Scan barcode
willowbiblio's reviews
497 reviews
Quicksand by Nella Larsen
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
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
5.0
“Someday you’ll learn that lies, injustice, and hypocrisy are a part of every ordinary community. Most people achieve a sort of protective immunity, a kind of callousness toward them. If they didn’t, they couldn’t endure.
————————
I expected to love this because of my experience with Passing. I didn’t expect how moving this would truly be.
Helga is constantly searching for belonging in a world that is at best apathetic and worst outright hostile to her. She is alternately a family’s shame and a family’s trophy, never just a relative. Larsen created such immediacy with each of the facets of complication, racism, and self exploration she uncovered. This is purportedly semi-autobiographical, which made it all the more meaningful to me.
Helga‘s dissatisfaction with nearly every outcome in her life is not her fault. She is unable to develop tolerance to a world that has no place for an educated independent black woman like her. Even the marriage proposal she rejects overseas was an attempt to own and showcase her, not born out of true connection or love.
The ending broke my heart. We saw a woman who always continued to try again give up the search and accept the wrong place in a broken world.
I really appreciated how Larsen brought back characters who had settled or stayed in lives Helga left behind as it provided contrast to her constant seeking, but there was no real closure in either choice.
This was an excellent book and quite thought provoking.
————————
I expected to love this because of my experience with Passing. I didn’t expect how moving this would truly be.
Helga is constantly searching for belonging in a world that is at best apathetic and worst outright hostile to her. She is alternately a family’s shame and a family’s trophy, never just a relative. Larsen created such immediacy with each of the facets of complication, racism, and self exploration she uncovered. This is purportedly semi-autobiographical, which made it all the more meaningful to me.
Helga‘s dissatisfaction with nearly every outcome in her life is not her fault. She is unable to develop tolerance to a world that has no place for an educated independent black woman like her. Even the marriage proposal she rejects overseas was an attempt to own and showcase her, not born out of true connection or love.
The ending broke my heart. We saw a woman who always continued to try again give up the search and accept the wrong place in a broken world.
I really appreciated how Larsen brought back characters who had settled or stayed in lives Helga left behind as it provided contrast to her constant seeking, but there was no real closure in either choice.
This was an excellent book and quite thought provoking.
Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
“He seemed a part of the mute melancholy landscape, an incarnation of its frozen woe, with all that was warm and sentient in him fast bound below the surface; but there was nothing unfriendly in his silence.”
——————-
This book was absolutely beautifully written and such an emotional journey. What would it mean to live a life bound by duty and obligation when your inner life is rich with yearning and contemplation? This is the question Wharton poses through Ethan.
She makes no judgments about the morality of his love for his wife’s cousin. Instead, she balances righteous indignation from Zeena and breathless affection from Mattie and leaves it to the reader to decide where they stand.
I liked how the pickle dish was symbolism for an unused and then broken marriage that ultimately was hidden from view with hopes no one would discover the truth. The outcome of the love chosen could be seen as karma, or is absolutely heartbreaking. I love how Wharton forces us to sit in this grey with her.
And wow, some of the most beautiful sentences I have read all year are captured in this tiny but mighty novel. I felt completely immersed in each scene. More importantly, I felt so present for each character’s emotional landscape.
I liked the use of a winter storm as a plot device to get our narrator to Ethan’s house and set off this uncovering of his innermost desires, shame, and personal history.
I will definitely be seeking out any other works by Wharton and plan to revisit this in a few years.
——————-
This book was absolutely beautifully written and such an emotional journey. What would it mean to live a life bound by duty and obligation when your inner life is rich with yearning and contemplation? This is the question Wharton poses through Ethan.
She makes no judgments about the morality of his love for his wife’s cousin. Instead, she balances righteous indignation from Zeena and breathless affection from Mattie and leaves it to the reader to decide where they stand.
I liked how the pickle dish was symbolism for an unused and then broken marriage that ultimately was hidden from view with hopes no one would discover the truth. The outcome of the love chosen could be seen as karma, or is absolutely heartbreaking. I love how Wharton forces us to sit in this grey with her.
And wow, some of the most beautiful sentences I have read all year are captured in this tiny but mighty novel. I felt completely immersed in each scene. More importantly, I felt so present for each character’s emotional landscape.
I liked the use of a winter storm as a plot device to get our narrator to Ethan’s house and set off this uncovering of his innermost desires, shame, and personal history.
