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astridandlouise's Reviews (665)
I love reading Murakami. he has a gift for using words and language that just reels me in. Murakami isn't an author for everyone, he is descriptive and a little different, but I adore his work.
I most likely would have given this four stars if it weren't a short story - short stories are just too short for me. there is never enough and I always want them to keep going; to know what happens next.
I definitely enjoyed it and if you're a fan of Murakami, you'd know immediately that it's his work as soon as you are to begin reading.
I most likely would have given this four stars if it weren't a short story - short stories are just too short for me. there is never enough and I always want them to keep going; to know what happens next.
I definitely enjoyed it and if you're a fan of Murakami, you'd know immediately that it's his work as soon as you are to begin reading.
I received an ARC of this book with thanks to Oneworld Publications via NetGalley
This book is a work of art. I loved absolutely everything about it. Set in Singapore during the Japanese occupation, it tells the story of a woman who lived in abhorrent circumstances and survived. It is lightly interwoven with the story of her husband and the horrors he too experienced at the hands of the Japanese.
It isn't an easy story to read but it is so worth it. By the end my heart was broken, but my mind and soul felt so enriched. An incredibly powerful story that will stay with me for a long time.
This book is a work of art. I loved absolutely everything about it. Set in Singapore during the Japanese occupation, it tells the story of a woman who lived in abhorrent circumstances and survived. It is lightly interwoven with the story of her husband and the horrors he too experienced at the hands of the Japanese.
It isn't an easy story to read but it is so worth it. By the end my heart was broken, but my mind and soul felt so enriched. An incredibly powerful story that will stay with me for a long time.
I love Patchett's writing style and I really enjoyed this however, I didn't find any of the characters endearing or likeable.
(I also discovered quite a few spelling and grammatical errors throughout the text which highly irritated me.)
(I also discovered quite a few spelling and grammatical errors throughout the text which highly irritated me.)
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American Dirt is an incredibly powerful story. It is a story not only of Mexican migrants as they flee their country, but of the relationships forged along the way and the lengths people will travel to protect their loved ones. It is a story about humanity and the empathy we share even if our experiences are vastly different to one another.
I strongly believe that we all have the privilege to be storytellers. If writers can only share the stories that they have lived and experienced, the world would be depraved of brilliant and very necessary narratives. Cummins is no exception to this rule and it seems she has bore the brunt of criticism that should essentially be directed to the publishing industry.
The lack of diversity and the unwillingness to publish stories written by minorities is what we should be discussing. (Be that Latinx in America, Aboriginal in Australia etc.) We know there are people eager to share their story, but to deny them their chance to be published, is denying them a voice. It is also denying a large community of readers the opportunity to learn more, to understand about communities other than their own. It denies a community of potential readers to identify with someone who shares a story similar to their own. You cannot elevate and praise the voice of a fiction writer when you restrict the voice of those very same people you are portraying.
I applaud Oprah for not acting in haste when the calls came to drop the book as her Book Club selection, which would have been a very easy thing to do and appease critics. But instead Oprah took this controversy and opened a dialogue. The episode addresses and discusses everything that has angered and upset people and speaks not only with Cummins, but also Reyna Grande, Julissa Arce, Esther Cepeda as well as the publishing house, Macmillian. I definitely recommend watching it if you are able to.
I strongly believe that we all have the privilege to be storytellers. If writers can only share the stories that they have lived and experienced, the world would be depraved of brilliant and very necessary narratives. Cummins is no exception to this rule and it seems she has bore the brunt of criticism that should essentially be directed to the publishing industry.
The lack of diversity and the unwillingness to publish stories written by minorities is what we should be discussing. (Be that Latinx in America, Aboriginal in Australia etc.) We know there are people eager to share their story, but to deny them their chance to be published, is denying them a voice. It is also denying a large community of readers the opportunity to learn more, to understand about communities other than their own. It denies a community of potential readers to identify with someone who shares a story similar to their own. You cannot elevate and praise the voice of a fiction writer when you restrict the voice of those very same people you are portraying.
