Eljay
Sally Hepworth never disappoints. This was such a heartwarming read and I felt so recharged after reading it. Perhaps it's the way this book reminded me of how beautiful life is especially when you spend it with the one you love, no matter the circumstances.
Reading this book felt like a warm hug and this is easily a favourite read for this year π€
4.5 stars**
Truly enjoyed my first Forster!
The writing is incredible and how I cared about the characters was something I was surprised about actually. I did not expect to be so invested in the lives of Lucy and George.
Forster's writing, especially when he utilises nature to express a character's demeanour and thoughts, was just so incredible.
This might be a shorter novel than what I have read before but the themes and how it was handled it was done so well. I can't wait to read his other works!
This was such a page turner. Constant's writing was so easy to read, and enjoyable.
He wrote about falling in love for the first time, and the changes within that relationship in such a way that makes you understand both sides whilst not tolerating both's decisions.
It was quite interesting to know that when Constant published this people buzzed about it being about him and Ms Stael. Never thought a book to be scandalous as this back in the day π«’
I don't usually rate memoirs but this one, this one is personally special to me.
This book feels like a friend. A friend who I grew up with and now happen to be reminiscing as I read it.
As someone turning 30, and feeling not so bad but not so good about it either, I feel like it somehow comforted my uncertainty. I'm sad to finish this book but it's definitely one of those special ones I'm glad I encountered...
Thank you Dolly π€
craved a trashy YA and read this one
even if i rolled my eyes too much i knew what i was getting into and it was still fun to read
still giving 2 stars just because Juliette annoyed me to death with how she always trembles and is shaking all the time something happens - hard to believe this is the girl we should be rooting for lol
also who knows maybe i will read the next books lol
This was fun to read it was like a scandal I was watching go down to be honestπ
I didn't really do much analysis and critical reading on this one purely just because I didn't want to stop having fun reading and switch onto analysis mode haha. It may have hindered on how I could perceive the book in a better way but I will save the analysis for Babel when I read it. At this point I wanted to read something fun and I did read something fun.
I read something about the author's voice being so inseparable from one characterβ I don't know much about rfk so I can't say much on that. I don't tend to follow authors closely to the point that i know they're story to be honest.
Such elaborate writing! I was so confused and uninterested at the beginning but it got better from there on. The real horror (despite the amazingly disgusting imagery) was the generational trauma and grief that was portrayed. There were elements of emotional manipulation that I recognised and was really put off by the depictions of sexual assault.
I was really rooting for Mara and was glad about her resolve in the ending.
it was okay but I don't think his style is one that I enjoy
there were some poems that I enjoyed more than the rest
the childish tone is really there and each part is the contrast of the other; songs of innocence spoke of hope and songs of experience is one with more suffering and notes of lingering death
βI have always known there are other people in the world who are like me, but still in my existence, it has felt unique.β
When the author reached out to me if I would like a copy of the book in exchange for a review, I didn't hesitate to say yes after reading the synopsis. I myself have been dealing with anxiety and (seasonal) depression so I was interested to see how it will be portrayed in the book. I was also really interested to read about how OCD would be tackled as I am not well-educated when it comes to this specific condition.
The first few chapters gave us a peek of how Amy's brain works and how anxiety and OCD manifested in her daily life, and how it takes a turn for the worse when she dips into depression. There were some parts that I could relate to, but it was really interesting for me to see how OCD disrupts her daily routine. From early on, though, it was very clear that Amy has not really processed nor accepted her current situation, and this was also revealed in her dream about the past before OCD and anxiety took over her life. I slowly found myself cheering for her and wanting her to get better.
Now with the people around her, it seems we were only really introduced to her workmates and I assume they're the only friends that Amy has. I really like how Ed is towards Amy. He seems to bring out the best in her. Or bring Amy out of whatever she is in at that moment. Just when she is about to spiral, a little interruption from Ed saves her from going all the way. He even brightens up her day, and I really appreciate how kind he is to her. Sally, well, she kind of struck a nerve with me when she was ranting to Ed and Nathan behind Amy's back so I'm not gonna talk much about her (also we didn't really see much development with her anyways). And with Nathan, he steps up towards the end of the book and takes care of Amy when she was at her worst. I believe because Nathan has had depression before he truly understood more than the others.
Now onto the romance aspect of the book, I have some mixed feelings about it. At first I thought we were gonna have something romantic with Ed, but it was then revealed much later on that he was married. I felt a bit conflicted with it because it kind of came of as a last minute decision to make him a married man. Amy was pretty detailed in describing Nathan's being single and Sally having a husband. So I don't know if it was a deliberate decision to make Ed married and just reveal much later. With Ben, too, they kept on going about the sparks that even other people can see β I honestly didn't. Amy and Nathan had more chemistry than Ben and Amy did, I'm sorry π
I do have a bone to pick with the whole job aspect of this book though. It just doesn't feel realistic to me because of two things:
- The Sydney trip. Maybe because the company I work for is a medium-sized one that I cannot see how a company just goes to an overseas client, bringing the whole team, without it having to pass so many authorisations and approvals. Their trip felt like a βwanna go? okay let's go!β kind of situation so it didn't feel realistic to me.
- Another one is Amy's prolonged absence being acceptable to the company. Again, maybe because it's different where I am, but it just seems unlikely for a company to keep someone and hire a temp just to cover the work? But I guess they have a different dynamic in their workplace?
This part of the book is pretty much the thing that kind of made it feel like everything fell into place for Amy in the end, which is unrealistic because that is not what really happens in real life.
Overall though, I am glad I read this book. It gave me an inside look on something I knew nothing of, and it made me root for Amy as she faced her daily life. There was a part where it felt a bit raw and kind of took me back to one of my worst days, but I knew what I was getting into so not the author's fault π Either way I'm glad to see that the author didn't really make it seem like there is an easy way out for Amy, just that there is a way out of it.
Rating: 3.5 stars
βHow extraordinarily difficult it is to write a goodbye letter. It is unpleasant to get all weepy, but it is also unpleasant to be overly brisk. I would like for us to make a clean break and to go our separate ways without hurting each other, but a peculiar sort of posturing seems to have found its way into my prose. Perhaps there is no helping it: a goodbye letter is what it is, and it will not be a thing of beauty, no matter who its author is. I suppose I might as well write in a cold and prickly style appropriate to the content. Forgive me, then, for returning your enduring coldness by writing the sort of unabashedly disagreeable letter that will make you turn still colder.β
This is definitely one of my favourite books not just this year, but of all time.
First of all, the writing. From the first few pages, the beautiful prose already got me hooked. The way Inoue illustrates what every character is feeling and is going through is so atmospheric, it was as if I was there too.
The characters's voices were also very distinct, and not just their voices β even their emotions, both stated and hidden. He really made me think about what each character is really thinking, their motives, and all. Sometimes it makes me feel like I'm peeking into something so personal, something I shouldn't even be privy to.
The emotions that this book evoked in me were raw, even reminiscent of some of my experiences and feelings, though only by part.
Overall, an easy 5 star read.