I will definitely be seeking out any other works by Wharton and plan to revisit this in a few years.
X: A Novel by Kekla Magoon, Ilyasah Shabazz
adventurous
emotional
informative
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? It's complicated
4.0
“I’m pushing this line. Moving it. There’s always another side. The line moves. It moves and it moves.”
——————-
I read Malcolm X‘s autobiography a few years ago, so I had a lot of context going in. This was a very immersive and engaging first person retelling of his life up to the time he truly shifted to the person we speak of today. This also had a strong and engaging open that kept the reader on the hook as we backtracked in chronology.
Malcolm, his siblings, and their mother were targeted and their family unit deconstructed by a racist white system of power designed to oppress them. I thought it was an incredibly powerful moment when Malcolm gave up his shoeshine job and views an earlier version of himself with condescension, unaware of the trap he and countless others are fallen into.
I liked being present for the scene with his brother in Lansing: to himself and the reader, the changes have been gradual, but the stark contrast is jarring and brings a kind of newfound awareness. I also liked the parallel between Malcolm and Laura when they ran into each other and held a mirror up for the other to recognize their unrealized dreams and goals.
I loved that the book ended with self realization and the beginning of his journey as Malcolm X. I think this may be a series for younger audience, so I may look for the rest of it if so.
An important story to witness, great read!
——————-
I read Malcolm X‘s autobiography a few years ago, so I had a lot of context going in. This was a very immersive and engaging first person retelling of his life up to the time he truly shifted to the person we speak of today. This also had a strong and engaging open that kept the reader on the hook as we backtracked in chronology.
Malcolm, his siblings, and their mother were targeted and their family unit deconstructed by a racist white system of power designed to oppress them. I thought it was an incredibly powerful moment when Malcolm gave up his shoeshine job and views an earlier version of himself with condescension, unaware of the trap he and countless others are fallen into.
I liked being present for the scene with his brother in Lansing: to himself and the reader, the changes have been gradual, but the stark contrast is jarring and brings a kind of newfound awareness. I also liked the parallel between Malcolm and Laura when they ran into each other and held a mirror up for the other to recognize their unrealized dreams and goals.
I loved that the book ended with self realization and the beginning of his journey as Malcolm X. I think this may be a series for younger audience, so I may look for the rest of it if so.
An important story to witness, great read!
Call It Sleep by Henry Roth
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
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? No
4.0
“But she didn’t know as he knew how the whole world could break into a thousand little pieces, all buzzing, all whining, and no one hearing them and no one seeing them except himself.”
———————
The first sentence that tells us the passengers are going from the stench and throb of steerage to stench and throb of New York tenements lets us know this new life isn’t easier and our characters will face significant challenges.
We also know that Albert and his wife are disconnected and have diverged even more in their time apart. David’s father is an angry stranger from their moment of introduction and remains as such for much of the novel.
There are so many moments David has to navigate like the sexual abuse from another child, his mother‘s confusing relationship with Luter, and growing up as an immigrant Yiddish-speaking Jew in New York. Having David’s perspective as the focus of the novel keeps us as emotionally confused and in the dark as him, especially about the adults in his life. David is also trying to understand religion and the meaning of God while surrounded by different interpretations.
I think this is an excellent study of childhood terror and rationality. Everything feels like the most important experience ever to David, which is a really essential feature of a child’s lack of perspective. The showdown between David and all the adults was a very clean way to wind together all of the plot points and hints about history.
This was such an engaging book, and I found myself really rooting for him as he continued to grow and understand himself and the world.
———————
The first sentence that tells us the passengers are going from the stench and throb of steerage to stench and throb of New York tenements lets us know this new life isn’t easier and our characters will face significant challenges.
We also know that Albert and his wife are disconnected and have diverged even more in their time apart. David’s father is an angry stranger from their moment of introduction and remains as such for much of the novel.
There are so many moments David has to navigate like the sexual abuse from another child, his mother‘s confusing relationship with Luter, and growing up as an immigrant Yiddish-speaking Jew in New York. Having David’s perspective as the focus of the novel keeps us as emotionally confused and in the dark as him, especially about the adults in his life. David is also trying to understand religion and the meaning of God while surrounded by different interpretations.
I think this is an excellent study of childhood terror and rationality. Everything feels like the most important experience ever to David, which is a really essential feature of a child’s lack of perspective. The showdown between David and all the adults was a very clean way to wind together all of the plot points and hints about history.
