Kate
I loved so much of this, even if the plot was a little weak at times. I loved how at the very beginning, you feel the danger of walking into the contaminated zone. I loved the descriptions of the beautiful but primitive furniture and buildings. I loved getting in the head of a commander trying to make the right decision.
As an unwanted side effect of reading this book, I found myself striding through my local Grocery Outlet and laughing manically to myself as I found a good deal: “This is just like the extra-large egg loophole! Hahahaha! I'm Joe Coulombe!” So be on the lookout for that.
Joe Coulombe's story is gripping but a bit morally ambiguous at times. I actually lost respect for Trader Joe's, in that it's not clear whether an item with a somewhat shady provenance would be turned down by TJ's buyers. Still, as a food and bargain lover, I couldn't help but appreciate the descriptions of various grades of butter, and how brie is the only foreign cheese that Wisconsin hasn't tried to add import restrictions on. Or how ketchup MUST contain added sugar as per the law.
Highly recommend as a fun read for food lovers. Not sure about the merits of emulating Joe. Will let you know when the side effects wear off.
very cute! There were some slight continuity errors or things that didn't make sense to me. For instance, the main character, lost in her thoughts, shakes her head because of something she's thinking about, during a recorded broadcast in which she's the interviewer. Didn't that ruin the interview?
But, those things aside, really sweet and cute. I stayed up to finish it.
Oof, this was brutal. I'm not sure I would recommend reading it, but it was extremely well written. Jennette limits the perspective of her narration to her thoughts at the particular time in her childhood to incredible effect - it feels like you, the reader, are experiencing it too, and are feeling what she is feeling.
ehh, was not really feeling this one. Sophy is supposed to be “spirited” in an Emma-type way. But she's actually a huge boundary violator, who unlike Emma, never realizes it's wrong. The way she manipulates other people is kinda gross, and I think if Sophy had been a man, we'd think he was dangerously controlling.
The Guncle was cute, with realistic characters grappling with real issues. But (and maybe this is entirely my fault), I felt detached from the emotional depth of the story. It was a bit like Bojack Horseman but less f-ed up and more saccharine. It felt like the main character was doing a bit, in his own head, the entire time. Amusing at first but somewhat exhausting, and made it hard to identify with him. Additionally, we don't actually witness much of Clara, or Greg, or JED, or the other side characters.
Really loved this, with a few reservations.
This book is so cozy and cute! I loved the characters and their friendships. I identified a lot with the concept of leaving home for the wider world, and the people at home not quite understanding (people at my parents' rural conservative church call me “Berkeley girl”
