bahareads's Reviews (1.09k)

I read this on audiobook but I wasn't a huge fan of the main narrator. I was reading this heavy book while doing heavy (read - depressing) archival work so that may have coloured my experience of it.

The writing was okay. I loved the historical fiction aspect, examining the reconstruction era in the US South. It's always neat to make connections to other media I've consumed. Zeal reminded me of Sinners a bit.

I did not vibe with most of the characters. I wanted to connect with them. I enjoy messy lives but there was something missing for me to put up with it. Harrison being described as a African with a big **** made my skin itch. It made me think of 1700s-1800s White travel literature that described Black people in very sexual ways.

There were points where I had warm feelings for Tirzah but not after they moved to Kansas. She babied Free in a way that reminds me when mothers cry for their "good sons" who rape, rob, and murder other people. I'm not a mother - but where is the line when you stop babying your child and realize you raised a lump of a man. I do get the trauma aspect of it, but Free acted that way because the women in his life let him get away with doing whatever he wanted.

I honestly think the book could have ended in the past. When Jerkins tried to bridge it back to the present there was a disconnect for me. Only towards the very end of the book did I see any value in trying to link the two time periods together. It read like two separate books at one point. I enjoying seeing the migration of characters but we didn't need Oliver or Ardelia for that.

Sula is definitely a book you sit with. I'm reading Morrison's bibliography in order so this is my second book of hers. I see the growth from The Bluest Eye to Sula. I buddy read this book with my friend, Caitlin.

Morrison's writing flows. It slips so easily down that you could miss some of the heavier themes that loom throughout the plot. There were times when I had to pause and text Caitlin to ask "is this what I think it is."

The two characters 'main' characters Sula and Nel were extremely interesting. Sula lives life the way she wants and Nel adheres to the rules given to her by society. I had to pause in places as some of Sula's (and Nel's) actions made me think what is going in their heads. At points I felt like Sula was giving serial killer energy. There was a lack of remorse or empathy in her actions.

The other characters that pervade the book that made me sit were the Deweys, Shadrack, Plum, Tar Baby, and Ajax. They were all so unique. They carried something that really makes you stop and think about "what is going on in this book?" The town itself was a character. The issue of migration and gentrification at ending struck me. Those two themes are something I have been mediating on for a while.

The plot itself meander around. It doesn't have an aim, which I didn't mind. At the end of the book, I just wondered "is that it?" I had really had to sit and not read anything for two days because I couldn't stop thinking about the story. Nel's realization that she missed Sula left me empty. It would have struck harder had I liked Sula at all. But I didn't and I don't.

 cute ending to the series. It's been very interesting to see how it has evolved from the first book surrounding Rachel to focus shifting to Nicholas' other family members. I listened to it on audiobook.Su Yi's illness made for a great plot point. I loved the history at came into play throughout the book, and the ending of the novel. I enjoyed learning more about Su Yi's life and her Tyersall Park's lore throughout the novel.

I've loved the character of Astrid up until this book; but she got on my nerves at times. I get that she is extremely beautiful and chic but Kwan hits his readers over the head with it. All the men in Astrid's life even Charlie are constantly dazzled by her looks, and only use physical attributes to describe her. That started to piss me off towards the end - I was confused about why Charlie was actually attracted to her - outside of her looks.

Kitty Pong and Colette were okay. I felt that it distracted from the plot throughout the majority of the book until the very end. Eddie was annoying and slightly crazed but I enjoyed his character. This was a good ending to great series. I'd love to see more about this world in the future.

Sex and Vanity was a lighter read for me. We do see themes of racism and self-hate as Lucie struggles with being accepted by her father's family. She's wasian and has more asian features than her brother. I always enjoy Kwan's access descriptions of rich Asian lifestyles but it got to be a little boring at times. Lucie's childishness throughout the entire book was draining. I did like the romance but it felt very cliche at points.

Between Islands is a collection of short stories about people in and from The Bahamas . I will say off the bat I know Rhys personally and that may colour the way I read the book.

Rhys's writing flows. He writes with an island rhythm, yet the voice reminded me of a "classic" book (think Oliver Twist or Moll Flanders). It's been a long time since I've had to google what some words mean in a book but Rhys had me pausing to nail down exactly what a word meant in a sentence. I like when writers flex their erudite quality. To boil it down to one sentence - the writing read with both island tang, having Bahamian dialect throughout, and the thickness of "classic." It was unlike anything I've read up until now but highly enjoyable.

I always find it hard to review short story collections. Do you review stories one by one or do you look at the work as a whole? Taking the work as a whole approach, I have read 2 or 3 of these stories before as some of them have appeared online through literary magazines etc. The characters are all distinct and fascinating. Rhys doesn't just write about Nassau living but extends his stories to some of the family islands. I love when writers imbue their own personal experiences into their stories, and you can see it throughout Between Islands .

The open endings of the stories made me pause. I love an open ending that allows for reflection. I'm so happy to see more Bahamian work out into the world. I think this is great contribution to the short story world, Caribbean literature in general, and the continuation of building the Bahamian literary tradition. Rhys dives deep with the different symbols and themes in each story. I'm excited to see what else he will come up with in the future.

