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jenbsbooks's Reviews (2.41k)
Bookclub read, although I had a physical copy in my collection already. I got the Kindle copy and audiobook from the library, went primarily with audio. Liked it, didn't love it. 3.5 stars. I may do a bit of re-reading before bookclub, and see if that ups my appreciation. There were some discussion questions included in the book at the end, and reading those has already made me delve a little deeper than I had on my own initial listen.
The prologue, and half the chapters, are 1st person (past tense) from Tucker's POV. Then there are several 3rd person chapters, POV of Mutt and Mose. A lot of what was going on, especially at the start, seemed so random though, a little "why is all this included?" and while some of it was building blocks, some still seems random on reflection. I would have liked to have the chapters noted somewhat in the table of contents (if it was Tucker/Mutt/Mose) but there weren't headers in the book, at at least the switch from 1st to 3rd help keep the sections more distinct. There was some movement from the present to past memories as well.
The abuse was a little hard to read about ... and to believe ... that there wouldn't have been consequences? That Rex just got away with that, to the boys, to Miss Ella? All of Mutt's reactions, the cleaning. SPOILER while the abduction wasn't really unexpected, it happened so suddenly in the book that I felt like I'd missed something. I had to stop, rewind, pull up the spot in the Kindle copy ...
Definite title tie-in ...
I liked the photography symbolism, and the "changing your lens" ...
I liked the conversations between Tuck and Miss Ella throughout (the present, even though she'd passed away).
Laughed out loud at the "“You know how you asked me to tell you before I hurt somebody?” “Yeah,” I said, holding my cracked ribs. “Well, I’m telling you.” Go Mutt.
No proFanity (not a surprise as this is Christian fiction). Other words I note: swathed, route (pronounced "rowt" in audio), snuck, plethora
The prologue, and half the chapters, are 1st person (past tense) from Tucker's POV. Then there are several 3rd person chapters, POV of Mutt and Mose. A lot of what was going on, especially at the start, seemed so random though, a little "why is all this included?" and while some of it was building blocks, some still seems random on reflection. I would have liked to have the chapters noted somewhat in the table of contents (if it was Tucker/Mutt/Mose) but there weren't headers in the book, at at least the switch from 1st to 3rd help keep the sections more distinct. There was some movement from the present to past memories as well.
The abuse was a little hard to read about ... and to believe ... that there wouldn't have been consequences? That Rex just got away with that, to the boys, to Miss Ella? All of Mutt's reactions, the cleaning. SPOILER
Definite title tie-in ...
I liked the photography symbolism, and the "changing your lens" ...
I liked the conversations between Tuck and Miss Ella throughout (the present, even though she'd passed away).
Laughed out loud at the "“You know how you asked me to tell you before I hurt somebody?” “Yeah,” I said, holding my cracked ribs. “Well, I’m telling you.” Go Mutt.
No proFanity (not a surprise as this is Christian fiction). Other words I note: swathed, route (pronounced "rowt" in audio), snuck, plethora
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I'd heard about this title ... and snagged a copy from a Little Free Library. I'm a digital convert, and physical books are now a struggle for me, but ironically, having a physical copy pushes a book up my TBR. Add to that, Hubs saying he was going to give it a read and ... I put it on my currently reading. It took me a while and I went with the digital copies (Hubs purchased the Kindle copy, I was able to borrow the audio from the library - double check, as many of the library copies are abridged or recaps). I started off reading, then shifted to audio once my hold came in. With an informational book like this, I thought I'd favor reading over listening, but I ended up really enjoying the audiobook, whereas reading on my own felt more of a chore.
I know I won't remember everything in this book, but I found myself nodding and thinking "that makes sense" and "have to try that!" with a few things. I have a couple bad habits that's I've pretty much given up on breaking (I'm old, what's the point now?) and I'm not sure these strategies, good as they are, would help me with those. I can see this more with the formation of new/good habits.
At the end of each chapter, there was a concise and helpful recap of what had been discussed ... however I enjoyed the more conversational tone and examples within the chapter itself. One would miss connections if they just read the "recaps" ... but they are a great reminder to refresh.
The physical copy is one that, now that I've read/listened ... I will likely keep on hand and flip through from time to time. Might give the book a full re-read, re-listen as some point too.
I know I won't remember everything in this book, but I found myself nodding and thinking "that makes sense" and "have to try that!" with a few things. I have a couple bad habits that's I've pretty much given up on breaking (I'm old, what's the point now?) and I'm not sure these strategies, good as they are, would help me with those. I can see this more with the formation of new/good habits.
At the end of each chapter, there was a concise and helpful recap of what had been discussed ... however I enjoyed the more conversational tone and examples within the chapter itself. One would miss connections if they just read the "recaps" ... but they are a great reminder to refresh.
