I know a lot of people hate this book but I had a great time. It's a messy rom-com about slutty bisexual people drinking fancy wine and eating good brI know a lot of people hate this book but I had a great time. It's a messy rom-com about slutty bisexual people drinking fancy wine and eating good bread across Europe. Honestly, this would be my dream vacation if I weren't such a coward.
And yes, I did read this during my lunch break at my fancy corporate job. Thank the gods above no one looked over my shoulder. This shit was horny af. I'm talking like A03 levels of horn. ...more
"Anyone who uses fear to stop an artist from creating is an enemy of life."
The Curse of Pietro Houdini is not the book I expected it to be. I went in"Anyone who uses fear to stop an artist from creating is an enemy of life."
The Curse of Pietro Houdini is not the book I expected it to be. I went in ready for an artistic crime thriller, and instead got a devastating war novel. While still strong, this definitely has impacted my final rating.
The first half of the book is incredibly interesting. Pietro and the MC's familial relationship slowly builds, paired with some fascinating references to art and mythology. Without giving too much away, I particularly enjoy how the concept of gender is played with. It's the second half, especially the ending, where I am left dissatisfied. What once was an intricate examination of two war-torn people finding one another turns into a mediocre ensemble.
Despite these issues, I'm looking forward to reading other books from Derek B. Miller's catalog. His prose is stunning, and I can't even begin to imagine the research he put in to construct this story. ...more
**spoiler alert** 2.5 ----- I struggled to get into The American Daughters. The pacing is uneven, being extremely slow in some segments, and way too fa**spoiler alert** 2.5 ----- I struggled to get into The American Daughters. The pacing is uneven, being extremely slow in some segments, and way too fast in others (particularly the ending). Ady is a solid main character, but the side characters are not too compelling. In particular, I was underwhelmed by the romance between Ady and Lenore. While sweet, it feels like it comes out of nowhere.
I'm fascinated by Ruffin's previews of the future, with Ady's descendants, but I feel that he didn't play into them enough. They were by far the most interesting parts of the novel, and I wish I could have seen more of those narratives....more
3.5 ------- "She lets out a trembling kind of laugh. Well, if there is a God, she says, I'm sure he loves you very much.
He lowers his eyes. Yeah, I can 3.5 ------- "She lets out a trembling kind of laugh. Well, if there is a God, she says, I'm sure he loves you very much.
He lowers his eyes. Yeah, I can feel that sometimes, he says.
Like when I'm with you, I can. If you don't mind me saying that.
Her voice sounds strange to her, lighter or thinner than usual, when she replies: I don't mind, of course not. It's a nice thing to say."
I have complicated feelings about Intermezzo. It delivers exactly where I'd expect it to: in its angsty, slightly fucked romantic relationships. That's the bread and butter of a Sally Rooney book. Whether it's Margaret's hesitation with Ivan over their age gap, or Peter's internal battle between choosing Sylvia (familiar, safe love) or Naomi (new, thrilling love), the novel's complicated character dynamics are fascinating threads to follow.
Sally's artistic omission of quotation marks is especially powerful for Peter's POV. He's a man so lost in his own thoughts that his chapters blur the lines between what he wants to say versus what he allows himself to express. This creates an effective confusion between dialogue and internal monologue. This style choice alone is the most compelling part of the book.
Unfortunately, what lowers Intermezzo's rating for me is my emotional detachment from the characters. A vivid picture is painted of Ivan and Peter's grief, leading them down different paths of suffering, but I never connected with them as well as I did Connell or Marianne in Normal People, or Alice and Eileen in Beautiful World, Where Are You. This time around, I fear that Rooney's signature brooding narrative style wore me down. As some other reviews have suggested, this book's length works against the story's scale. It's incredibly dense, making for a difficult, sometimes painful read that frustrates rather than intrigues.
For one of my most anticipated reads this year, I'm left relatively unsatisfied, and that's a damn shame. I still believe Rooney is one of our finest contemporary authors, and I'm sure to check out whatever she has in store, but Intermezzo failed to attach me to its narrative....more
“I am the angel of death, come to offer sweet justice in the night,� I said. “I am a sign. I am your future. I am James.�
This is one of the best books“I am the angel of death, come to offer sweet justice in the night,� I said. “I am a sign. I am your future. I am James.�
This is one of the best books I've read this year. James is a magnificent reimagining of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Percival Everett has transformed a story I cared little for into an emotionally affecting journey. It deviates from the original storyline in meaningful ways, having some genuinely jaw-dropping reveals that reshape your entire interpretation of Mark Twain's novel.
In an interview for , Everett described himself as being "in conversation with Twain," carrying a unique lens the original could not. To anyone who says literary reimaginings are unnecessary, I highly recommend checking out this book. The structure is compelling, the prose is impactful, and the satire is excellent. James is a world-class protagonist, a complex man that only a writer as inventive as Everett could reshape. ...more
"Grief is chronic pain. When will others allow the mourning to live without expecting them to be 'cured'?"
It's been a while since I've sat down and re"Grief is chronic pain. When will others allow the mourning to live without expecting them to be 'cured'?"
It's been a while since I've sat down and read a book from start to finish, never letting my eyes off the pages. Here After absolutely captivated me with its complex exploration of grief. After I finished, I could do nothing more than sit and reflect on the concluding words of Lin's acknowledgments. Her story is profoundly moving, and I am utterly unable to do it justice in a review. Please, read it for yourself. ...more
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