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francesmthompson's Reviews (976)
Upsettingly relevant today, beautifully important in its delicate portrayal of the brutally biased world we live in.
It was so sadly obvious this one wasn't written by Larsson and I really didn't get along well with the way the story was told.
Wanted to like it, the way the main character was in an institution all mute and unavailable in the present day and yet had this strong internal dialogue that seemed very sane, but as the story went on (and the internal dialogue didn't flipping stop!) and the twists rolled out I felt they weren't worth the wait or build-up and likewise, the main character's muteness and disconnection from the world felt very unbelievable. However, this is no reflection on the author or the book itself as I just do generally struggle with this genre that seems to have too much inner dialogue that doesn't just ignore the whole "show don't tell" approach to writing it practically sticks up two fingers at it. It's just not my cup of tea I think... so I should probably not get tempted by 99p offers on Kindle - that is the lesson to be learnt here!
There were several moments when reading this book that I thought "Only a writer would find this all so delicious" because writing - the craft, the art, the science, the joy, the pain, the struggle - is so central to this story of a grieving writer/writing teacher mourning the loss of her friend, fellow writer and one-time mentor. I am a writer so yes, this book was a true self-indulgent, ridiculously privileged, often blinkered delight. Then, later, I had the thought: "Only a dog person would really like this book" because it is also a lot about dogs, and the human/canine relationship and yet, I am not a dog person, not really, but I still thoroughly enjoyed the sections exploring this. Drawing from literature, journalism, film and science, among many other realms, the story is told through small, sometimes fleeting even, snippets of information or accounts that make you think, and blink for a second before carrying on. There are a few playful twists, more than a handful of reasons to laugh, and yes a few to cry too, so I would certainly place this book in my top five of the year... but again, if books about privileged, white writers moaning about the struggles of writing are not your thing - stand back and ignore!
This was everything I sort of wanted, but not much more. And I think that therefore means what I really wanted was more...
How I wanted to like this more. So many people I love, respect and admire adored it. As other reviewers have said, I suspect it may have something to do with it all being a bit too close to home (while I could no way have kept up with how much Dolly drank, I am equally obsessed by Joni Mitchell - and Rod Stewart though I don't often admit that), as I feel I lived a similar life in my 20s, albeit six or seven years ahead of her. I also think I've just become used to reading books about people who are different from me, who have greater challenges, more urgent and important stories to tell. And this, probably by the author's admission too, is not really an urgent story. But the conclusion is very important, and one I've often thought about, because my (female) friendships are my greatest love of all, and so yes, I am comforted that we women are acknowledging and applauding this through this book.
Dated but not as much as you would think for a 20-year-old novel. Other reviewers have complained about the Australian history lessons - specifically about the abuse and systemic oppression of the aboriginal people - woven into the story but I found it actually a good thing and in that respect, a book ahead of its time.