Rank the stories from my favourite to least favourite - which was actually extremely hard to do especially towards the middle - are as follows:

Sea Oats
Friday Visits
Remaining Friends
Sponger Money
The Boundaries of Our Inheritance
Everyone Wants It to Be Morning
The Cay

1/3 of the way in and I was not invested or entertained 

I’m all for Grand Epics but this was taking too long and I didn’t care for any of the characters.

I was recommended James by a good friend. I read it through the audio version.

I enjoyed reading The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and The Adventures of Huckleberry Fin as a young teen. They were funny with easy main characters. I don't even remember Jim being in Huck's book. James is supposed to read as almost a bottom-up story. We are finally getting the downtrodden, background characters story.

Everett's plain writing and the wonderful narrator kept me reading. I almost stopped during the first admission that James and other enslaved people speak regular english amongst themselves and AAVE (or what would become it) when they're around White people rubbed me the wrong way. As someone who speaks an English Creole language, speaking down on the way Black people actually spoke back then is horrifying. As a reader, one must remember these are modelled after actual American enslaved persons who did speak this way. I felt like it spit in their face. This literary choice lauds "regular" english as something higher.

As readers, we are privy to James thoughts and feelings, yet I still don't know him. I know he loves his wife and child, wants to tell his life story and escape slavery. We learn all that at the beginning of the book and never get any deeper. Throughout the story, James is almost larger than life. We don't experience his fear, occasionally we sense some righteous anger, but James is like a Jesus in this book. As a reader, you're almost putting your emotions on James during events. I loved that James was literate but coming off as erudite - where would he have the time?! I know he gives an explanation in the novel but I didn't buy it. I also wish that Everett didn't dive into all the Enlightenment thinkers with James. The enlightenment may have said liberty for everyone but it also engaged with hierarchy of races that led to rationales for slavery.

The female characters in the story are means to an end. The women and girls are a plot device to help James get to where he needs to go to next. None of the female characters (including James wife) were fleshed out in any capacity.

In aspects regarding enslavement in this (real) world I was confused. For example, James isn't aware that some enslaved persons like or even love their masters. But as a mid 30s man (at least), I'm sure James has experienced a few "Uncle Toms" in his lifetime. Norman (a passing Black man) doesn't realize that slavery is actually evil and wicked but he lives and is traveling in the South.

I saw someone ask why did Everett write this novel, I'm wondering that as well. There is better historical fiction out there for enslaved experience.

My reaction to the end: What kind of ending?! Honestly I was blown. I jolted me out of the listening coma I had been in but not in a good way. The book ended in a cinematic way that did not align with the rest of the novel.

“I hope you’re hungry…. For nothing”

I have very very mixed feelings about Colored Television. CT is my second book by Senna, I've read her debut Caucasia prior to this. It seems race and dealing with mixed race (Black and White) identity is her niche and she sticking with it! It's almost a weird hyper fascination. I didn't realize that Senna herself was mixed race, so I can only assume she's pulling from her own experiences (wouldn't have guessed she was Black at all). I didn't like the "woes me" attitude that drew itself throughout the book regarding being mixed. Jane's eureka discovery that mixed people have always existed seem quite conspicuous to me.

In Colored Television I hate the way race is explored. Jane is hyper fixed on race, and proving that she is Black. That she's Black enough for her husband, Lenny, and that she's Black enough for the world. This hyper-fixation lends itself to some weird conversations between characters. For example, the conversation between Jane and a light-skinned Black man whom she barely knows would not have happened in real life. People do not walk around talking about serious racial issues to randos in real life.

Jane herself is a conundrum, sneering hard at the life she truly desires. Jane and Lenny both want to be famous creatives but don't want to do the actual work to be those creatives. I get the feeling of "almost there" but there was nothing likeable about Jane, Lenny, their kids or even the secondary characters. CT is labled as "humor." CHALL ain't nothing funny in this book, not in dark humor way or satire way.

I did love the writing. Senna keeps you reading. At about 35 pages in, I thought I would DNF but Senna 's writing style keeps you turning the corner hoping to get more. The tension end up being nothing. The ending was atrocious and horrifying frustrating. I hated it.

Suzanne Collins is a writer. Being a writer is obviously what she was meant to be in this world. Her writing is comforting and it draws you along. The one good thing about having a fleeting memory is as the plot unfolded the discoveries of Haymitch were brand new to me. I literally cried at the end because fuck Snow.

The plot felt rushed and there was name dropping galore. While reading I thought the pacing was off, and I hold to that position. I understand that some people were a set-up for the original trilogy, but everyone and they ma made a cameo in this book. The epithets of poetry throughout the book became too much, my eyes skimmed over them (And I LOVE EAP). I would have liked to see more character development, or different characterisations of the characters that we will meet in the original trilogy because they were very similar - compared to how they were twenty plus years later.

Between you, me, and the computer I thought ABOSBAS was the better prequel. SOTR could have been left to the fanfics.