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elle_reads's Reviews (446)
(Instagram @elle_reads)
BOOK REVIEW
[Crown of Coral and Pearls] Twin sisters fight to save their floating village.
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WHAT I LIKED
As the oldest of three sisters, I loved Mara Rutherford's description of Nor and Zadie’s sisterly affection. Rutherford does an amazing job using the main character’s voice to form connections within the story. Nor and Zadie live in the middle of the ocean, and the sea-themed metaphors pop up in the unlikeliest of places! Rutherford uses her characters knowledge of the world to bring them to life. I also loved how Rutherford dealt with beauty throughout her work.
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WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE
I wish the main bad guy wasn’t so thoroughly bad. It would have made the story more dynamic and less predictable. There are a few thrown-in lines depicting why he might not be so bad, but they aren’t really developed. It made his character rather static when there was a great opportunity for an inner struggle.
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Crown of Coral and Pearl (by Mara Rutherford) ⚡️⚡️⚡️✨3.5/5
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Would recommend to fans of: Sarah J. Maas, Maggie Stiefvater
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BOOK REVIEW
[Crown of Coral and Pearls] Twin sisters fight to save their floating village.
//
WHAT I LIKED
As the oldest of three sisters, I loved Mara Rutherford's description of Nor and Zadie’s sisterly affection. Rutherford does an amazing job using the main character’s voice to form connections within the story. Nor and Zadie live in the middle of the ocean, and the sea-themed metaphors pop up in the unlikeliest of places! Rutherford uses her characters knowledge of the world to bring them to life. I also loved how Rutherford dealt with beauty throughout her work.
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WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE
I wish the main bad guy wasn’t so thoroughly bad. It would have made the story more dynamic and less predictable. There are a few thrown-in lines depicting why he might not be so bad, but they aren’t really developed. It made his character rather static when there was a great opportunity for an inner struggle.
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Crown of Coral and Pearl (by Mara Rutherford) ⚡️⚡️⚡️✨3.5/5
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Would recommend to fans of: Sarah J. Maas, Maggie Stiefvater
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(Instagram @elle_reads)
BOOK REVIEW
[A Breath of Snow and Ashes] The Fraser family picks their way through the American Revolutionary War.
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WHAT I LIKED
From rape to childrearing to killing to dreaming, Diana Gabaldon’s characters deal with many difficult subjects. Gabaldon takes their reactions a step further: she shows how different characters deal with the same hardship in unique ways. There is no "correct way" to grieve a death. There is no "correct way” to heal after being raped. There is no “correct way” to raise a child. Humans can only do their best. Their best as their unique situation and personality allow.
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As always, I adore Gabaldon’s word choice. I always come away with a list of words I guessed based on context during reading, but want to double-check after.
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WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE
There were a few events which were foreshadowed, but still seemed to come a little out of the blue near the end. The epilogue holds a finality like a concrete ending, but it can’t be - there are more books! I’m not sure if this is a good or bad thing for the characters, but I’m happy I won’t have to leave this world yet! All in all, a healthy storyline without much annotation and research. It was a great vacation read.
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⚡️⚡️⚡️✨3.5/5 A Breath of Snow and Ashes (by Diana Gabaldon)
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BOOK REVIEW
[A Breath of Snow and Ashes] The Fraser family picks their way through the American Revolutionary War.
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WHAT I LIKED
From rape to childrearing to killing to dreaming, Diana Gabaldon’s characters deal with many difficult subjects. Gabaldon takes their reactions a step further: she shows how different characters deal with the same hardship in unique ways. There is no "correct way" to grieve a death. There is no "correct way” to heal after being raped. There is no “correct way” to raise a child. Humans can only do their best. Their best as their unique situation and personality allow.
//
As always, I adore Gabaldon’s word choice. I always come away with a list of words I guessed based on context during reading, but want to double-check after.
//
WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE
There were a few events which were foreshadowed, but still seemed to come a little out of the blue near the end. The epilogue holds a finality like a concrete ending, but it can’t be - there are more books! I’m not sure if this is a good or bad thing for the characters, but I’m happy I won’t have to leave this world yet! All in all, a healthy storyline without much annotation and research. It was a great vacation read.
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⚡️⚡️⚡️✨3.5/5 A Breath of Snow and Ashes (by Diana Gabaldon)
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(Instagram @elle_reads)
BOOK REVIEW
[Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats] A collection of funny cat poems.
