Alice in Waterdeep
I always find it a bit scary to re-read an old favourite in case I discover it's not a favourite anymore or, worse, I hate it now. Really relieved this wasn't the case.
It's not a perfect book, and I'm sure I am more critical of it this time compared to a decade ago, but it put me in a good mood every time I'd read it. This book goes heavy on stereotypes I'm afraid, but I adore Don because I find his complexities really human and relatable, and his gradual growth as a character and person well developed. The other characters are not as nuanced, including Rosie.
I wish the book had trusted that depth more instead of going for laughs (which were at best chuckles, if ever). Don is portrayed too much as someone to laugh at, in fact every single character laughs at him at least once, but there's some insights that suggest that the author's intent was to show how superficial it is to laugh at someone's so called "quirks", which are not really quirks. I think this because the book often touches on the idea that people are more than what they appear, that everyone has something to offer in their own way and that everyone should be treated with dignity and respect. I do think the intent was valid and present, but perhaps the comedy aspect of it was favoured too much.
Unfortunately I think there's a lot of potential left unexplored, a lot of instances where I felt like the author stopped on the surface when it was "good enough", when it would have been interesting to dig in some more. Also, the romance: I feel like I have no idea why Rosie fell in love with Don, and I really disliked how rushed the ending was. I wish we'd seen their actual dating phase and how and why they decided to get married and try for a baby. I wonder if the author wrote that without knowing he'd get to write two sequels.
Despite all this, I still had a great time with it and genuinely enjoyed the reread.
I always find it a bit scary to re-read an old favourite in case I discover it's not a favourite anymore or, worse, I hate it now. Really relieved this wasn't the case.
It's not a perfect book, and I'm sure I am more critical of it this time compared to a decade ago, but it put me in a good mood every time I'd read it. This book goes heavy on stereotypes I'm afraid, but I adore Don because I find his complexities really human and relatable, and his gradual growth as a character and person well developed. The other characters are not as nuanced, including Rosie.
I wish the book had trusted that depth more instead of going for laughs (which were at best chuckles, if ever). Don is portrayed too much as someone to laugh at, in fact every single character laughs at him at least once, but there's some insights that suggest that the author's intent was to show how superficial it is to laugh at someone's so called "quirks", which are not really quirks. I think this because the book often touches on the idea that people are more than what they appear, that everyone has something to offer in their own way and that everyone should be treated with dignity and respect. I do think the intent was valid and present, but perhaps the comedy aspect of it was favoured too much.
Unfortunately I think there's a lot of potential left unexplored, a lot of instances where I felt like the author stopped on the surface when it was "good enough", when it would have been interesting to dig in some more. Also, the romance: I feel like I have no idea why Rosie fell in love with Don, and I really disliked how rushed the ending was. I wish we'd seen their actual dating phase and how and why they decided to get married and try for a baby. I wonder if the author wrote that without knowing he'd get to write two sequels.
Despite all this, I still had a great time with it and genuinely enjoyed the reread.
It took me two attempts to get into this book but I'm glad I gave it a second try. The first time around I got quickly bored during the interrogation to the real estate agent and now I still think that's a strange way to open the book, especially because it lasts forever (or at least that's how I perceived it). The second attempt was with the audiobook which I really recommend, the narrator is very good at differentiating the characters.
I enjoyed learning about this group of people who all lead different lives and have their own thing going on. It was beautiful to see how they connected even with all their differences in character, lifestyle, age, etc. The author does a good job exploring mental health and the complexities of human relationships. I teared up more than once, Zara's story especially really hit me.
I found it a bit hard at times to follow all the timeline jumps and POV changes, but it wasn't too bad.
I was entirely, utterly fooled by the gender assumption thing. I had internalised that the bank robber was a man so much that, after the reveal, I got a physical copy to go check if any pronouns were used at the beginning of the book because I was sure she was described as a man. She wasn't. I was wrong. Real humbling moment lol. Also, I'm curious to know how this was adapted in languages that are heavily gendered.
It took me two attempts to get into this book but I'm glad I gave it a second try. The first time around I got quickly bored during the interrogation to the real estate agent and now I still think that's a strange way to open the book, especially because it lasts forever (or at least that's how I perceived it). The second attempt was with the audiobook which I really recommend, the narrator is very good at differentiating the characters.
I enjoyed learning about this group of people who all lead different lives and have their own thing going on. It was beautiful to see how they connected even with all their differences in character, lifestyle, age, etc. The author does a good job exploring mental health and the complexities of human relationships. I teared up more than once, Zara's story especially really hit me.
I found it a bit hard at times to follow all the timeline jumps and POV changes, but it wasn't too bad.
I was entirely, utterly fooled by the gender assumption thing. I had internalised that the bank robber was a man so much that, after the reveal, I got a physical copy to go check if any pronouns were used at the beginning of the book because I was sure she was described as a man. She wasn't. I was wrong. Real humbling moment lol. Also, I'm curious to know how this was adapted in languages that are heavily gendered.
I'm glad I went in without knowing anything about this story. If I had known even just a bit about it, I probably wouldn't have read it. This is not my type of book, except... maybe it is? Because I enjoyed it a lot. I think experiencing it in audiobook form played a big role in my enjoyment, Mia Farrow is absolutely brilliant at making each character distinct and memorable.
I wasn't creeped out as much as I was sickened, in fact my disgusted frown has been on my face from around the, um... "dream" scene until the end of the story. When I got to that part I did ask myself why on earth i was reading this book (it's even in my reading journal here on Hardcover, lol), and somehow Guy's comment on it made my stomach revolt way more than the whole dream sequence did. To the people here in the reviews who are saying they're Guy's #1 hater? Sorry but that spot is taken. In fact, the entire top 10 is taken by me. What a disgusting piece of garbage.
It was a bit of a frustrating listen at times, because at one point you know where things are going and you see poor Rosemary trust the wrong people time and time again (not her fault considering the entire building and their mother was in on it, but man did I wish she'd call one of her friends...). I found myself alone in my house frustratingly saying "no don't tell your husband!" to earbuds in my ears :D
I wasn't a fan of the ending to be honest and wished it was different. I was hoping for some sort of consequences but I guess this is not that type of story. I got really attached to Rosemary though, and yes I know she was gullible and a bit of rug but still, poor thing.
I'm glad I went in without knowing anything about this story. If I had known even just a bit about it, I probably wouldn't have read it. This is not my type of book, except... maybe it is? Because I enjoyed it a lot. I think experiencing it in audiobook form played a big role in my enjoyment, Mia Farrow is absolutely brilliant at making each character distinct and memorable.
I wasn't creeped out as much as I was sickened, in fact my disgusted frown has been on my face from around the, um... "dream" scene until the end of the story. When I got to that part I did ask myself why on earth i was reading this book (it's even in my reading journal here on Hardcover, lol), and somehow Guy's comment on it made my stomach revolt way more than the whole dream sequence did. To the people here in the reviews who are saying they're Guy's #1 hater? Sorry but that spot is taken. In fact, the entire top 10 is taken by me. What a disgusting piece of garbage.
It was a bit of a frustrating listen at times, because at one point you know where things are going and you see poor Rosemary trust the wrong people time and time again (not her fault considering the entire building and their mother was in on it, but man did I wish she'd call one of her friends...). I found myself alone in my house frustratingly saying "no don't tell your husband!" to earbuds in my ears :D
I wasn't a fan of the ending to be honest and wished it was different. I was hoping for some sort of consequences but I guess this is not that type of story. I got really attached to Rosemary though, and yes I know she was gullible and a bit of rug but still, poor thing.