This was such an engaging book, and I found myself really rooting for him as he continued to grow and understand himself and the world.
Veronika Decides to Die by Paulo Coelho
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
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
“When I took the pills, I wanted to kill someone I hated. I didn’t know that other Veronikas existed inside me, Veronikas that I could love.“
——————-
I really connected to this book. It opened with a very intense subject that I am sadly familiar with: suicide. Despite this, Coelho maintained quite a funny and dry tone throughout.
Veronika is so certain of the rightness of her choice in the beginning, and the body of the novel shows how wrong we can be about something we were deeply convinced of.
I liked the stylistic choice to have chapter intros. I also liked how Coelho had his own moment in the narrative, making it clear that he was writing from firsthand experience. I found the meditation on how vitriol is poisonous to us to be very apt and illuminating.
Veronika’s presence caused novel self reflection in her fellow patients. The proximity to what they believed to be certain death naturally engendered evaluation of their lives. Ultimately, Coelho makes the point that appreciation and awareness of death creates a freedom to fully engage in and appreciate life. That perhaps there isn’t one right way, and trying to fit into any mold causes us deep emotional pain.
Having survived my own near death attempt, I appreciated Coelho’s nod to understanding that you cant ever know all possible futures. Often life surprises us when we give ourselves permission to live honestly one more day, and love for life itself is born out of living honestly and openly.
I always enjoy Coelho’s writing, but especially this one.
——————-
I really connected to this book. It opened with a very intense subject that I am sadly familiar with: suicide. Despite this, Coelho maintained quite a funny and dry tone throughout.
Veronika is so certain of the rightness of her choice in the beginning, and the body of the novel shows how wrong we can be about something we were deeply convinced of.
I liked the stylistic choice to have chapter intros. I also liked how Coelho had his own moment in the narrative, making it clear that he was writing from firsthand experience. I found the meditation on how vitriol is poisonous to us to be very apt and illuminating.
Veronika’s presence caused novel self reflection in her fellow patients. The proximity to what they believed to be certain death naturally engendered evaluation of their lives. Ultimately, Coelho makes the point that appreciation and awareness of death creates a freedom to fully engage in and appreciate life. That perhaps there isn’t one right way, and trying to fit into any mold causes us deep emotional pain.
Having survived my own near death attempt, I appreciated Coelho’s nod to understanding that you cant ever know all possible futures. Often life surprises us when we give ourselves permission to live honestly one more day, and love for life itself is born out of living honestly and openly.
I always enjoy Coelho’s writing, but especially this one.
To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf
challenging
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
“How did one add up this and that and conclude it was liking one felt, or disliking?”
—————-
This is the very first book I’ve ever read by Virginia Wolf and I think my expectations were entirely unrealistic. I appreciate that Wolf‘s prose is objectively quite lyrical and has depth.
I could not easily follow her train of thought. The characters were not interesting and their musings were so meandering that I lost focus repeatedly. I found myself rereading whole pages just to try to get a clue and give it an honest chance. I really enjoy modern atmospheric and introspective novels, but this was so esoteric and verbose I didn’t want to read.
I think she wanted us to dislike the men, which I’d absolutely did. Really all of them had such fragile egos. I was also trying to figure out if maybe Mr. Ramsay was suffering from Shell shock.
I think my favorite part was when the house was abandoned, and we saw the passage of time through the attempts to beat back nature. I liked the parenthetical plots that were disbursed in that section. Maybe if it had been closer to that stylistically and shorter I would’ve enjoyed it more.
As it was, this was disappointingly painful for me to get through, which is just my experience.
—————-
This is the very first book I’ve ever read by Virginia Wolf and I think my expectations were entirely unrealistic. I appreciate that Wolf‘s prose is objectively quite lyrical and has depth.
I could not easily follow her train of thought. The characters were not interesting and their musings were so meandering that I lost focus repeatedly. I found myself rereading whole pages just to try to get a clue and give it an honest chance. I really enjoy modern atmospheric and introspective novels, but this was so esoteric and verbose I didn’t want to read.
I think she wanted us to dislike the men, which I’d absolutely did. Really all of them had such fragile egos. I was also trying to figure out if maybe Mr. Ramsay was suffering from Shell shock.
I think my favorite part was when the house was abandoned, and we saw the passage of time through the attempts to beat back nature. I liked the parenthetical plots that were disbursed in that section. Maybe if it had been closer to that stylistically and shorter I would’ve enjoyed it more.