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WHAT I LIKED
This is a collection to read aloud! I loved playing with the phonetics of cats. I actually heard many of these poems chanted aloud as part of a choral reading I judged in 2017. The chants still pop into my head on an unexpected basis. Hopefully now that my brain had full exposure, I can stop humming them in my sleep. My imagination scampered playfully along sleep cats, grumpy cats, alley cats, and pirate cats. I've yet to see the musical or movie.
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WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE
I got what I came for, but it didn't change my life. It is also a product of its time - aka using words like “heathen Chinese” which I’m not sure how I feel about. This was a difficult rating for me (see previous post). The poems aren’t supposed to hold much more than entertainment, and they don’t. Should the rating suffer because of it? I decided to refrain from a 5 star rating because I want to show how truly special those books are.
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Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats (by T.S.Eliot) ⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️4/5
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BOOK REVIEW
[Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats] A collection of funny cat poems.
//
WHAT I LIKED
This is a collection to read aloud! I loved playing with the phonetics of cats. I actually heard many of these poems chanted aloud as part of a choral reading I judged in 2017. The chants still pop into my head on an unexpected basis. Hopefully now that my brain had full exposure, I can stop humming them in my sleep. My imagination scampered playfully along sleep cats, grumpy cats, alley cats, and pirate cats. I've yet to see the musical or movie.
//
WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE
I got what I came for, but it didn't change my life. It is also a product of its time - aka using words like “heathen Chinese” which I’m not sure how I feel about. This was a difficult rating for me (see previous post). The poems aren’t supposed to hold much more than entertainment, and they don’t. Should the rating suffer because of it? I decided to refrain from a 5 star rating because I want to show how truly special those books are.
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Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats (by T.S.Eliot) ⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️4/5
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(Instagram @elle_reads)
BOOK REVIEW
[Sea of Poppies] The poppy trade changes lives from every nation.
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WHAT I LIKED
So many books gloss over the different groups within "culture clashes." Ghosh does not. He attributes the same level of detail to the relations between people of the caste system, white foreigners of different heritage, genders of each group, and the overall imbalance of power between Indians, Asians, Europeans, etc. All relationships equally propel the story. His characters are concrete without being overly cliche.
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I love Ghosh's control of time within this book. There is a mix of abrupt and gentle foreshadowing as well as a great balance of background context both for the characters history and history at large.
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WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE
There are a few cliches in building the basic character (the large silent man, the beautiful talkative flirt), but they don't always follow conventional lines. In this sense, I have less idea of what they will do despite feeling I know them.
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Warning: it does end in a cliffhanger. There will be three books total.
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Sea of Poppies (by Amitav Ghosh) ⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️4/5
Shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize
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Favorite Pages: 37, 107, 185, 193, 234, 257, 278, 357, 408, 411, 439
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BOOK REVIEW
[Sea of Poppies] The poppy trade changes lives from every nation.
//
WHAT I LIKED
So many books gloss over the different groups within "culture clashes." Ghosh does not. He attributes the same level of detail to the relations between people of the caste system, white foreigners of different heritage, genders of each group, and the overall imbalance of power between Indians, Asians, Europeans, etc. All relationships equally propel the story. His characters are concrete without being overly cliche.
//
I love Ghosh's control of time within this book. There is a mix of abrupt and gentle foreshadowing as well as a great balance of background context both for the characters history and history at large.
//
WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE
There are a few cliches in building the basic character (the large silent man, the beautiful talkative flirt), but they don't always follow conventional lines. In this sense, I have less idea of what they will do despite feeling I know them.
//
Warning: it does end in a cliffhanger. There will be three books total.
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Sea of Poppies (by Amitav Ghosh) ⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️4/5
Shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize
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Favorite Pages: 37, 107, 185, 193, 234, 257, 278, 357, 408, 411, 439
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(Instagram @elle_reads)
BOOK REVIEW
[My Name is Red] Miniaturist painters in Istanbul contemplate western influences while a murderer prows around a secret book.
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WHAT I LIKED
I knew the murderer. I totally messed up. I knew the murderer. I totally messed up. THIS is true detective storytelling. There was no great reversal of knowledge, just a steady prodding of the murky events confusing me to my core.
