I went into this knowing next to nothing about this novel and was pleasantly surprised. It was able discuss the mistreatment of the aboriginals of PapI went into this knowing next to nothing about this novel and was pleasantly surprised. It was able discuss the mistreatment of the aboriginals of Papau New Guinea while weaving a story of friendship and romance.
Merged review:
I went into this knowing next to nothing about this novel and was pleasantly surprised. It was able discuss the mistreatment of the aboriginals of Papau New Guinea while weaving a story of friendship and romance....more
Although this was not the generational story that I was looking for, it was an incredible read. In this story we follow Angel, a 19 year old Ojibwe giAlthough this was not the generational story that I was looking for, it was an incredible read. In this story we follow Angel, a 19 year old Ojibwe girl, who was taken from her family on the reservation and then passed through the foster care system. Feeling lost, Angel searches out her family to reconnect and to discover the truth of her scarred face. Solar Storms is Angel's story of healing, rebuilding her self worth, and reconnecting with her family and ancestral lands. It is also the story of the destruction of one's culture by the violation of land from corporate greed and Eurocentric ideals. blockquote:
"Why are only white laws followed? This will kill the world. What is the law if not the Earth's?"
The more I read of this book the more the story wrapped around me like a warm blanket. Hogan's atmosphere felt secure and intimate, yet lonely and somber. I felt for these characters. I felt for these lands. I felt for these people.
Hogan often writes of environmental issues from the Indigenous perspective and I cannot wait to delve more into her works. ...more
Latinx Reviews/Thoughts to Check Out -Inkish Kingdommy link text
BOOK CONTENT WARNINGS: Rape, molestation, alcoholism, mental illness struggles, anLatinx Reviews/Thoughts to Check Out -Inkish Kingdommy link text
BOOK CONTENT WARNINGS: Rape, molestation, alcoholism, mental illness struggles, and violence. (Some of these topics are not explicit and are mentioned only briefly).
The title is pretty straight forward and this book delves into the lives of 10 women: 1 therapist and 9 of her clients. The therapist organizes a group session to where each woman discusses their past and present lives.
I definitely enjoyed this more in the beginning than I did towards the end. Each chapter is dedicated to one woman and her story. Each chapter is written as a single dialogue of the patient telling her thoughts and feelings, but after meeting the 4th woman it became a little bit difficult to discern each character from the previous ones. This may have been due to the translation, but each character was written in the exact same tone and voice. Characters started to mesh into one another. Very few of them had distinct voices.
What I enjoyed most about this book is getting the perspective of 10 different woman from different backgrounds. Most are Chilean, but there are a few with different ethnic backgrounds such as Layla who is Pakistani. With that being said, it definitely felt as if all of these characters had a bit of privilege. Most of the are described as being beautiful and a majority of them had the means to travel to not only other countries, but to other continents regardless of social and economic standings. I liked that a lot of topics are discussed organically such as family/societal/religious expectations a long with the explorations of differing sexualities (asexuality, lesbianism, promiscuity or lack thereof, etc). One of my favorite chapters came from, Mane, who discussed the issues and fear of growing old which I thought was beautifully done.
Also, the writing is beautiful. Although most of the characters themselves are not memorable, some of the things they said are. At the end of the book I had tabbed multiple quotes that mean so much to me....more
I had to digest this novel for a full day before sitting down here and writing out my thoughts. I love a good multi-generational story of how differenI had to digest this novel for a full day before sitting down here and writing out my thoughts. I love a good multi-generational story of how different families' lives intertwine over the years. The first 80 or so pages are told by many different members of the Roy and Shawano families. Although I enjoyed these chapters, at times I found myself having to reread passages because the narration of thoughts would bounce from character to character without any indication that it had happened. Thus, making it difficult to properly bond with each character introduced. After hitting the half way mark in this novel I began to wonder how everything was connected and was quite enthused when everything fell right into place. The intertwining lives of these two families was woven beautifully and I'd like to revisit this story in the future to full appreciate it in all its glory. ...more
My expectations for this novel were sky high with all the amazing reviews that I had watched via Youtube. However, I am sad to say2.75 out of 5 stars.
My expectations for this novel were sky high with all the amazing reviews that I had watched via Youtube. However, I am sad to say that I did not enjoy this as much as I thought I would. The Vegetarian is a collection of three novellas with three different POVs and is the story of how a young woman's sudden decision to become a vegetarian affects her and her immediate family members.
The first two novellas were fantastic; they were fast paced, mysterious, odd, and at times disturbing. I found it some what (I said SOME WHAT) relatable because I have been pondering the idea of becoming a vegan lately. I brought up the idea to my husband, who has been notoriously supportive of my ever changing food habits, and he was revolted by the thought! I was in shock. I did not know that omitting a few types of food from one's diet could enrage another person so much. So in the end I could empathize with Yeong-Hye a little which added value to my reading experience. Unfortunately though, the third and last novella completely fell flat for me. It was unbelievably bland and it left me utterly dissatisfied. ...more
I originally read this in 2007. I loved it so much that I read it again in 2008, but I haven't read it since then. After 8 years I was curious to see I originally read this in 2007. I loved it so much that I read it again in 2008, but I haven't read it since then. After 8 years I was curious to see if this would still be a 5 star read for me. Unfortunately, it was not. During my teenage years this was one of the few books that I read that wasn't Harry Potter and it blew my high school mind. I have grown a lot as a reader and 8 years later this novel did not have as big of an impact as it did before....more
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