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xx_ruby_xx's Reviews (49)
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
i went into this book with no prior knowledge on mary oliver. as someone who adores the environment, i was pleased to find how nature-heavy her poems are. she writes about the natural world so lovingly, which i found comforting. the one downside of this book is how repetitive some of the poems felt- there are only so may poems you can write about snakes before the reader loses interest. due to this repetition, i had to take frequent breaks from this book.
challenging
funny
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
a book that kind of reads like poetry. sometimes the flowery language felt suffocating, but other times it rewarded me with profound sentiments. truthfully, i was unsure of this book until i found myself on page 53, reading and re-reading a paragraph that will linger in my head for awhile:
"It slips away from you, your name. as a girl, I was Marie Antoinette, eating cake. I was tree-limbed Daphne in the woods with my dogs. In Spanish class at school, I was Lupita. In German, Wilhelmine. As an adult, I still felt startled when people said my name aloud. Misha called me Babe. With the self-help author, I was Doll. My fiancé had assigned so many endearments and diminutives that I felt like a whole collection of women bound into one, a composite of -lets and -chens and -kins, in addition to further derivatives and declensions I'd rather not remember here. Now, he had renamed me once again. Persephone Q. For all intents and purposes, we were one and the same."
part two was my favorite section, as we finally received background on our emotionally unregulated main charecter. hearing about her relationship with her mother, and her subsequent grief in dealing with her death made her illogical decisions throughout the book feel a little more rational.
overall, i recommend if you need a book where everything is rather low-stakes. nothing of significance happens here, and i feel everyone needs a book like that from time to time.
"It slips away from you, your name. as a girl, I was Marie Antoinette, eating cake. I was tree-limbed Daphne in the woods with my dogs. In Spanish class at school, I was Lupita. In German, Wilhelmine. As an adult, I still felt startled when people said my name aloud. Misha called me Babe. With the self-help author, I was Doll. My fiancé had assigned so many endearments and diminutives that I felt like a whole collection of women bound into one, a composite of -lets and -chens and -kins, in addition to further derivatives and declensions I'd rather not remember here. Now, he had renamed me once again. Persephone Q. For all intents and purposes, we were one and the same."
part two was my favorite section, as we finally received background on our emotionally unregulated main charecter. hearing about her relationship with her mother, and her subsequent grief in dealing with her death made her illogical decisions throughout the book feel a little more rational.
overall, i recommend if you need a book where everything is rather low-stakes. nothing of significance happens here, and i feel everyone needs a book like that from time to time.
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
At first, I found myself growing perturbed by Megan's adoration and respect for her family. As I reached the end of the memoir, I began to finally understand why so much of the book was devoted to her loving familial upbringing. On the outside, her family (rightfully) appeared hateful and prejudiced, convinced that their way of thinking was the only way. Within the walls of the WBC, there was so simply much love between family members. The establishment of this juxtaposition is crucial for understanding why it was so difficult for Megan to leave the church. How can you leave something that has provided you love, safety, and comfort for the entirety of your life? Honestly, I am not sure I would have had the strength to do what Megan did, and I applaud her for her bravery to not only leave, but to share her story.
That being said, I did find the most engaging part of the memoir to be the end- when she is dealing with the aftermath of leaving. Her explorations and interactions with the communities she previously villainized were incredibly powerful. These communities welcomed her with open arms, ecstatic to help her on her journey of self-discovery. How beautiful of a world we live in where previous enemies can now find warmth in interacting with each other.
Further, as someone who has close to no experience with religion, this book was very eye-opening. I really appreciated the bible quotes littered throughout the memoir, as they served a double-purpose in the memoir. At first, they served to justify her hateful ways within the church, but later they became the very reason she needed to leave.
Overall, a very well-written and moving memoir that I would recommend to anyone struggling with spiritual deconstruction.