The physical copy is one that, now that I've read/listened ... I will likely keep on hand and flip through from time to time. Might give the book a full re-read, re-listen as some point too.
I liked this one a lot. It was one that I found myself wanting to get back to when I had to put it down. While it's listed as a national best-seller and was a "reader's choice" book at my local library, I don't know that I'd heard much buzz (ha ha ... bees!) about it. I picked up a physical copy at a library sale, and saw it had high ratings. I was able to borrow the audio and Kindle copy from the library, and I went primarily with the audio.
The chapter headings were all bee related ... Orientation Flight, Twelve Queens, Foraging, Scent Fanning, Hive Sting, Scouting, Drone Live, etc ... while some reflect what happens within that chapter, it isn't as revealing(memory nudging) as some chapter headings might be. Each chapter also started out with a little factoid about bees. They were interesting. I'm trying to remember if "Mad Honey" had a similar setup?
3rd person/Past tense ... single narrator in audio. We meet Jake in the first chapter, Alice in the second, Harry in the third. The rotation doesn't stay even or equal (Harry doesn't get as many chapters). All three characters were appealing, even though they were all imperfect and struggling.
Things bogged down a bit in the final third ... while I appreciate the messages (pesticides, etc.) it got a little preachy and heavy handed, which just reduced the pleasure of the book some.
There weren't discussion questions included in the book, but I found some online
https://earlibrary.libguides.com/ld.php?content_id=71695235
There was an author's note (some additional background) that I appreciated too. I feel like this SHOULD be included in the book. I always like extras like these.
ProFanity x30
The chapter headings were all bee related ... Orientation Flight, Twelve Queens, Foraging, Scent Fanning, Hive Sting, Scouting, Drone Live, etc ... while some reflect what happens within that chapter, it isn't as revealing(memory nudging) as some chapter headings might be. Each chapter also started out with a little factoid about bees. They were interesting. I'm trying to remember if "Mad Honey" had a similar setup?
3rd person/Past tense ... single narrator in audio. We meet Jake in the first chapter, Alice in the second, Harry in the third. The rotation doesn't stay even or equal (Harry doesn't get as many chapters). All three characters were appealing, even though they were all imperfect and struggling.
Things bogged down a bit in the final third ... while I appreciate the messages (pesticides, etc.) it got a little preachy and heavy handed, which just reduced the pleasure of the book some.
There weren't discussion questions included in the book, but I found some online
https://earlibrary.libguides.com/ld.php?content_id=71695235
There was an author's note (some additional background) that I appreciated too. I feel like this SHOULD be included in the book. I always like extras like these.
ProFanity x30
I liked this a lot. It had been mentioned at my neighborhood book club as a favorite. It was a little hard to find. My local library had it on Libby (not Kindle compatible though). It's not available in the US on Kindle or Amazon. It's been made into a movie, but that seems to be restricted to the UK as well. I went ahead and read this (with my eyes!) on the Libby app. There were some typos in this edition (tit-bits, "looks like ram" which should have been rain, wai instead of way, often instead of "of ten", wollen instead of woolen).
3rd person/Past tense, it starts right off with young Willie being placed with Mister Tom, as children have been evacuated from the cities to the country for safety. I had liked the "The War That Saved My Life" series, and this felt very similar, with a child being taken from a bad situation, and actually ending up in a better one (with an older person who you wouldn't have thought would rise to the task so well).
The countrified way of speaking was heavy, written into the text ... ent instead of "aren't" ... words like 'jest, yer, , lots of dropped first letters ('ungry, s'pose). There were a few times it was a little hard to understand. UK spelling on pyjamas, plimsoles (shoes), braces (suspenders?) and I hadn't heard of "coke" for fuel in a fire (had to look that up). "Plate of potted meat and fishpaste sandwiches" ...um ewwww! But perhaps "delumptious ... a mixture of delicious and scrumptious" *Ü* Swotting (studying). His fingers were mauve with the cold (I just haven't heard mauve being the color used as a descriptor for this before). Several "sneaked" (I just note if authors use sneaked or snuck).
I wasn't sure where the story was going. There were some really tragic/extreme things that happened (a little tough as this is shelved as a kid's book).
Some saved quotes (as I don't have them recorded in my Kindle content) ...
*I'd rather be happy and odd than miserable and ordinary.
*It's the wounds inside that will take the longest to heal.
*Keep breathin
*Everything has its own time
*How could anyone not want to live when there were so many things to live for? There were rainy nights and win and the slap of the sea and the moon. There were books to read and pictures to paint and music.
*Couldn't I sort of drape myself inconspicuously on a chair ...
*If I don't read a book soon I think I'll explode.
*I don't want to get married. Imagine having to do housework all the time ...