I applaud Oprah for not acting in haste when the calls came to drop the book as her Book Club selection, which would have been a very easy thing to do and appease critics. But instead Oprah took this controversy and opened a dialogue. The episode addresses and discusses everything that has angered and upset people and speaks not only with Cummins, but also Reyna Grande, Julissa Arce, Esther Cepeda as well as the publishing house, Macmillian. I definitely recommend watching it if you are able to.
I received an ARC of this book with thanks to Pan Macmillan Australia via NetGalley.
Whilst the mysterious, assumed murder of Alison (Claire's eighteen year old sister) on the island Saint X happens when Claire is seven years old, the bulk of this book centres on the aftermath of this mystery when Claire is twenty-five. She and Clive, (originally a suspect in the murder of Alison) are still haunted by the unknown and Claire is determined to uncover what happened on that night so many years ago.
We uncover that Claire is obsessed not only with the mystery of her sisters death, but also consumed with losing a sister that she never really knew. Through the perspective of Clive we unearth all that he has lost being connected to this mystery and all the questions he seeks answers to that simply cannot be answered as he lives his life in New York.
This was completely not what I was expecting. I headed in assuming I'd receive the standard mystery/thriller blueprint but was pleasantly surprised. Saint X is written with quite a visceral prose. Schaitkin has actually given us a literary thriller, in which the eerie imagery from her words really brings you into the lives of the characters and gives you a true and complete sense of who they were and who they are trying to be. Essentially this is a story about the people left behind after an unsolved mysterious death and the impact that this has on every facet of their haunted lives.
Whilst the mysterious, assumed murder of Alison (Claire's eighteen year old sister) on the island Saint X happens when Claire is seven years old, the bulk of this book centres on the aftermath of this mystery when Claire is twenty-five. She and Clive, (originally a suspect in the murder of Alison) are still haunted by the unknown and Claire is determined to uncover what happened on that night so many years ago.
We uncover that Claire is obsessed not only with the mystery of her sisters death, but also consumed with losing a sister that she never really knew. Through the perspective of Clive we unearth all that he has lost being connected to this mystery and all the questions he seeks answers to that simply cannot be answered as he lives his life in New York.
This was completely not what I was expecting. I headed in assuming I'd receive the standard mystery/thriller blueprint but was pleasantly surprised. Saint X is written with quite a visceral prose. Schaitkin has actually given us a literary thriller, in which the eerie imagery from her words really brings you into the lives of the characters and gives you a true and complete sense of who they were and who they are trying to be. Essentially this is a story about the people left behind after an unsolved mysterious death and the impact that this has on every facet of their haunted lives.
Adelaide Inner South Book Club - March Selection
Nothing groundbreaking or deeply developed, but nevertheless an enjoyable read.
Nothing groundbreaking or deeply developed, but nevertheless an enjoyable read.
Book Club: Kayla's Selection
This is a book overflowing with information about Africa and it's countries, tribes and people. The historical elements were eye-opening, however I also found them slightly mechanical and didn't incite as much emotional response in me as I was longing for. Kapuściński's intertwined anecdotes about his own experiences on the continent were both engaging and outrageous - easily the best part of the book. There was a bit of repetition throughout that irked me, and the structure of the narrative was slightly off balance but otherwise an incredibly informative read if you are interested in a brief overview of the exploitation of Africa and it's peoples.
This is a book overflowing with information about Africa and it's countries, tribes and people. The historical elements were eye-opening, however I also found them slightly mechanical and didn't incite as much emotional response in me as I was longing for. Kapuściński's intertwined anecdotes about his own experiences on the continent were both engaging and outrageous - easily the best part of the book. There was a bit of repetition throughout that irked me, and the structure of the narrative was slightly off balance but otherwise an incredibly informative read if you are interested in a brief overview of the exploitation of Africa and it's peoples.
