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aaronj21's Reviews (912)
Raw, searing, maddening but ultimately hopeful, Westover's memoir is sure to stick with readers long after the last page. This book is as much about the resilience of the individual as it is about the transformative potential of education and intellectual inquiry.
Thanks to NetGalley for an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Please note, this books was a DNF for me at 15%, I think I read enough to offer helpful feedback but I did not finish the novel so feel free to take this review with a grain of salt.
I’d been eager to read something by Kelly Link for a while. Several people have recommended her to me and I had heard such good things about her writing. So when I saw this new novel on NetGalley I jumped at the chance to read it. Ultimately I was frustrated and disappointed by this book, I don’t know if that has more to do with the book or with me.
First a synopsis.
Four teens come back from the dead one night in their music teacher’s classroom. If they want to stay in the land of the living, and they certainly do, they’ll need to complete three tasks. The magic, all the while the sinister entity who presides over the underworld shadows their steps, eager to reclaim their souls once more.
On paper this novel has absolutely everything going for it. In practice I found it impossible to break into. The premise is so arresting and intriguing but I found the prose to be actively working against the book. Monotonous details and emotions are given pride of place and the magic and mystery of what’s happening to these teens gets glossed over in a perfunctory way. Maybe that is this author’s writing style but I found it did a disservice to the story which I really did want to learn more about. The writing, while beautifully rendered, doesn’t seem to go anywhere from what I could tell.
I wanted to know more about these characters but even after reading several chapters they still seemed like ciphers to me. I got surface level details, thoughts, and memories only. I could paint a picture of each character’s houses, but I knew nothing about them beyond that they were dead and then alive and wanted to stay that way.
Maybe this book will be a hit with other readers. Maybe I did not give it enough time although I did try my best and made it to 15% without ever really being drawn in, despite really wanting to be. I’m still excited to read Kelly Link’s shorter fiction some day and maybe I’ll even pick this one up again, however this time I simply was not able to connect with this book.
I’d been eager to read something by Kelly Link for a while. Several people have recommended her to me and I had heard such good things about her writing. So when I saw this new novel on NetGalley I jumped at the chance to read it. Ultimately I was frustrated and disappointed by this book, I don’t know if that has more to do with the book or with me.
First a synopsis.
Four teens come back from the dead one night in their music teacher’s classroom. If they want to stay in the land of the living, and they certainly do, they’ll need to complete three tasks. The magic, all the while the sinister entity who presides over the underworld shadows their steps, eager to reclaim their souls once more.
On paper this novel has absolutely everything going for it. In practice I found it impossible to break into. The premise is so arresting and intriguing but I found the prose to be actively working against the book. Monotonous details and emotions are given pride of place and the magic and mystery of what’s happening to these teens gets glossed over in a perfunctory way. Maybe that is this author’s writing style but I found it did a disservice to the story which I really did want to learn more about. The writing, while beautifully rendered, doesn’t seem to go anywhere from what I could tell.
I wanted to know more about these characters but even after reading several chapters they still seemed like ciphers to me. I got surface level details, thoughts, and memories only. I could paint a picture of each character’s houses, but I knew nothing about them beyond that they were dead and then alive and wanted to stay that way.
Maybe this book will be a hit with other readers. Maybe I did not give it enough time although I did try my best and made it to 15% without ever really being drawn in, despite really wanting to be. I’m still excited to read Kelly Link’s shorter fiction some day and maybe I’ll even pick this one up again, however this time I simply was not able to connect with this book.
This book was phenomenal!
I had heard some of the hype surrounding it as one of, if not the best, non-fiction volume about the famous ocean liner and its tragic sinking. For me this book more than lived up to the acclaim. It was meticulously detailed and thorough, with a wealth of footnotes and appendices for even more information about key aspects like the use of firearms on the night of the sinking, the Californian affair, and the leadership merits of captain Smith.
I would recommend this book to anyone who’s really interested in Titanic history and ready to sink their teeth into an ambitious, complete account of the historic vessel.
I had heard some of the hype surrounding it as one of, if not the best, non-fiction volume about the famous ocean liner and its tragic sinking. For me this book more than lived up to the acclaim. It was meticulously detailed and thorough, with a wealth of footnotes and appendices for even more information about key aspects like the use of firearms on the night of the sinking, the Californian affair, and the leadership merits of captain Smith.
I would recommend this book to anyone who’s really interested in Titanic history and ready to sink their teeth into an ambitious, complete account of the historic vessel.