3rd person/Past tense, it starts right off with young Willie being placed with Mister Tom, as children have been evacuated from the cities to the country for safety. I had liked the "The War That Saved My Life" series, and this felt very similar, with a child being taken from a bad situation, and actually ending up in a better one (with an older person who you wouldn't have thought would rise to the task so well).
The countrified way of speaking was heavy, written into the text ... ent instead of "aren't" ... words like 'jest, yer, , lots of dropped first letters ('ungry, s'pose). There were a few times it was a little hard to understand. UK spelling on pyjamas, plimsoles (shoes), braces (suspenders?) and I hadn't heard of "coke" for fuel in a fire (had to look that up). "Plate of potted meat and fishpaste sandwiches" ...um ewwww! But perhaps "delumptious ... a mixture of delicious and scrumptious" *Ü* Swotting (studying). His fingers were mauve with the cold (I just haven't heard mauve being the color used as a descriptor for this before). Several "sneaked" (I just note if authors use sneaked or snuck).
I wasn't sure where the story was going. There were some really tragic/extreme things that happened (a little tough as this is shelved as a kid's book).
Some saved quotes (as I don't have them recorded in my Kindle content) ...
*I'd rather be happy and odd than miserable and ordinary.
*It's the wounds inside that will take the longest to heal.
*Keep breathin
*Everything has its own time
*How could anyone not want to live when there were so many things to live for? There were rainy nights and win and the slap of the sea and the moon. There were books to read and pictures to paint and music.
*Couldn't I sort of drape myself inconspicuously on a chair ...
*If I don't read a book soon I think I'll explode.
*I don't want to get married. Imagine having to do housework all the time ...
I liked this ... a bit of a push to get through, just because it is so long, and with the multiple POVs and timelines. I don't know if it's just a me thing, but I would have REALLY appreciated having the small header at the start of each chapter (listing the location and the date) included in the Table of Contents, rather than just the most basic numerical chapter listing. It would make it much easier to flip through and check things on a specific timeline. A recent read, The God of the Woods, I really like how there was a timeline chart, with which one that chapter was taking place in, bolded. It was an interesting set-up I hadn't seen before, and I guess it wouldn't totally work here as the times changed a LOT in this book.
There's London/1913 (Chapter 1) and we get the "young girl" POV a few times throughout (next up Chapter 11, IndianOcean/1913), then Brisbane/1930 (Chapter 2) Hugh/Nell. Chapter 3 is Brisbane/2005 which is Cassandra's storyline (the present) but Cassandra's story also shifts to the past (ie, chapter 5, Brisbane 1976). More Hugh(chapter 6, earlier ...Maryborough/1913). Chapter 8, Brisbane/1975 ... Nell. Chapter 14, there's a new date/location/POV ... London/1900m Eliza. Eliza's story would then continue on to different locations/years.
In audio, there was a small musical interlude between the chapters. Now normally, I would HATE this, and while I didn't love it (the music was annoying) it did help me really stop and register "okay, that chapter just ended, listen, pay attention, what date is in the header? Whose storyline are we going to be in next??" Sometimes, especially when it's a single narrator (which is fine, as it's all 3rd person/past tense) my mind can drift and not really register a heading/chapter change/pov shift ... and then I can get pretty confused! I had my little list in my head ... 1913 is the young girl's story - also Hugh (as they overlap), if it's 2000s/present day, then it's Cassandra, 1970s is Nell, Cassandra's grandma, in her middle years. 1900 timeframe was young Eliza. That storyline then moves on also with POVs from Rose, Nathanial, Adeline, Linus ... there is a line at the end of Chapter 22 that sums up the storylines "Cassandra was in Cornwall, just as Nell had been before her. Rose and Nathaniel and Eliza Makepeace before that."
There were three "Parts" with the 51 chapters continuing chronologically through. The three parts, if there was a dividing line to separate them, were connected to Eliza's story. Each part had a "fairy tale" in it (not given a numerical chapter). The Crone's Eyes, The Changeling, The Golden Egg.
I felt like there was some manipulative misleading, purposely dropping bread crumbs to make readers think one thing, then shifting.
The title, and portions of the story, feel familiar to The Secret Garden, and that book, and it's author make an appearance in this one. In the Kindle and physical copy, there was a map of the Blackmoor estate, and discussion questions at the end.
No proFanity. Some slight sex, not descriptive/closed door.
Other words I noted: sneaked, perspicacity, espaliered. Funny quote: “I feel like a von Trapp,” Ruby said between puffs. “But fatter, older and with absolutely no energy for singing.”
So overall - even at 500+ pages, it wasn't too hard to get through. I'm not sure that I'd go out of my way to recommend it. I didn't really feel the need to stop and make notes, nor the pull to discuss it with someone. The title ties in, although it's not terribly unique/memorable.