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Orhan Pamuk’s postmodern/Tolstoy-esk work is comprised of miniature chapters from all different perspectives from a corpse to a murderer to a dog. In the midst of the murders, Pamuk calls attention to the cultural drama of change. Ottoman painters whose painting are styled after how a god would see the world (battle scenes are neat lines of horses in step) are introduced to the Venetian style (realistic bloody battle confusion). See my prior post for more details. I absolutely loved the playfulness Pamuk’s postmodernist spins instilled in a somewhat desperate story.
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WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE
I’m racking my brains for negatives. They’re dismal. I reread the first three chapters to understand the relations between the characters. I guess? I researched classic Ottoman/Persian tales for fun (you can understand the plot without research)? I NEED to visit Pamuk’s The Museum of Innocence (well, after I read the book) NOW. So cool. That’s all I got. READ IT!
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My Name is Red (by Orhan Pamuk) ⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️5/5
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BOOK REVIEW
[My Name is Red] Miniaturist painters in Istanbul contemplate western influences while a murderer prows around a secret book.
//
WHAT I LIKED
I knew the murderer. I totally messed up. I knew the murderer. I totally messed up. THIS is true detective storytelling. There was no great reversal of knowledge, just a steady prodding of the murky events confusing me to my core.
//
Orhan Pamuk’s postmodern/Tolstoy-esk work is comprised of miniature chapters from all different perspectives from a corpse to a murderer to a dog. In the midst of the murders, Pamuk calls attention to the cultural drama of change. Ottoman painters whose painting are styled after how a god would see the world (battle scenes are neat lines of horses in step) are introduced to the Venetian style (realistic bloody battle confusion). See my prior post for more details. I absolutely loved the playfulness Pamuk’s postmodernist spins instilled in a somewhat desperate story.
//
WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE
I’m racking my brains for negatives. They’re dismal. I reread the first three chapters to understand the relations between the characters. I guess? I researched classic Ottoman/Persian tales for fun (you can understand the plot without research)? I NEED to visit Pamuk’s The Museum of Innocence (well, after I read the book) NOW. So cool. That’s all I got. READ IT!
//
My Name is Red (by Orhan Pamuk) ⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️5/5
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(Instagram @elle_reads)
BOOK REVIEW
[Interpreter of Maladies] A story collection of cultural webs.
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WHAT I LIKED
Lahiri’s writing is a jewel of sweet, sweet sorrow and new horizons. Her characters hold shining crystals of emotional, cultural, and literal baggage. The world they describe is bent into equal horror and epiphany by the crystal edges. Just look at what reading her writing does to me. It will make you speak in metaphor, and it will always end in a solemn period. Yet, her writing is still straightforward. Beauty in simplicity.
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WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE
A few critiques I’ve read reprimand Lahiri’s characters for NOT challenging culture. I disagree with this criticism. Challenging a power culture isn’t always shouting what you believe into the ears of others. It is as simple as a character sitting on the floor of her own home to cut up vegetables. Furthermore, many of Lahiri’s characters are immigrants. She promotes her writing as a reflection on her parent’s immigrant experience. Immigrants can wish to integrate their ideals into their new homeland's culture too!
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Interpreter of Maladies (by Jhumpa Lahiri) ⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️✨4.5/5
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BOOK REVIEW
[Interpreter of Maladies] A story collection of cultural webs.
//
WHAT I LIKED
Lahiri’s writing is a jewel of sweet, sweet sorrow and new horizons. Her characters hold shining crystals of emotional, cultural, and literal baggage. The world they describe is bent into equal horror and epiphany by the crystal edges. Just look at what reading her writing does to me. It will make you speak in metaphor, and it will always end in a solemn period. Yet, her writing is still straightforward. Beauty in simplicity.
//
WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE
A few critiques I’ve read reprimand Lahiri’s characters for NOT challenging culture. I disagree with this criticism. Challenging a power culture isn’t always shouting what you believe into the ears of others. It is as simple as a character sitting on the floor of her own home to cut up vegetables. Furthermore, many of Lahiri’s characters are immigrants. She promotes her writing as a reflection on her parent’s immigrant experience. Immigrants can wish to integrate their ideals into their new homeland's culture too!
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Interpreter of Maladies (by Jhumpa Lahiri) ⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️✨4.5/5
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(Instagram @elle_reads)
BOOK REVIEW
[East, West: Stories] A global work highlighting its own hybrid nature.
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WHAT I LIKED
East, West is divided into three sections: East’ West; and East, West. I loved the intense parallels Rushdie analyzes through a mix of reality and fantasy. MAGICAL REALISM! RUSHDIE? Of course.