As it was, this was disappointingly painful for me to get through, which is just my experience.
The Moon and the Bonfires by Cesare Pavese
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
“But nobody had enough, nobody stopped, no matter how much he had, and the fields, even the vineyards, looked like public gardens, fake flowerbeds, like those at the railway station, or else wilderness, burned-over land, mountains of slag.”
———————
This book opens with a lot of important information about the main character, including that he’s an adopted orphan searching for identity and belonging. Much of this book felt like grief in progress, and it was beautiful.
I really liked the way he and Nuto talked around Nuto’s history during the war, so we understood what was important because of what was unsaid/avoided. The class conversations with Nuto I also enjoyed. Cinto represents our narrators childhood self, a slightly altered version with his injury.
I liked that the narrator remains nameless, it created this interesting suspension and detachment. I honestly felt a bit unmoored while reading it, but it wasn’t unpleasant. There was some remarkable immersion in the scenes. It reminded me a lot of Cormack McCarthy‘s writing.
I did feel like I was missing some needed political context, but I could extrapolate just enough to follow along without having to do my own research. It may have made the text more impactful/enjoyable to have that missing knowledge.
I also found it interesting to read “upper class courting“ from an external lower class party. Usually those stories are the forefront of a plot, and I found the narrator’s perspective refreshing.
———————
This book opens with a lot of important information about the main character, including that he’s an adopted orphan searching for identity and belonging. Much of this book felt like grief in progress, and it was beautiful.
I really liked the way he and Nuto talked around Nuto’s history during the war, so we understood what was important because of what was unsaid/avoided. The class conversations with Nuto I also enjoyed. Cinto represents our narrators childhood self, a slightly altered version with his injury.
I liked that the narrator remains nameless, it created this interesting suspension and detachment. I honestly felt a bit unmoored while reading it, but it wasn’t unpleasant. There was some remarkable immersion in the scenes. It reminded me a lot of Cormack McCarthy‘s writing.
I did feel like I was missing some needed political context, but I could extrapolate just enough to follow along without having to do my own research. It may have made the text more impactful/enjoyable to have that missing knowledge.
I also found it interesting to read “upper class courting“ from an external lower class party. Usually those stories are the forefront of a plot, and I found the narrator’s perspective refreshing.
Know My Name by Chanel Miller
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
5.0
“The journey will be longer than you imagined, trauma will find you again and again. Do not become the ones who hurt you. Stay tender with your power. Never fight to injure, fight to uplift. Fight because you know that in this life, you deserve safety, joy, and freedom. Fight because it is your life. Not anyone else’s.”
————————
I’m actually not sure how many times I cried while reading this book. I remember when the Victim Impact Statement was published on BuzzFeed. I read it at my desk at work and cried silently. To now have context for what drove such an impactful statement felt like a kind of extremely sad gift. Chanel‘s voice is so compelling and unflinching.
The Grateful Garments connection made me sob, as did so many other little and big moments. I loved the jar analogy and how she described it cropping up, invading her peace, and refusing to be ignored. Trauma will always come out, even if it has to be sideways.
I loved how much unconditional support Chanel received when she was ready to share her truth with each of her loved ones. It was jarring for me to read about her thumbnail crescents as that is also something I began doing after trauma.
Her ongoing process of rebuilding her faith in herself and other people, like comedy shows and walking home with a friend, was so heartwrenching and moving. I really appreciated the way she wrote about scuba diving and the forced reconnection to her body. Sometimes extreme disassociation is the only thing that’s tolerable and survivable.
The way that her assault completely altered and disrupted her life‘s progression is sadly true of so many survivors, including myself. She conveyed this so well and repeated it very intentionally. I also deeply relate to her terror of being known and associated with her own story, even the hesitancy to let safe people in and make her world less small.
Her writing about the criminal justice process and the continual denial of victims and revictimization she experienced was so raw.
I think every school should have this as required reading.
————————
I’m actually not sure how many times I cried while reading this book. I remember when the Victim Impact Statement was published on BuzzFeed. I read it at my desk at work and cried silently. To now have context for what drove such an impactful statement felt like a kind of extremely sad gift. Chanel‘s voice is so compelling and unflinching.
The Grateful Garments connection made me sob, as did so many other little and big moments. I loved the jar analogy and how she described it cropping up, invading her peace, and refusing to be ignored. Trauma will always come out, even if it has to be sideways.