That being said, I did find the most engaging part of the memoir to be the end- when she is dealing with the aftermath of leaving. Her explorations and interactions with the communities she previously villainized were incredibly powerful. These communities welcomed her with open arms, ecstatic to help her on her journey of self-discovery. How beautiful of a world we live in where previous enemies can now find warmth in interacting with each other.
Further, as someone who has close to no experience with religion, this book was very eye-opening. I really appreciated the bible quotes littered throughout the memoir, as they served a double-purpose in the memoir. At first, they served to justify her hateful ways within the church, but later they became the very reason she needed to leave.
Overall, a very well-written and moving memoir that I would recommend to anyone struggling with spiritual deconstruction.
challenging
dark
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
Read this book for book club, and I can't wait to discuss it with everyone else! This is one of the first memoirs I've read of someone I had no prior knowledge on. I learned so much about culture in Jordan, and I loved hearing first-hand experiences, not just reading history from a textbook.
funny
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
I work at a library and we had a cart full of advanced reader copy books that my boss was intending to give away for Trivia Night. Not-so-subtly, I hinted that I had been dying to read this book since Fall Out Boy has been my favorite band for years and my boss was kind enough to pick up on my yearning and gift me the book for free. I was ecstatic!
This book is a must-read for any die hard Fall Out Boy fans. Learning about the formation of the band and the early shows made me indescribably happy (and jealous). I would do absolutely anything to have attended the 2004 Skate & Surf Festival and the 2005 Vans Warped Tour, but alas, I was only a toddler at the time. Additionally, it was so fascinating to learn about the childhood and mental health struggles of Joe Trohman, a man usually overshadowed by other members of the band.
Now, here are my complaints. So many paragraphs of this book could have simply been edited out. I understand that this is a memoir and that Joe's monologue is simply all over the place, but I found some sections unnecessary for the story (and honestly a little annoying to read). Further, each chapter just seemed to be sporadic, I never really knew what time period of Joe's life I was about to read about. He jumped between eras and ended up repeating a lot of information or left me confused completely. If this book was just edited down a little bit more, I think I would have enjoyed it a lot more.
This book is a must-read for any die hard Fall Out Boy fans. Learning about the formation of the band and the early shows made me indescribably happy (and jealous). I would do absolutely anything to have attended the 2004 Skate & Surf Festival and the 2005 Vans Warped Tour, but alas, I was only a toddler at the time. Additionally, it was so fascinating to learn about the childhood and mental health struggles of Joe Trohman, a man usually overshadowed by other members of the band.
Now, here are my complaints. So many paragraphs of this book could have simply been edited out. I understand that this is a memoir and that Joe's monologue is simply all over the place, but I found some sections unnecessary for the story (and honestly a little annoying to read). Further, each chapter just seemed to be sporadic, I never really knew what time period of Joe's life I was about to read about. He jumped between eras and ended up repeating a lot of information or left me confused completely. If this book was just edited down a little bit more, I think I would have enjoyed it a lot more.
dark
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
the gaslighting was CRAZY in this book.
really happy i finally got around to reading this book. i was never assigned it in high school, so i always felt like i was missing out. pretty good, and i enjoyed how quick of a read it was.
really happy i finally got around to reading this book. i was never assigned it in high school, so i always felt like i was missing out. pretty good, and i enjoyed how quick of a read it was.
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
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:
No
wow. had to stop reading this book in public because it started to make me cry with every page. beautifully written, i find comfort in knowing that this is how me and my boyfriend feel about each other.
can't believe a man wrote this tbh.
can't believe a man wrote this tbh.
adventurous
mysterious
tense
slow-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:
Complicated
bella swan has suffered more than jesus.
this book dragged on for a long time, but i am such a sucker for anything romeo and juliet.
this book dragged on for a long time, but i am such a sucker for anything romeo and juliet.
funny
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The main character made it really hard to root for her. Maybe if I knew more about her backstory other than the few scraps readers were given, I would have been more sympathetic.
On the other hand, I love books where women are crazy.
On the other hand, I love books where women are crazy.