As ambitious in scope as it is detailed in execution, Silk: A World History is a delightful tour of the history of this unique and world shaping fabric.
Beginning with the evolution of silkworms as a species, this book covers everything conceivably related to the topic, from initial human domestication of the insects, to the many and ever increasing uses of silk, as well as the other animals, like mussels and spiders that produce silks of their own. From earliest history to the cutting edge of advanced technologies, no stone if left unturned. Though this book covers a lot of ground it does so in a way that feels organic and evenly paced, one never feels bogged down with minutiae or bored with details. The author adds a personal touch to their writing so you really get a sense of the key players, historical figures as well as the silkworms themselves. Overall this was a very satisfying book about a topic I knew next to nothing about.
After reading I have a far greater appreciation for and understanding of what makes silk unique among fabrics and the key role it has played throughout human history.
Beginning with the evolution of silkworms as a species, this book covers everything conceivably related to the topic, from initial human domestication of the insects, to the many and ever increasing uses of silk, as well as the other animals, like mussels and spiders that produce silks of their own. From earliest history to the cutting edge of advanced technologies, no stone if left unturned. Though this book covers a lot of ground it does so in a way that feels organic and evenly paced, one never feels bogged down with minutiae or bored with details. The author adds a personal touch to their writing so you really get a sense of the key players, historical figures as well as the silkworms themselves. Overall this was a very satisfying book about a topic I knew next to nothing about.
After reading I have a far greater appreciation for and understanding of what makes silk unique among fabrics and the key role it has played throughout human history.
This title combines the best features of both the creative non-fiction and microhistory genres.
The Devil’s Contract is a comprehensive and entertaining a non-fiction book on this subject as one could like. In exploring the roots, advent, and legacy of the Faust legend, author Ed Simon connects threads as disparate as Gnosticism, medieval illuminated manuscripts, an assassinated Romanian intellectual, and finally the Manhattan project. Throughout the author showcases his wit and verve, adding linguistic and artistic flourishes that keep the pace lively and engaging. Like a skilled actor, the author draws you in and then takes you on a sprawling journey, compelling you all the while with the merit of his story and the artfulness of his delivery.
While I personally felt that a few of the later chapters strayed somewhat from the initial scope of the book, I can easily forgive authorial wanderings as interesting and delightful to read as these. This title should be required reading for anyone interested in the growth and evolution of the Faust legend; it demonstrates impeccably why this myth is so enduring and so central to much of later western culture.
The Devil’s Contract is a comprehensive and entertaining a non-fiction book on this subject as one could like. In exploring the roots, advent, and legacy of the Faust legend, author Ed Simon connects threads as disparate as Gnosticism, medieval illuminated manuscripts, an assassinated Romanian intellectual, and finally the Manhattan project. Throughout the author showcases his wit and verve, adding linguistic and artistic flourishes that keep the pace lively and engaging. Like a skilled actor, the author draws you in and then takes you on a sprawling journey, compelling you all the while with the merit of his story and the artfulness of his delivery.
While I personally felt that a few of the later chapters strayed somewhat from the initial scope of the book, I can easily forgive authorial wanderings as interesting and delightful to read as these. This title should be required reading for anyone interested in the growth and evolution of the Faust legend; it demonstrates impeccably why this myth is so enduring and so central to much of later western culture.
At this point Lucy Foley books are like pizza or chocolate to me, no matter what I know I’ll enjoy it.
I’ve read and loved The Guest List and The Hunting Party by her and this latest mystery from her doesn’t disappoint. With her characteristically strong sense of place Foley takes us to the opening weekend of an ultra-exclusive woodland hotel in the Dorset countryside. The views are stunning, the rooms absurdly expensive, and the guest list highly curated. But this idyllic retreat isn’t as picture perfect as it seems to be and by the end of the festivities it will all come out.
Told in Foley’s characteristic “cast of characters, point of view” style the story that unfolds is immediately arresting and twists and turns through several satisfying arcs before the shocking resolution. Compelling and propulsive, this book was a delight to experience.
I’ve read and loved The Guest List and The Hunting Party by her and this latest mystery from her doesn’t disappoint. With her characteristically strong sense of place Foley takes us to the opening weekend of an ultra-exclusive woodland hotel in the Dorset countryside. The views are stunning, the rooms absurdly expensive, and the guest list highly curated. But this idyllic retreat isn’t as picture perfect as it seems to be and by the end of the festivities it will all come out.