I loved how much unconditional support Chanel received when she was ready to share her truth with each of her loved ones. It was jarring for me to read about her thumbnail crescents as that is also something I began doing after trauma.
Her ongoing process of rebuilding her faith in herself and other people, like comedy shows and walking home with a friend, was so heartwrenching and moving. I really appreciated the way she wrote about scuba diving and the forced reconnection to her body. Sometimes extreme disassociation is the only thing that’s tolerable and survivable.
The way that her assault completely altered and disrupted her life‘s progression is sadly true of so many survivors, including myself. She conveyed this so well and repeated it very intentionally. I also deeply relate to her terror of being known and associated with her own story, even the hesitancy to let safe people in and make her world less small.
Her writing about the criminal justice process and the continual denial of victims and revictimization she experienced was so raw.
I think every school should have this as required reading.
Mood Swings by Frankie Barnet
adventurous
dark
funny
lighthearted
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
“Endings seem to come without consent, but perhaps had instead been embarked upon before one could even remember.”
———————-
This was an absolutely striking debut from Barnet. She is so tapped into modern life and because of that is able to flip it, examine it, and question it in a hilariously zany and earnestly serious way.
Unlike Tender is the Flesh, this world without animals is mainly vegan. The subculture that turns up around the loss of pets- like furries being paid to supplant that love- actually felt like a realistic, if weird and sad, outcome to me.
Barnet created believable parodies of modern conversations, but I wouldn’t be surprised if these were actually happening.
On the surface, Jenlena is very adaptable and deeply unserious. To stop at that understanding would do Barnet’s work an injustice. She is incredibly lonely and lost in a world and society bereft of the ability to do and be better. Her malaise and apparent apathy serves as a cover for how much she really cares and craves. When she learns Ricky’s biggest secret, we see her begin to come back to herself in a sense. That relationship was so intriguing.
I think I could’ve done without the subplot about an abused teenage girlfriend from the perspective of her aggrieved abuser. That felt like a misuse of Barnet’s talent.
I decided to still give this five stars because it was novel, massively, entertaining, hilarious, and deeply moving. Will keep an eye out for this author’s future work!
———————-
This was an absolutely striking debut from Barnet. She is so tapped into modern life and because of that is able to flip it, examine it, and question it in a hilariously zany and earnestly serious way.
Unlike Tender is the Flesh, this world without animals is mainly vegan. The subculture that turns up around the loss of pets- like furries being paid to supplant that love- actually felt like a realistic, if weird and sad, outcome to me.
Barnet created believable parodies of modern conversations, but I wouldn’t be surprised if these were actually happening.
On the surface, Jenlena is very adaptable and deeply unserious. To stop at that understanding would do Barnet’s work an injustice. She is incredibly lonely and lost in a world and society bereft of the ability to do and be better. Her malaise and apparent apathy serves as a cover for how much she really cares and craves. When she learns Ricky’s biggest secret, we see her begin to come back to herself in a sense. That relationship was so intriguing.
I think I could’ve done without the subplot about an abused teenage girlfriend from the perspective of her aggrieved abuser. That felt like a misuse of Barnet’s talent.
I decided to still give this five stars because it was novel, massively, entertaining, hilarious, and deeply moving. Will keep an eye out for this author’s future work!
Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf
challenging
reflective
slow-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
“It might be possible that the world itself is without meaning.”
————————-
I tried so hard to give this a fair chance, especially because it was our November club book. I found myself rereading pages over and over and still not able to follow what was happening because I couldn’t focus or care. I switched to audiobook, which made it a lot easier to keep up, but not more enjoyable to read.
It took me a good while to realize Septimus was not a senile old man, but a young man with shell shock. His struggles and the ignorance of his doctor was perhaps the only bit of this I cared to follow.
I really think I’m just not the target audience for Woolf’s style which does feel somewhat surprising to me. I feel bad that most of the club didn’t like it, but we’ll move on ☺️
————————-
I tried so hard to give this a fair chance, especially because it was our November club book. I found myself rereading pages over and over and still not able to follow what was happening because I couldn’t focus or care. I switched to audiobook, which made it a lot easier to keep up, but not more enjoyable to read.
It took me a good while to realize Septimus was not a senile old man, but a young man with shell shock. His struggles and the ignorance of his doctor was perhaps the only bit of this I cared to follow.
I really think I’m just not the target audience for Woolf’s style which does feel somewhat surprising to me. I feel bad that most of the club didn’t like it, but we’ll move on ☺️