I received an ARC of this book with thanks to Scribe UK via NetGalley.
From the outset you’d be forgiven for thinking that this is a book centred around dystopian climate fiction, and whilst it definitely has elements of this, it is not centred around it. This is a multi-generational family saga. A saga about the Greenwood’s and the people at the forefront of its lineage. The structure follows the dendrochronology of trees, commonly known as annual growth rings. Beginning in 2038, we travel back in time (2008, 1974, 1934 and 1908) before travelling forward again (1934, 1974, 2008, 2038) representing the cross section of a tree; the growth rings. Throughout each of these years we discover the people and the secrets of the Greenwood name and origin.
"Families are not born, they're invented, pieced together from love and lies and nothing else."
This was superb. I absolutely love multi-generational family sagas and this one did not disappoint. We begin with Jacinda Greenwood and as we progress deeper into the narrative meet Liam, Willow, Harris and Everett of the Greenwood name. So layered and so complex it truly was wonderful to read about these people and the choices they all made in the various circumstances surrounding them. Christie analysed so many varied angles about what makes a family as well as what we pass from generation to generation. We all have struggles that can reverberate through family lines regardless of our biological DNA and that families being quite malleable are we something that we can either create or destroy. It’s an insight into what people are willing to sacrifice for their beliefs and the art of being able to accept the imperfections of life.
"Take heart, she seems to say. The world has been on the brink of ending before. The dust has always been waiting to swallow us. People have always struggled and suffered. Your poverty is not shameful. It is not a failure of your character. Life, by its very nature, is precarious. And your struggles are never for nothing."
Throughout the first character arc (2038) I did struggle to grasp what Christie was beginning to create but as I got deeper into the book the Greenwood’s burrowed under my skin. I didn’t want the story of Everett Greenwood (1934) to end. I just wanted to know more and more about him. Easily my favourite part of the saga. A truly astounding book. If you love a family saga, I highly recommend this.
4.5 stars
From the outset you’d be forgiven for thinking that this is a book centred around dystopian climate fiction, and whilst it definitely has elements of this, it is not centred around it. This is a multi-generational family saga. A saga about the Greenwood’s and the people at the forefront of its lineage. The structure follows the dendrochronology of trees, commonly known as annual growth rings. Beginning in 2038, we travel back in time (2008, 1974, 1934 and 1908) before travelling forward again (1934, 1974, 2008, 2038) representing the cross section of a tree; the growth rings. Throughout each of these years we discover the people and the secrets of the Greenwood name and origin.
"Families are not born, they're invented, pieced together from love and lies and nothing else."
This was superb. I absolutely love multi-generational family sagas and this one did not disappoint. We begin with Jacinda Greenwood and as we progress deeper into the narrative meet Liam, Willow, Harris and Everett of the Greenwood name. So layered and so complex it truly was wonderful to read about these people and the choices they all made in the various circumstances surrounding them. Christie analysed so many varied angles about what makes a family as well as what we pass from generation to generation. We all have struggles that can reverberate through family lines regardless of our biological DNA and that families being quite malleable are we something that we can either create or destroy. It’s an insight into what people are willing to sacrifice for their beliefs and the art of being able to accept the imperfections of life.
"Take heart, she seems to say. The world has been on the brink of ending before. The dust has always been waiting to swallow us. People have always struggled and suffered. Your poverty is not shameful. It is not a failure of your character. Life, by its very nature, is precarious. And your struggles are never for nothing."
Throughout the first character arc (2038) I did struggle to grasp what Christie was beginning to create but as I got deeper into the book the Greenwood’s burrowed under my skin. I didn’t want the story of Everett Greenwood (1934) to end. I just wanted to know more and more about him. Easily my favourite part of the saga. A truly astounding book. If you love a family saga, I highly recommend this.
4.5 stars