There's London/1913 (Chapter 1) and we get the "young girl" POV a few times throughout (next up Chapter 11, IndianOcean/1913), then Brisbane/1930 (Chapter 2) Hugh/Nell. Chapter 3 is Brisbane/2005 which is Cassandra's storyline (the present) but Cassandra's story also shifts to the past (ie, chapter 5, Brisbane 1976). More Hugh(chapter 6, earlier ...Maryborough/1913). Chapter 8, Brisbane/1975 ... Nell. Chapter 14, there's a new date/location/POV ... London/1900m Eliza. Eliza's story would then continue on to different locations/years.
In audio, there was a small musical interlude between the chapters. Now normally, I would HATE this, and while I didn't love it (the music was annoying) it did help me really stop and register "okay, that chapter just ended, listen, pay attention, what date is in the header? Whose storyline are we going to be in next??" Sometimes, especially when it's a single narrator (which is fine, as it's all 3rd person/past tense) my mind can drift and not really register a heading/chapter change/pov shift ... and then I can get pretty confused! I had my little list in my head ... 1913 is the young girl's story - also Hugh (as they overlap), if it's 2000s/present day, then it's Cassandra, 1970s is Nell, Cassandra's grandma, in her middle years. 1900 timeframe was young Eliza. That storyline then moves on also with POVs from Rose, Nathanial, Adeline, Linus ... there is a line at the end of Chapter 22 that sums up the storylines "Cassandra was in Cornwall, just as Nell had been before her. Rose and Nathaniel and Eliza Makepeace before that."
There were three "Parts" with the 51 chapters continuing chronologically through. The three parts, if there was a dividing line to separate them, were connected to Eliza's story. Each part had a "fairy tale" in it (not given a numerical chapter). The Crone's Eyes, The Changeling, The Golden Egg.
I felt like there was some manipulative misleading, purposely dropping bread crumbs to make readers think one thing, then shifting.
The title, and portions of the story, feel familiar to The Secret Garden, and that book, and it's author make an appearance in this one. In the Kindle and physical copy, there was a map of the Blackmoor estate, and discussion questions at the end.
No proFanity. Some slight sex, not descriptive/closed door.
Other words I noted: sneaked, perspicacity, espaliered. Funny quote: “I feel like a von Trapp,” Ruby said between puffs. “But fatter, older and with absolutely no energy for singing.”
So overall - even at 500+ pages, it wasn't too hard to get through. I'm not sure that I'd go out of my way to recommend it. I didn't really feel the need to stop and make notes, nor the pull to discuss it with someone. The title ties in, although it's not terribly unique/memorable.
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slow-paced
This has been getting some buzz, and looked like a light, enjoyable read. It lived up to the hype and expectation. Very cute. As I waited a few days before writing the review, I struggled a bit to remember the story. I had gone with audio but I had the Kindle copy, which is preferrable as I skim/review and remember.
Eddie of course, is the MC ... and he has the most chapters (his POV). Very easy/conversational tone, 1st person/present tense. Almost 90, never been kissed, still working in a consignment shop, where he finds some treasures from other's lives after they have passed on. Eddie is sweet and super likeable (by other characters ... by readers).
About eight chapters in there is a switch, to Bridie ... in the past. Starting in 1954. 3rd person, present tense (although memories are in past tense). About 15 chapters in ... Bella. We'd been introduced to Bella earlier, in Eddie's POV, but now get inside her head, via letters written as a therapy assignment (in italics in text). Written as a letter would be, 1st person/past tense.
I'd read How The Penguins Saved Veronica not too long ago, and this had some similarities - with the three different POVs (one older, one younger, one written, in Penguins it was blog posts). No penguins here ... but there is Pushkin, the guinea pig. A fun storyline following him.
No chronological chapters listed, just chapter headings ... and some SHORT chapters. I think this was more obvious in print than in audio. Three "parts" (I don't remember specific distinctions between the parts).
I felt like there were purposeful red herrings ... possible love interests for Eddie. Another event that was purposefully misleading to the readers the funeral for Eddie Winston, oh, that is a different Edward Winston ....
In audio, there were three narrators and they were all great. I was so glad to have three distinct voices to keep the three POVs separate. Even though they were written with distinct voices, the narration added a lot for me.
I think all the proFanity (x19) came from Bella ;)
Other words I noted: snuck, cacophony, dais, bespoke, synecdoche
Not really related to anything in the story, but this was an interesting thought ... "a 1950s diner that is so vivid and in no way how I remember the 1950s. I wonder if other people remember the fifties like this—milkshakes and jukeboxes and color simply because they have been told so many times, over and over, that this is what the 1950s were like. What will the themed diners of the 2020s be? I wonder. Hand sanitizer and face masks and toilet rolls stockpiled into towers probably."
