Take a photo of a barcode or cover
1.07k reviews by:
gemofbooks
Min Jin Lee makes you love her characters and feel their pain, whether that’s a 500 page novel, or a 20 page story.
I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this book. I’m not generally a huge fan of YA, but I felt that this covered some important topics skilfully and created characters that you rooted for. I listened to this on audio, read by the author, and would highly recommend it.
This book is a character driven ‘love’ story which I listened to on audio. I have issues with all 3 of those things.
Firstly, I am absolutely a fan of character driven stories, however, this book had absolutely no plot, zero, nothing! I was bored throughout the majority of this book. Also, when I say character driven I mean singular character. The focus was completely on the main character, we learned close to nothing about any of the peripheral characters, even the love interest. And, if I’m going to listen to hours about a single character, I am really not interested in the inner workings of a spoilt, precocious rich, white teenager who has no idea what acceptable behaviour is.
Secondly - a love story? This was mis-sold in my opinion. This was a story of manipulation, unhealthy obsession, abuse of power and narcissism. The sexual references in this were often horrific. I felt like they were thrown in in an attempt to lift the lack of story, but left me feeling somewhat nauseous. Perhaps this was the intent, but that was not clear from the blurb.
And finally, the audiobook was dull dull dull. I don’t think the narrator changed his tone of voice once in 7 hours.
Clearly I am in the minority with this opinion, so perhaps I am missing something, but for me, this book was probably the worst I have ever read.
Firstly, I am absolutely a fan of character driven stories, however, this book had absolutely no plot, zero, nothing! I was bored throughout the majority of this book. Also, when I say character driven I mean singular character. The focus was completely on the main character, we learned close to nothing about any of the peripheral characters, even the love interest. And, if I’m going to listen to hours about a single character, I am really not interested in the inner workings of a spoilt, precocious rich, white teenager who has no idea what acceptable behaviour is.
Secondly - a love story? This was mis-sold in my opinion. This was a story of manipulation, unhealthy obsession, abuse of power and narcissism. The sexual references in this were often horrific. I felt like they were thrown in in an attempt to lift the lack of story, but left me feeling somewhat nauseous. Perhaps this was the intent, but that was not clear from the blurb.
And finally, the audiobook was dull dull dull. I don’t think the narrator changed his tone of voice once in 7 hours.
Clearly I am in the minority with this opinion, so perhaps I am missing something, but for me, this book was probably the worst I have ever read.
This book was fine. Not particularly compelling, but not awful. Just a bit meh.
Another fab instalment in the Murderbot Diaries. Wells does such a good job of creating characters that you feel for in such a small page count.
This novel was a heartbreaking view of what it was like for Angelou growing up as a young black girl in America. It highlights racial issues in such a powerful way, and shows the strength she had it overcoming huge challenges throughout most of her childhood.
I listened to this on audio, read by the author, and would highly recommend it. This book is a must read for anyone looking to educate themselves on racial discrimination and inequalities.
I listened to this on audio, read by the author, and would highly recommend it. This book is a must read for anyone looking to educate themselves on racial discrimination and inequalities.
This book wasn’t at all what I was expecting. Some parts of it were very well done, covering important topics with sensitivity. I liked the dual perspective, I think it added depth to the two main characters. However, it seemed to miss the mark a bit for me. The middle section of the book felt like it dragged, and then it felt rushed at the end. By no means a bad book though.
This book was fantastic! I absolutley loved the main character, and the way that McHugh allowed the reader to really understand all of her thoughts and feelings. From childhood to old age, we saw how she grew as a person and battled her demons throughout her life. Rarely have I come accross a character that is so well illustrated throughout a book, that you feel like you know them at the end.
This book tacked a lot of key themes, including gender steriotypes and religion, in a sensitive and compelling way. It was well paced and had just the right amount of beautiful descriptive writting balanced with a plot that kept you engaged until the end.
My only critisism of this book is that it wasn't long enough. I found myself wanting more from nearly every scene, particularly the section of the book which looked at our protagonists relationship with stick woman. I could easily have read another 200 pages and loved every second.
I would highly recommend this book, and would also encourage people to read the authors note. I know very little about the history of the Buddha, and it was enlightening to see how much of the book was based in fact. I will certainly be looking out for more by this author.
This book tacked a lot of key themes, including gender steriotypes and religion, in a sensitive and compelling way. It was well paced and had just the right amount of beautiful descriptive writting balanced with a plot that kept you engaged until the end.
My only critisism of this book is that it wasn't long enough. I found myself wanting more from nearly every scene, particularly the section of the book which looked at our protagonists relationship with stick woman. I could easily have read another 200 pages and loved every second.
I would highly recommend this book, and would also encourage people to read the authors note. I know very little about the history of the Buddha, and it was enlightening to see how much of the book was based in fact. I will certainly be looking out for more by this author.
Brilliant start to a trilogy! This is a fast paced fantasy with some great characters. I love the Egyptian/Middle Eastern setting and I can’t wait to start the next one!