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2021: What even happened in this book...
Sloan's quirky characters and fast paced plot captured my heart in [b:Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore|13538873|Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore (Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore, #1)|Robin Sloan|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1345089845l/13538873._SY75_.jpg|6736543], but it really didn't do it for me this time around. I didn't feel like I clicked with any of the characters, and there was zero character background or development (aside from the Brothers, who only communicated via letters in 90% of the book). I would be a little nervous to revisit Mr. Penumbra now after finishing Sourdough.
One very odd chord was struck for me in this novel: I could not get on board with the main character being a woman. Sure, her name was Lois and she used female pronouns, but there were so many inconsistencies in the way she treated her life, her job, and her relationships that read as fake to me. Perhaps the author's viewpoint was shining through too much? It just felt like a man wrote this, and not even what he *thought* a woman might sound like or how she might think. All characterization of Lois was gone by the end (and the plot really was gone, too) and it just sort of...stopped. Lois was one of the most asexual and aromantic characters I've ever read, in a book that wasn't about an asexual character.
That being said, if you like baking, San Francisco, the tech industry, or thinking way too much about microbes, this novel will probably be up your alley. It's a quick, fun, light read, maybe one to try if you're looking for an easy way to break a reading dry spell. Personally, I don't think any of the characters in this book will really stick with me, but I am now seriously considering getting some sourdough starter (just the normal King Arthur kind tho).
Sloan's quirky characters and fast paced plot captured my heart in [b:Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore|13538873|Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore (Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore, #1)|Robin Sloan|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1345089845l/13538873._SY75_.jpg|6736543], but it really didn't do it for me this time around. I didn't feel like I clicked with any of the characters, and there was zero character background or development (aside from the Brothers, who only communicated via letters in 90% of the book). I would be a little nervous to revisit Mr. Penumbra now after finishing Sourdough.
One very odd chord was struck for me in this novel: I could not get on board with the main character being a woman. Sure, her name was Lois and she used female pronouns, but there were so many inconsistencies in the way she treated her life, her job, and her relationships that read as fake to me. Perhaps the author's viewpoint was shining through too much? It just felt like a man wrote this, and not even what he *thought* a woman might sound like or how she might think. All characterization of Lois was gone by the end (and the plot really was gone, too) and it just sort of...stopped. Lois was one of the most asexual and aromantic characters I've ever read, in a book that wasn't about an asexual character.
That being said, if you like baking, San Francisco, the tech industry, or thinking way too much about microbes, this novel will probably be up your alley. It's a quick, fun, light read, maybe one to try if you're looking for an easy way to break a reading dry spell. Personally, I don't think any of the characters in this book will really stick with me, but I am now seriously considering getting some sourdough starter (just the normal King Arthur kind tho).