Told in Foley’s characteristic “cast of characters, point of view” style the story that unfolds is immediately arresting and twists and turns through several satisfying arcs before the shocking resolution. Compelling and propulsive, this book was a delight to experience.
The ending of this book threw me for a loop and somewhat soured the entire rest of the novel for me. If you’ve read it you know what I’m talking about. Not only does our main character and moral compass of the story behave very out of character and put his erstwhile friend in a horrible Jigsaw-esque murder trap, leading directly to his death, the whole tone was completely at odds with the previous 98.5% of the book.
Throughout, the whole novel had the flavor of a Wes Anderson movie, nothing utterly unbelievable really happened but everything was so twee and the characters spent so long exchanging snappy, glittering dialogue and there was such an abundance of pithy maxims and purple prose, that you knew this wasn't quite the real world. It veered at times into a watered down sort of fantasy for me.
That this same book should end with a central character, whose perspective we’ve shared, whose backstory we know, and whose intentions, however misguided were almost always benign and usually thoughtful, should die, drowning after his former friend put him in a damaged rowboat without an oar, was a radical departure to say the least.
More confusing still, Emmet, our main protagonist, spent all book working through his guilt over accidentally killing another boy in a fight two years prior. He worked admirably on controlling his anger and has largely mastered it, although he will always feel guilt for the life he took, however unintentionally. For Emmet to make all that progress and then deliberately put Duchess in a damaged boat, knowing full well he can’t swim, strains credulity. That Emmet, who was shown to be practical and thoughtful, and who had hours in which to plan something to keep Duchess at bay, should decide on this course of action means, to me, he either took leave of his senses or else intended serious harm. In either case its a baffling end to the novel.
I know that it appears that the author was saying Duchess’ death is his own doing, really, since he couldn’t control his greed and jostled the leaky rowboat by reaching for the money in its bow as it scattered on the wind. I don’t really buy that. Authorial intent aside, that’s not enough justification for this to seem like anything other than manslaughter at best and murder at worst.
Maybe I’m missing the point. Maybe something the author was trying to say sailed right over my head. But based on my current impressions and understandings, this ending seems like something of a slap in the face and a terrific volte-face that leaves me feeling disoriented, unfulfilled, and not a little annoyed with the writer.
Throughout, the whole novel had the flavor of a Wes Anderson movie, nothing utterly unbelievable really happened but everything was so twee and the characters spent so long exchanging snappy, glittering dialogue and there was such an abundance of pithy maxims and purple prose, that you knew this wasn't quite the real world. It veered at times into a watered down sort of fantasy for me.
That this same book should end with a central character, whose perspective we’ve shared, whose backstory we know, and whose intentions, however misguided were almost always benign and usually thoughtful, should die, drowning after his former friend put him in a damaged rowboat without an oar, was a radical departure to say the least.
More confusing still, Emmet, our main protagonist, spent all book working through his guilt over accidentally killing another boy in a fight two years prior. He worked admirably on controlling his anger and has largely mastered it, although he will always feel guilt for the life he took, however unintentionally. For Emmet to make all that progress and then deliberately put Duchess in a damaged boat, knowing full well he can’t swim, strains credulity. That Emmet, who was shown to be practical and thoughtful, and who had hours in which to plan something to keep Duchess at bay, should decide on this course of action means, to me, he either took leave of his senses or else intended serious harm. In either case its a baffling end to the novel.
I know that it appears that the author was saying Duchess’ death is his own doing, really, since he couldn’t control his greed and jostled the leaky rowboat by reaching for the money in its bow as it scattered on the wind. I don’t really buy that. Authorial intent aside, that’s not enough justification for this to seem like anything other than manslaughter at best and murder at worst.
Maybe I’m missing the point. Maybe something the author was trying to say sailed right over my head. But based on my current impressions and understandings, this ending seems like something of a slap in the face and a terrific volte-face that leaves me feeling disoriented, unfulfilled, and not a little annoyed with the writer.
Not quite as viscerally upsetting as "Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke" but an interesting tale nonetheless.
I attempted to read "God's Playground" by Davies but found it inaccessible and dry to the point of desiccation. This history of Poland was much more my speed and gave me both the breadth of scope and the detail I wanted. Would recommend as a great introduction to the history of this country.
An odd book I'm not sure how to place, it is certainly searing and written in a unique voice.