Eddie of course, is the MC ... and he has the most chapters (his POV). Very easy/conversational tone, 1st person/present tense. Almost 90, never been kissed, still working in a consignment shop, where he finds some treasures from other's lives after they have passed on. Eddie is sweet and super likeable (by other characters ... by readers).
About eight chapters in there is a switch, to Bridie ... in the past. Starting in 1954. 3rd person, present tense (although memories are in past tense). About 15 chapters in ... Bella. We'd been introduced to Bella earlier, in Eddie's POV, but now get inside her head, via letters written as a therapy assignment (in italics in text). Written as a letter would be, 1st person/past tense.
I'd read How The Penguins Saved Veronica not too long ago, and this had some similarities - with the three different POVs (one older, one younger, one written, in Penguins it was blog posts). No penguins here ... but there is Pushkin, the guinea pig. A fun storyline following him.
No chronological chapters listed, just chapter headings ... and some SHORT chapters. I think this was more obvious in print than in audio. Three "parts" (I don't remember specific distinctions between the parts).
I felt like there were purposeful red herrings ... possible love interests for Eddie. Another event that was purposefully misleading to the readers
In audio, there were three narrators and they were all great. I was so glad to have three distinct voices to keep the three POVs separate. Even though they were written with distinct voices, the narration added a lot for me.
I think all the proFanity (x19) came from Bella ;)
Other words I noted: snuck, cacophony, dais, bespoke, synecdoche
Not really related to anything in the story, but this was an interesting thought ... "a 1950s diner that is so vivid and in no way how I remember the 1950s. I wonder if other people remember the fifties like this—milkshakes and jukeboxes and color simply because they have been told so many times, over and over, that this is what the 1950s were like. What will the themed diners of the 2020s be? I wonder. Hand sanitizer and face masks and toilet rolls stockpiled into towers probably."
I'm trying to get in one P&P reimagining a month, as I have quite a few (grabbed during a "stuff your Kindle" event) and found several with audio available on Hoopla. I've found I need to space them out though, or the stories can get mixed up in my mind. I was wondering about the Lydia/Wickham impact ... and then realized they don't even make an appearance in this book, that was February's P&P.
Bitty book/Novella ... pretty traditional, 3rd person (but we do get much more in Darcy's head than in the original), past tense. Twist here is that Darcy thinks he is dying, and needs to provide an heir (as that whole "entailed" issue is going to affect his family/property too).
One might think, that with a note from his father specifically telling him to perhaps look to "a country gentleman's daughter" and then his heading to Hertfordshire (to Bingley's estate) that the initial meeting with Elizabeth might have been different. But no, Darcy still manages to insult Lizzie and gain her disapprobation. Similar scenes at Netherfield, as Darcy starts to see Lizzie in a new light, and immediately proposes, with less "love" and assumption as in the original, as he is honest about the situation, laying things out more logically. And Lizzie isn't calculated (and not AS unhappy with Darcy as he hasn't broken up Jane/Bingley, and she hasn't met Wickham), more realizing that she's very needed.
... the rest is really unsurprising. they fall in love after marriage, Darcy isn't dying and his health is restored and they live happily ever after. There was the whole "food poisoning" which seemed a little out of place and extreme. Killing off Anne.
So ... it was fine. Not really anything I think I'll remember. I don't care for the cover. At all.
Bitty book/Novella ... pretty traditional, 3rd person (but we do get much more in Darcy's head than in the original), past tense. Twist here is that Darcy thinks he is dying, and needs to provide an heir (as that whole "entailed" issue is going to affect his family/property too).
One might think, that with a note from his father specifically telling him to perhaps look to "a country gentleman's daughter" and then his heading to Hertfordshire (to Bingley's estate) that the initial meeting with Elizabeth might have been different. But no, Darcy still manages to insult Lizzie and gain her disapprobation. Similar scenes at Netherfield, as Darcy starts to see Lizzie in a new light, and immediately proposes, with less "love" and assumption as in the original, as he is honest about the situation, laying things out more logically. And Lizzie isn't calculated (and not AS unhappy with Darcy as he hasn't broken up Jane/Bingley, and she hasn't met Wickham), more realizing that she's very needed.
... the rest is really unsurprising.
So ... it was fine. Not really anything I think I'll remember. I don't care for the cover. At all.
I'd heard some buzz about this one. When I found it in a Little Free Library, a BOTM, I snagged it. While having a physical copy shifts a book up my TBR ... I still go with digital. I was able to get the audio and Kindle copy from my library without much of a wait. I went primarily with the audio.
Ike and Buddy Lee are the two MCs, there is also Grayson and a few others. A single narrator in the audio, which was fine, as it was 3rd person (if it's 1st person, my brain requires different voices!) ... the narrator was good, I could tell he was black, which totally matched Ike, but didn't "fit" some of the other POVs as well. All past tense. None of the chapters had headers indicating the POV, you just had to pick it up from the text. Quite a few characters. I think I needed to have read the blurb before-hand, know what to expect, to understand the story from the start.
