riya
the only distinctive thing about this book is how ‘riveting' it is. as in, its biggest quality is that it's a page-turner. it makes you want to keep reading, because you want to find out, right now. i found nothing else good about it.
it's like a movie just in book form. there is almost no depth to it, no meaning, no reflectiveness. there are so many things and so rushed that everything (especially some promising and likeable characters) feels underdeveloped. there really are some promising threads, lines of thought, but they peter out and don't lead anywhere new.
in the end it doesn't affect the way you think, it doesn't even make you think. the reader is nothing more than a passive consumer. it's purely entertainment value. it made me feel cheap after finishing it, like I'd wasted so many hours in the pursuit of simple greedy pleasure. it's not literature in any sense. it's a one-time experience that you forget about the minute you reach the end.
it had some half-hearted points to make, but they didn't reach me, or resonate with me, or surprise me. maybe it's my fault for choosing this book, for having different expectations. but i do know that i don't ever want to read anything like this again.
i hated it!!! it was boring and it dragged on and on and it was terrible!! have you heard of pacing ?? the character development was weird and shoddy and lazy and inconsistent. the third act dragged on for a million years and then wrapped up too quickly and conveniently. nothing of actual interest happens in this book. a huge waste of time. i have got to stop trusting popular opinion for book recommendations.
Absolutely wonderful. His writing and thoroughness are masterful and absolutely, amazingly witty. This book reminded me of everything I love about language and writing. This is the clearest, most readable style guide I've ever seen, but it's also a lot, lot more than that. Brilliant - and at some points, he articulated thoughts about the experience of reading that I always thought were only intuition on my end.
Somehow, weirdly enough, this was the most relatable book I have ever read. Something sets it apart from everything else. It may be its language, its tone, the way Plath chooses to discuss life and death. I was never bored of Esther. Every word is engaging - descriptions are neither overtly happy nor downright depressing, but they seem realistic.
Some wonderful advice! It has inspired me so much, and I am not going to look back from this point! This book has helped me to concretely visualize a kind of life I have always wanted, and now I know what I need to do to get it. I recommend this book for every student going to college, so that they too can make the best of their time there.
Amazing. Unusual writing style, but I liked it. Good thing to not burden the reader with too many unimportant characters. Female lead, whoo! She's badass, but she's also real. Clarice. One of few of these kinds of novels that did not have long winded explanations at the end. Sometimes the writing felt like it was written for a movie, with descriptions appealing to all the senses and full of action, I could picture it all in my mind. Delved well into the characters' inner thoughts and personalities but that felt incomplete at times. No big twists to surprise you or throw you off. The plot was easy to keep up with. Overall a great novel, a good mystery and thriller.
I just finished this book. I borrowed it from the library. I do not want to give it back. I want to hold on to it forever and make it a part of myself. I want to know every word and know the characters inside and out. This book is a feat of monumental imagination. It makes you feel deep in your soul everything it describes. I forgot I was just reading a book. I delved into this beautiful, magical world full of enchanting sounds and sights and smells. The way Morgenstern describes the circus makes me want to be there. It is a very well written book, with a good plot and well-placed events. There are two timelines at first, but then they converge seamlessly into a climax which makes us root for the characters and feel what they are feeling.
This book is out of this world. Make sure you read it.
Reread June 2021: Um, so. My feelings about this book have changed a bit. I still like the imagery, the setting, words, descriptions, tone, mood, world building - but I really hate how the author forgot to give much attention to the plot and characters themselves. Throughout the book, there was always this feeling of disconnect - like I there was a whole layer of stuff I didn't know and didn't understand, and I don't know if this was on purpose, but it marred my experience of reading this book. Everything that happened in the plot (when it did, at years-long intervals) felt vague, unimportant, floaty - not significant enough for my attention. The characters of Celia and Marco could also have been developed much better - beyond their talents and superficial charm. I never felt like there was any real need to turn the page and keep reading. Why would you want to deceive and confuse the reader so much? The plot and characters felt indistinct, like there was no real effort put into them, and a book can't just stand on the foundation of world building and a magical circus. It feels less like a book with a solid story and more like a list of ideas Morgenstern had for a magical circus. Very sorry to 2018 me for ruining this.
To be honest, I didn't find it as impressive as I thought it would be, with all the hype surrounding it. It did made me feel afraid and mystified and it made me want to finish the whole book in one go, just to know what happened next. There are plot twists and cliffhangers in all the right places, but I felt in the middle part of the book it was just written to make it longer, like it didn't add anything to the plot. Good if you want a decent thriller to read.
the writing sucks. was this book looked at by any person called an ‘editor' ??
horrible, awkward, inefficient writing style !! i can't believe so many people love this book! how did they ever manage to read it ?
Absorbing and interesting short stories with afterwords. I especially loved ‘The House of Dreams' and ‘While the light lasts'. A very good read.
The best book in the entire series; twisting, turning, fascinating you at every turn. The final book of The Hunger Games series is exciting, very dramatic and wonderfully written. Highly recommended!