclusive summer camp experience, I was surprised the author didn’t mention the camp as a real place in the acknowledgment section. Also the back and forth between third person and second person narration was annoying, and calling the mother by her name throughout seemed awkward—also not acknowledged by the narrator as a choice, so I wondered if that was what the sisters really called their mom or if that was an authorial (bad) choice. Finally, the little “small world” (ie Next Door) found poems were so terrible, I found myself skipping them entirely as I read each chapter. I will say it was an interesting idea for a novel and I related to the New England Jewish sister vibes and details, but the idea was executed so badly I can hardly give the author credit for it.
All Fours by Miranda July
adventurous
challenging
emotional
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Though I appreciate the subject matter, I didn’t appreciate the narrator as a character at all. Too many things just fell into her lap for this story to be relevant or relatable. Also other explanations besides hormones for the narrator’s behavior and mental state could easily have been at play. None of the secondary characters were fleshed out, except the two male love interests—what does this say about the author’s biases? In its favor, this novel moved fast, used language in interesting ways, and kept my attention throughout.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
The Fraud by Zadie Smith
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
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? No
5.0
Excellent concept and execution! Loved the short chapters, the well-wrought sentences, and the way the story unfolded while folding back on itself in the way memory does naturally as we age. Loved the history, the period details, the ethical considerations, and the unwavering commitment to telling stories truly. I did occasionally find myself skimming when we spent a bit more time on William and his naval gazing novel writing, but with such short chapters…and ultimately they served to elevate the superior character of Eliza and the better writing of Zadie Smith herself! And the comparisons to Dickens were funny. A bit meta, but I appreciated it!
Unalone by Jessica Jacobs
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
Midrashic, full of enormous energy and beautiful language.
The Chosen and the Beautiful by Nghi Vo
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
I was very disappointed in this book. It seemed like an exciting premise—reimagining The Great Gatsby from the pov of Jordan, and making her as queer and adopted from Vietnam. The “magic” added to the story seemed superfluous and poorly executed—demons and fire just out of nowhere—and the plot wasn’t actually dependent on it, so it wasn’t satisfying. The queering of the characters worked, as well as speculating about Nick and Gatsby’s racial backgrounds, but almost in a school-assignment kind of way, like the author wanted to let you know how smart she was for thinking of that, while this reading. of the book has been discussed forever. I also thought that the perspective of an Asian woman in that time period was fascinating— the way the author brought in the Manchester Act and how the Asian community dealt with being targeted at that time — but again it felt like a different story tacked on, not really part of the main story. There’s even a point where the narrator mentions that none of her circle even mentioned the Manchester Act or cared about it. So overall, interesting concept but poorly executed.