Honestly at the start, I wasn't sure I was going to like this book. The two MCs weren't very likeable. Ike had his violent past, Buddy Lee seemed the stereotypical "white trash" and both had been pretty lousy fathers to their sons. Grayson ... a bit of a personal problem here, as that's my husband's name, and I didn't like having a Grayson as a bad guy! Ike, and even Buddy Lee grew on me though, despite the continued violence. As the book says "Folks like to talk about revenge like it's a righteous thing, but it's just hate in a nicer suit." There were definitely several revelations along the way. Lots of possible "bookclub" discussions (I had brought this to a bookclub but it hadn't ended up being chosen). I really appreciated the discussion questions included in the Kindle copy (not in the physical book or audio).
As it progressed, it got a little "too much" in the action. Just a bit over the top. Something that I probably wouldn't really blink and eye at if it was live (tv/movie) ... I think I'm always a bit more judgmental when it comes to books. I know, suspension of disbelief and all that, but ...
I also noticed SO many similes. I know it's part of descriptive writing, but again, it just felt like too much. I actually enjoyed this in Sanderson's Steelheart series, but it was a running joke there, and the similes were crazy! Here ... they were a little too standard. Just in the book's first three sentences, there were two. "Ike opened his eyes. His lower back felt like it was filled with spun glass. He rose from his office chair and listened to his knees pop like rifle shots" ... others: had slaughtered that kid like a pig and fed him to the wood chipper like a mama bird feeding a chick. glimmer like gold nuggets, felt like the precipice was covered in bacon grease, came out low and long like the bottom note in a blues song, like hearing a rabbit scream in a trap, preserved like some cured meat, the tent flap like the wings of a dying bird, rumbled out of his chest like a freight train, the word caught in his throat like a chicken bone, the thought flashed in his mind like an LED sign, his head dull and brown like old pennies, the fight flowed out of him like water pouring through a sieve, made him glow like a shooting star, gleamed like showroom models, stacked next to each other like rifles in an armory, it was like slicing his face open with a razorblade, his esophagus was being pulled like saltwater taffy, cheap whiskey hung around him like a cloud, his brain is beating like a heart, popped them full of holes like a piece of chicken wire, standing out in sharp relief like a 3D map, slow and brutal like cinder blocks, it was charged like a thunderstorm, like he was trapped in an old photograph, smoke floated around her head like a gray halo, the cigarette tip glowed red like a dragon's eye, it lived inside him like a demon, released it like a hungry beast, his eyes shined like wet concrete, hot as the devil's backside, silent as stones, as cold as a mountain stream, black as an ace of spades, the warehouse was as sparse as a military barracks, the manager was pale as the belly of a fish, hard as a brick ...
That was just the first eight chapters, and there were metaphors too ...
It felt forced. Overworked.
Lots of proFanity (217), and racism and homophobia and murder, torture, violence ...
Words I note: cacophony, hirsute, swathe, panoply, detritus. I think this was the first book NOT in England that mentioned hedgerows (I see it all the time in books set in the UK, but not the US, didn't know if it was strictly a "British-ism" .
Title tie-in (two times) ...
"Tears for who they were and what they all had lost. Each drop felt like it was slicing his facee open like a razorblade." "The tears came again. They poured rom his eyes and ran over his cheeks. Flowed down to the stubble on his chin. This time they didn't feel so much like razorblades. They felt like the long-awaited answer to a mournful prayer for rain."
So ... I liked this, and I think I'll remember it fondly. It's not one I'd recommend to everyone, but to some. Would create good discussions for a bookclub (that can deal with the stronger content). I made some notes/highlights.
Ike and Buddy Lee are the two MCs, there is also Grayson and a few others. A single narrator in the audio, which was fine, as it was 3rd person (if it's 1st person, my brain requires different voices!) ... the narrator was good, I could tell he was black, which totally matched Ike, but didn't "fit" some of the other POVs as well. All past tense. None of the chapters had headers indicating the POV, you just had to pick it up from the text. Quite a few characters. I think I needed to have read the blurb before-hand, know what to expect, to understand the story from the start.
Honestly at the start, I wasn't sure I was going to like this book. The two MCs weren't very likeable. Ike had his violent past, Buddy Lee seemed the stereotypical "white trash" and both had been pretty lousy fathers to their sons. Grayson ... a bit of a personal problem here, as that's my husband's name, and I didn't like having a Grayson as a bad guy! Ike, and even Buddy Lee grew on me though, despite the continued violence. As the book says "Folks like to talk about revenge like it's a righteous thing, but it's just hate in a nicer suit." There were definitely several revelations along the way. Lots of possible "bookclub" discussions (I had brought this to a bookclub but it hadn't ended up being chosen). I really appreciated the discussion questions included in the Kindle copy (not in the physical book or audio).