BOOK REVIEW
[East, West: Stories] A global work highlighting its own hybrid nature.
//
WHAT I LIKED
East, West is divided into three sections: East’ West; and East, West. I loved the intense parallels Rushdie analyzes through a mix of reality and fantasy. MAGICAL REALISM! RUSHDIE? Of course.
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Instagram @elle_reads
BOOK REVIEW
[Girl in Translation] A Hong Kong girl immigrates to Brooklyn with her mother.
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WHAT I LIKED
This is a story of sacrifices. Not just the sacrifice of time and hardship, but of beautiful friendships and romantic love interests in order to find a more secure place in the world. Yet, amidst all the sacrifice, there is always hope.
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I loved Jean Kwok’s inclusion of Chinese sayings with an explanation soon after. Picking up a dead chicken means an easy job. Talking big words means lying. Being a lightbulb means a chaperone. It added more meaning to the cultural differences Kimberly experiences throughout her move. Her family believes she is too outspoken, her teacher believes she doesn’t speak enough. Kimberly must master these differences - jump from stone to stone before the lava swallows her.
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WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE
There is little I didn’t like about this book. Reflecting on Kimberly’s understanding of her mother’s life experience, I wonder what the next generation will think of her story.
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Girl in Translation (by Jean Kwok) ⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️5/5
BOOK REVIEW
[Girl in Translation] A Hong Kong girl immigrates to Brooklyn with her mother.
//
WHAT I LIKED
This is a story of sacrifices. Not just the sacrifice of time and hardship, but of beautiful friendships and romantic love interests in order to find a more secure place in the world. Yet, amidst all the sacrifice, there is always hope.
//
I loved Jean Kwok’s inclusion of Chinese sayings with an explanation soon after. Picking up a dead chicken means an easy job. Talking big words means lying. Being a lightbulb means a chaperone. It added more meaning to the cultural differences Kimberly experiences throughout her move. Her family believes she is too outspoken, her teacher believes she doesn’t speak enough. Kimberly must master these differences - jump from stone to stone before the lava swallows her.
//
WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE
There is little I didn’t like about this book. Reflecting on Kimberly’s understanding of her mother’s life experience, I wonder what the next generation will think of her story.
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Girl in Translation (by Jean Kwok) ⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️5/5
Instagram @elle_reads
BOOK REVIEW
[The Piano Teacher] An English piano teacher gets wrapped up in past WW2 politics.
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WHAT I LIKED
I picked up this book for its Hong Kong setting. In this way, I was completely satisfied. The Piano Teacher mentions nearly every place I visited! I learned about the different landmarks significance during and after WW2. I noticed more cultural points from my trip because of this book (see my previous post at Victoria’s Peak).
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Janice Y.K Lee observes different immigrant cultures in Hong Kong through Trudy, a Hong Kong Chinese-Portugese socialite. Trudy finds Americans earnest, British stuffy, Japanese quirky, etc. It was fascinating to see how each micro-society changed with war.
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WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE
I wasn’t sure how much stock I could put into the story. What was stereotype? What was true? I had a difficult time discerning historical fact from historical fiction. The characters were too stereotypical - a bland piano teacher looking for life and a moody driver with a dark past. Eh.
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The Piano Teacher (by Janice K.Y. Lee) ⚡️⚡️⚡️3/5
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BOOK REVIEW
[The Piano Teacher] An English piano teacher gets wrapped up in past WW2 politics.
//
WHAT I LIKED
I picked up this book for its Hong Kong setting. In this way, I was completely satisfied. The Piano Teacher mentions nearly every place I visited! I learned about the different landmarks significance during and after WW2. I noticed more cultural points from my trip because of this book (see my previous post at Victoria’s Peak).
//
Janice Y.K Lee observes different immigrant cultures in Hong Kong through Trudy, a Hong Kong Chinese-Portugese socialite. Trudy finds Americans earnest, British stuffy, Japanese quirky, etc. It was fascinating to see how each micro-society changed with war.
//
WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE
I wasn’t sure how much stock I could put into the story. What was stereotype? What was true? I had a difficult time discerning historical fact from historical fiction. The characters were too stereotypical - a bland piano teacher looking for life and a moody driver with a dark past. Eh.
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The Piano Teacher (by Janice K.Y. Lee) ⚡️⚡️⚡️3/5
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