I picked this up on a whim, and read it it one go. I don't quite know how to feel about it. There was something cold yet magical about the world I wasI picked this up on a whim, and read it it one go. I don't quite know how to feel about it. There was something cold yet magical about the world I was introduced to, yet thematically I cannot help but feel like there is something problematic I cannot find the time to fully delve into right now. ...more
What an incredible take on womanhood, truly. Considering this tackled some topics I, personally, do not hold very close to my heart, it still managed What an incredible take on womanhood, truly. Considering this tackled some topics I, personally, do not hold very close to my heart, it still managed to grip me entirely. At the same time, as a woman, there were moments when I felt as if the author reached through the pages and took the very breath out of me. The struggle of existing in your own body, which does what it will do, uncontrollably. The loneliness, the reality of being perceived and perceiving yourself. Motherhood, the struggle of having children, the struggle of not having children. So much about the female experience, laid out in a format that is easy to follow and which I found to be quite profound. ...more
There is something strange about reading a book - by chance - at just the right time, when you feel as if the author took parts of your life and descrThere is something strange about reading a book - by chance - at just the right time, when you feel as if the author took parts of your life and described them for all the world to see. Did I enjoy the story? Did I enjoy how it reflected on me? We may never know, truthfully, but what I can say is that I flowed through this more than read along. Like following along the course of a river, I watched our main character go through things, imagine them, process them, avoid them. It felt like watching a tiny snippet of a life, like being in the corner of a restaurant seeing different scenarios play out without ever having the larger context. A moment in time that reflected this moment in my own life. ...more
This book is a confusing one for me to review. Filled to the brim with ideas, quotes, concepts that I love exploring and dissecting to an exhausting eThis book is a confusing one for me to review. Filled to the brim with ideas, quotes, concepts that I love exploring and dissecting to an exhausting extent, yet they were presented by a character coming across so apathetically that it was almost hard to digest. With some inherent stubbornness, I found myself wanting to disagree with ideas I'd always held just because they were coming from our delightful main character Lilia. Part of the dislike is seeing my own apathy towards life coming through, yet Lilia manages to take it to such an extreme that even I start to seem like someone infested with lust for life in comparison.
It is not a bad book, nor is it one that moved me a particularly great amount. ...more
It is unbelievable to me how this book was not only bland in every way but the so called twist everybody was raving about only further ruins it. ObvioIt is unbelievable to me how this book was not only bland in every way but the so called twist everybody was raving about only further ruins it. Obviously enough I was not impressed or shocked. Mediocrity between two covers....more
Incredibly moving, beautiful characters and prose, a heartbreaking history told through generations of love and suffering. I am already thinking of a Incredibly moving, beautiful characters and prose, a heartbreaking history told through generations of love and suffering. I am already thinking of a future re-read to dive deeper....more
Enjoyable in its own right, but fails to be what the description promised. I don't think I can even be mad at that. It is almost impossible to write aEnjoyable in its own right, but fails to be what the description promised. I don't think I can even be mad at that. It is almost impossible to write a story including Achilles that doesn't end up being his....more
Quite funny timing, the perfect read for the end of the year. So simple yet concise, showcasing all the tiny things that matter, all the subtle thingsQuite funny timing, the perfect read for the end of the year. So simple yet concise, showcasing all the tiny things that matter, all the subtle things you forget about until it's too late. I felt a profound connection to the main character and his predicament, going through the motions until he finally realizes what's important....more
A beautiful story about a timeless experience, though under different circumstances for everybody. Sad and moving, and yet leaving me with a sense of A beautiful story about a timeless experience, though under different circumstances for everybody. Sad and moving, and yet leaving me with a sense of understanding as well....more
An incredibly unique and thoughtful book. It makes one ponder about this bizarre situation and how to cope with something so incredibly confusing, scaAn incredibly unique and thoughtful book. It makes one ponder about this bizarre situation and how to cope with something so incredibly confusing, scary and vast. I loved the protagonist's voice, her otherness from the women she cohabitated with, her practicality in the face of their hopeless fate. I love that we didn't really learn anything about their predicament and what really happened, sometimes that is the best way to leave a scenario, things unsaid have more impact in this case. ...more
I took a long time to read this due to several factors and real life getting in the way but it was very engaging and frustrating at the same time. It I took a long time to read this due to several factors and real life getting in the way but it was very engaging and frustrating at the same time. It resonates with me, a white woman from Romania, as I imagine it resonates with women all over. The culture and situations described are specific and yet the overall feeling is universal....more
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