As it progressed, it got a little "too much" in the action. Just a bit over the top. Something that I probably wouldn't really blink and eye at if it was live (tv/movie) ... I think I'm always a bit more judgmental when it comes to books. I know, suspension of disbelief and all that, but ...
I also noticed SO many similes. I know it's part of descriptive writing, but again, it just felt like too much. I actually enjoyed this in Sanderson's Steelheart series, but it was a running joke there, and the similes were crazy! Here ... they were a little too standard. Just in the book's first three sentences, there were two. "Ike opened his eyes. His lower back felt like it was filled with spun glass. He rose from his office chair and listened to his knees pop like rifle shots" ... others: had slaughtered that kid like a pig and fed him to the wood chipper like a mama bird feeding a chick. glimmer like gold nuggets, felt like the precipice was covered in bacon grease, came out low and long like the bottom note in a blues song, like hearing a rabbit scream in a trap, preserved like some cured meat, the tent flap like the wings of a dying bird, rumbled out of his chest like a freight train, the word caught in his throat like a chicken bone, the thought flashed in his mind like an LED sign, his head dull and brown like old pennies, the fight flowed out of him like water pouring through a sieve, made him glow like a shooting star, gleamed like showroom models, stacked next to each other like rifles in an armory, it was like slicing his face open with a razorblade, his esophagus was being pulled like saltwater taffy, cheap whiskey hung around him like a cloud, his brain is beating like a heart, popped them full of holes like a piece of chicken wire, standing out in sharp relief like a 3D map, slow and brutal like cinder blocks, it was charged like a thunderstorm, like he was trapped in an old photograph, smoke floated around her head like a gray halo, the cigarette tip glowed red like a dragon's eye, it lived inside him like a demon, released it like a hungry beast, his eyes shined like wet concrete, hot as the devil's backside, silent as stones, as cold as a mountain stream, black as an ace of spades, the warehouse was as sparse as a military barracks, the manager was pale as the belly of a fish, hard as a brick ...
That was just the first eight chapters, and there were metaphors too ...
It felt forced. Overworked.
Lots of proFanity (217), and racism and homophobia and murder, torture, violence ...
Words I note: cacophony, hirsute, swathe, panoply, detritus. I think this was the first book NOT in England that mentioned hedgerows (I see it all the time in books set in the UK, but not the US, didn't know if it was strictly a "British-ism" .
Title tie-in (two times) ...
"Tears for who they were and what they all had lost. Each drop felt like it was slicing his facee open like a razorblade." "The tears came again. They poured rom his eyes and ran over his cheeks. Flowed down to the stubble on his chin. This time they didn't feel so much like razorblades. They felt like the long-awaited answer to a mournful prayer for rain."
So ... I liked this, and I think I'll remember it fondly. It's not one I'd recommend to everyone, but to some. Would create good discussions for a bookclub (that can deal with the stronger content). I made some notes/highlights.
emotional
inspiring
So often people indicate that a book made them cry, even sob, and yes, I've experienced that a time or two. I'm not sure if I've become more heart-hearted in my old age, or have just read SO much that it's harder to get to me ... but it doesn't happen often anymore. Here, there were to or three times where I got a little emotionally choked up. The story kept my interest, it's one I'd recommend, there are things to discuss (if it were a bookclub selection, there were included discussion questions too), I made some notes/highlights, unique voice. So ... 5* from me. I'm not sure about watching the movie ... probably.
1st person, present tense, from Melody's POV. I actually loved how the start and the end of the book had the repeated section there. Originally I wasn't really sure that the fish jumping out of the bowl really represented the book enough to be the cover image ... be re-reading that section, and parallels ... I can see why it was chosen. Per usual, now that the book has been made into a movie, there is a "movie" alternate image.
One thing I wondered about ... what race is Melody and her family? In the movie version, they are white (I've just seen the previews). That would be my standard guess, as if a character is black, race usually comes up in a description, or situation (sometimes extreme, other times more minor, but rarely a complete non-issue). The author is black ... and the narrator was black. Sometimes it can be heard, and while not overly obvious, I could tell in her voice and some of the voicing of the parents (more than Melody herself). So that made me think maybe the family was black? Race wasn't mentioned in the story. There was some bullying and unfair treatment, but it was all centered on Melody's ability/limitations. I still have to wonder if she was black though, if that wouldn't have come up a little bit too.
1st person, present tense, from Melody's POV. I actually loved how the start and the end of the book had the repeated section there. Originally I wasn't really sure that the fish jumping out of the bowl really represented the book enough to be the cover image ... be re-reading that section, and parallels ... I can see why it was chosen. Per usual, now that the book has been made into a movie, there is a "movie" alternate image.
