Mollie
This is a bit of a tough one for me to rate, but ultimately solidly a 3, I think. The dark moodiness of this bookis enveloping, and I immediately wanted to keep reading to discover all of Frannie's journeys and secrets. But the pace is slow, and the ending felt a bit less revealing than I wanted (but maybe that ultimately drives home the point of hopelessness for someone who isn't a white, rich, straight man.)
Not a light read and certainly not for everyone, but it was interesting.
If you consider yourself a fan of nature, you'll probably enjoy the poetic descriptions in this book (especially if you're keen to the Appalachians.) But, if you're a 100 percent bonafide nature nerd- well, you'll find yourself angered at the inaccuracies found within. If you're a bird trainer, especially one who knows eagles well, you'll be incredulous at the insanity of some of the supposed happenings in here. And even more so if you're also cozy with some Komodo dragons. Add in some anger for every horse person who will flinch at the mention of “white” Arabian (white doesn't exist in horses- it's gray or cream mellow colors which are more gold/pink, white is NOT a thing) and you'll do a lot of cringing throughout this novel. God knows I did. Would have been cool if the authors research was consistent as they obviously researched Chesnut blight and other ecological issues. The writing is good, it's the poor research I take so much issue with.
Also, I still feel like I have no understand of the villian's driving forces other than vague greed, so I still just don't quite understand the point of the entire reading.
I spent the whole thing mad and finished it quick out of spite. So there's something I guess.
I'm a sucker for TJR books and this one is no different.
If you are a sports fan, you'll like this, and if you're a fan of women's sports- even more so. Just makes you wanna go pick up a racket. Importantly, it ruminates on what it means to build a legacy, and just how much should you allow that to be a northern star in your life.
I had to keep thinking on this one and update my rating.
Here's the thing- this book made me thankful. Thankful I have a supportive family, thankful it took me well into my adulthood to figure out (or become at peace with the inability of labels to really encompass a person) relationships. Growing up in a small town, I'm glad I didn't try to figure that out sooner, or ever really even feel the need to.
But that's different than the book being good on it's own merit, so upon some reflection, I did move my rating down. There's good stuff in here- the pressure of society to organize people into neat little boxes when humanity is just so very messy, and how that really can feel like such a torture to navigate. But there's also some stuff I didn't jive with. Everyone in this book is pretty much a terrible support system and the only person the reader is guided to like is Astrid. Everyone else feels a bit one dimensional as they all are just pretty awful to her, including her girlfriend (who has no respect for boundaries.) I also didn't quite understand why the author chose to have Astrid “see” Socrates. I couldn't tell if it was meant to be SO literal (which would be majorly concerning...)
3.75
The obscene amount of time it took for me to read this does not reflect the quality here. I've been a terrible slump. Here's to maybe finding my way out!
Lori feels like she becomes your friend through this book. Once I finally buckled down to read it, I whizzed through. It's an easy read but ultimately is equal parts a peak behind the curtain as well as a ode to the difficulties and joy of being alive. There's many beautiful, devastating, achingly human stories in here.
Listen, I get why some folks might find this pretentious and annoying but I LOVED THIS. I mean, I've always been interested in the pretentious black hole that is secret societies, so it's not exactly suprising to me that I did like this as much as I did. It's smart and cutting and raw at every corner, and the story kept me guessing. Magical fantasy/whatever you want to call it is by far my least read genre, but I devoured this and literally bought the sequel because I couldn't wait for the library, which I NEVER do.
It's quite possible that I'm just too dumb to really enjoy this book.
Certainly point for creativity and inlay of historical sources, but I spent a whole lot of time confused by just what the heck was happening here. By the end, I could get most of what was happening, but it took effort on my behalf.
3.5 stars.
Don't get me wrong- it's a fun ride. Well.... fun in the sense of a non-real murder story.
Just a bit (this might be an understandment) unbelievable. I much prefer my young teen detectives to be a little more realistic, like Nancy Drew or Veronica Mars- so my bar is pretty darn high for a type of story like this.
I liked Pip, but I wanted just A LITTLE more about her personality- because what was she like before this case? We get glimpses that are strong, but not enough throughout the story.
The second half of this book is very fast paced and exciting though- the kind where you don't want to put it down.
Not life changing- just entertaining, and sometimes that's the kind of read you need.
This was a slow read for me at first, but I really grew to enjoy this book.
I will always be drawn to a higher rating for a book that changes my perspective on the world, and teaches me actual history through human stories. I knew very little about the actual history of Congo, only that it was tumultuous and “bad.” (Note that I'm using bad here as a reflection of my limited understanding and ignorance.) I certainly can't claim to fully understand the Congo and its people after reading this, as it is a very complex place, but I now understand the complexity that exists– and the fault the US played in the conflicts and death there.
Also, Kingsolver writes about nature in a way that would make any biologist/ecologist/naturalist proud. She sees nature like only a person who is connected to it deeply can- and draws out the intricacies and revelations with wonder, but with fairness- nature is a force here, not a thing to conquer or be pacified.
This isn't terribly written and while I support the themes at the heart of this novel, I felt like I just couldn't bring myself to feel like I actually cared about the characters in this book. I'll admit that Fantasy is typically the hardest genre for me to enjoy/suspend belief enough to enjoy, but I felt overwhelmed by the amount of jargon/scenes of fantastical things/beliefs that I felt like I couldn't even picture what was being described. It just felt a little unfinished in this regard.
Moreso, for a YA novel that shies away from most conversations around sex (there are some, but they are very innocent and not detailed) the violence felt like a stark contrast. The violence is very well described, and I'm not saying that I was put off by it, but more that it felt gratitious and incongruent with the way that the rest of the novel was written. Horrible things happened to these women over and over and over, and while I think it's important to talk about that- it felt like it was just like trauma for traumas sake at some point.
The story was interesting, but it was not quite there for me.
This one kept my interest well. The author reflects on her experiences in the White House (in a role I've literally never even thought about before) with honesty, even when it clearly potrays her as not making great choices. It feels repitive at some points with a toxic relationship, but I only think that adds to the honesty of this book. Not life changing or shattering thoughts by any means, but I did enjoy it and the reflections of the Obama administration.
This one is a hard one to rate. Maybe more like a 3.75.
I appreciated the depth of this novel, the weaving of these storylines and how the characters were all drawn to the same event. It was a bit slow for me at the beginning, but as the event draws near, the weaving of the story is evident and the pace picks up. The last quarter of this book really flew by me.
Something was still missing for me by the end of novel- it just left me with a kind of emptiness and feeling like I didn't quite get enough about the aftermath of the story.
An important topic, yes, but very much held back by the very basic writing contained within this book. The dialogue between characters was especially troublesome, and lacked nuance, intrique or any reality. I think the narrator is quite hard to like too, and I'm not sure that's all that purposeful in this case.
It's hard for me not to compare this to Circe, but I believe they both stand strongly in their own right.
I immedaitely was invested in Circe, but this was more of a slow burn for me.
This one feels more feral and desperate than Circe does- two characters bound by the fates and the pressures of the gods intervention. The last quarter of this book is heartbreaking in a way that is quite hard. I'll admit I was crying on an airplane for the last chunk of this one.
This is a hard one to rate beacuse it's just so, so utterly weird. It's strangeness creeps in from the onset, and the brashness at which the narrator displays all her dark, cloying, sick thoughts is alarming. The writing is lyrical without being over the top, and it kept my interest- especially once I hit the 1/3 mark.
The whole thing feels like the kind of dream you wake up from and question what perverse sort of conciousness you experienced. Which, given the themes here, makes perfect sense.
