Natasha
1.5 stars. SighEye Roll. I know the original was set in 1807 or something, but I thought this was supposed to be a modern take on the Austen tale. Possible spoilers to follow: The men are all generals, or entrepreneurs or lawyers, the women are.... well, they don't really have jobs, because who needs a job when daddy or a prospective hubby can look after you another eye roll. Cat's obsession with vampires and Twilight really made her seen all the more juvenile and unlikable, and Ellie needs to ‘woman up' (before the epilogue) and get out from under her father's shadow - WHO WONT ALLOW HER TO GO TO SCHOOL!!!. Hmmm - modern tale indeed.
This book had the lowest average rating on my TBR list, so I went in with low expectations. But I turned out to be pleasantly surprised. It wasn't a great novel but it was quietly charming and comforting to be back in a familiar story line. Obviously being set in present day makes some of the plot problematic and Emma is selfish, judgmental and irritating- but isn't she always?
I'm very torn over the rating of this book. It reads very simply and nothing interesting really happens, but it is a beautiful character study of two complex people, and an even more complex relationship. It is clear that Rooney is a gifted writer- often, a simple turn of phrase made me catch my breath. So, it's a 4.5 star rating for now, but we will see how long these characters stay with me, and it may be bumped to a 5.
4.5 stars. I loved this book. A coming of age story, set in my hometown, in the 80's with a sprinkle of magical realism (and that cover!). What is not to love? Well, 2 things actually - firstly, the pacing felt a bit off, and secondly I felt that the author tried too hard to include as many Brisbane landmarks and 80's references as possible. We get it, it is set in Brisbane in the 80's. But honestly, those are minor gripes and the only reason this wasn't a five star read for me. I will be watching Dalton closely and will definitely picking up his next novel. Great read!
So, after reading this (and my brief dalliance with Kelly Link) I have come to realise something about myself as a reader. I don't take well to the absurd. I need some semblance of logic and order to my stories. They may be magical, but I need them to be plausible (if that makes sense?) This collection had both the plausible (a witch pirate) and the absurd (an astronomer falling in love with an insect! -DNF). So now I know.
The premise sounded so promising, and there was so much that could have been done with this. But it fell flat for me. For over two thirds of the book, nothing happened. The characters were one dimensional and the writing felt stilted and unnatural (I am willing to forgive this, as English is not the author's first language).
There was also a gross underrepresentation of women in the book - honestly, I'm not one to insist on gender inclusion in every book I read, I'm not that sensitive to political correctness and not prone to the general outrage that permeates everything these days - but this almost seemed misogynistic.
Nope, no, nopity, no!
1.5 stars (because I finished it!)