One thing I wondered about ... what race is Melody and her family? In the movie version, they are white (I've just seen the previews). That would be my standard guess, as if a character is black, race usually comes up in a description, or situation (sometimes extreme, other times more minor, but rarely a complete non-issue). The author is black ... and the narrator was black. Sometimes it can be heard, and while not overly obvious, I could tell in her voice and some of the voicing of the parents (more than Melody herself). So that made me think maybe the family was black? Race wasn't mentioned in the story. There was some bullying and unfair treatment, but it was all centered on Melody's ability/limitations. I still have to wonder if she was black though, if that wouldn't have come up a little bit too.
I really liked this. I'm NOT a "short stories" fan, but these pulled me in, and were interconnected enough that it all felt like a single (non-traditional) story. It was interesting, that I just read Gleanings (book of short stories in the Scythe universe) last month. For that, you really need to already be familiar with the universe, the background, for most of the stories (and some are spoilers for the series). Here, it was all within this one book. It also reminded me a little of the "Calls" series on Apple+
After the Covid-19 pandemic, it's even more interesting to me to read books about viruses and apocalyptic world shifts. The "what ifs" of the future (climate change addressed as well). Technology and how it, and we, adapt, what is really an "improvement" ... lots to think about.
I stopped and made several notes and highlights. I had this in all three formats, went primarily with the audio. The audio had different narrators for each story which helped keep them separate, but still, there needed to be a bit more of a pause (or even music, and I hate music in audiobooks) to really indicate the end of one story, the start of another. There was a pause, a change in narrator, and STILL I had to stop, reverse, listen to the end of the other story. Many of them just ... ended, abruptly, and I needed a moment to ponder before shifting to the next story.
For my own memory - the titles of the stories and some thoughts ...
30,000 Years Beneath an Eulogy introduces the discovery, and accidental release of the Arctic plague.
City of Laughter ... oomph, euthanasia "park"
Through the Garden of Memory ... confusing, tidbit addressed in a later story too
Pig Son ... memorable, audio added. Connection (father to Fitch in "City of Laughter")
Elegy Hotel ... interesting idea
Speak, Fetch, Say I Love You ... little AI pets, interesting ideas
Songs of Your Decay ... a doctor/patient relationship. Letters after death ...
Life around the Event Horizon (I didn't really get this one, black hole in the brain)
A Gallery a Century, a Cry a Millennium - liked this, following those escaping into space
The Used-to-Be Party ... a look at the "after" new normal, socializing again?
Melancholy Nights in the Tokyo Virtual Cafe - didn't totally get this, but some sentences hit home, and it brought several stories together in a small way.
Before You Melt Into the Sea - body liquification and ice ship "funeral" ...
Grave Friends - gathering for a family funeral
The Scope of Possibility - bizarre! All encompassing
There was proFanity (x20) and lots of death (cremation, picking bones out of the ash)
After the Covid-19 pandemic, it's even more interesting to me to read books about viruses and apocalyptic world shifts. The "what ifs" of the future (climate change addressed as well). Technology and how it, and we, adapt, what is really an "improvement" ... lots to think about.
I stopped and made several notes and highlights. I had this in all three formats, went primarily with the audio. The audio had different narrators for each story which helped keep them separate, but still, there needed to be a bit more of a pause (or even music, and I hate music in audiobooks) to really indicate the end of one story, the start of another. There was a pause, a change in narrator, and STILL I had to stop, reverse, listen to the end of the other story. Many of them just ... ended, abruptly, and I needed a moment to ponder before shifting to the next story.
For my own memory - the titles of the stories and some thoughts ...
30,000 Years Beneath an Eulogy introduces the discovery, and accidental release of the Arctic plague.
City of Laughter ... oomph, euthanasia "park"
Through the Garden of Memory ... confusing, tidbit addressed in a later story too
Pig Son ... memorable, audio added. Connection (father to Fitch in "City of Laughter")
Elegy Hotel ... interesting idea
Speak, Fetch, Say I Love You ... little AI pets, interesting ideas
Songs of Your Decay ... a doctor/patient relationship. Letters after death ...
Life around the Event Horizon (I didn't really get this one, black hole in the brain)
A Gallery a Century, a Cry a Millennium - liked this, following those escaping into space
The Used-to-Be Party ... a look at the "after" new normal, socializing again?
Melancholy Nights in the Tokyo Virtual Cafe - didn't totally get this, but some sentences hit home, and it brought several stories together in a small way.
Before You Melt Into the Sea - body liquification and ice ship "funeral" ...
Grave Friends - gathering for a family funeral
The Scope of Possibility - bizarre! All encompassing
There was proFanity (x20) and lots of death (cremation, picking bones out of the ash)