Take a photo of a barcode or cover
1.55k reviews by:
just_one_more_paige
This review originally appeared on the book review blog: Just One More Pa(i)ge.
I’d seen quite a few positive reviews of Lincoln in the Bardo floating around, had heard that it was shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize 2017 and, honestly, still wasn’t that sure about it. I have never been particularly enamored of American history, even less so of the period of the Civil War. (Note: I totally understand it’s horror, importance, and role in the formation of the US and what we are today. I do not mean to impugn any of that. It’s just that, when I choose books to read for my own fun and entertainment, ones from this period are not usually at the top of the list.) So, to be honest, when I saw this book on an endcap at my local library, I am not sure what made me pick it up. Maybe just my general need to be “up to speed” on what will clearly be a modern classic or perhaps seeing it all around finally wore me down... But whatever compelled me to grab it – thank you. This was an absolutely captivating read.
Told over the period of one night (I mean let’s start there, what an amazing talent to be able to write this much feeling and action into a single evening), Lincoln in the Bardo is the story of the death of President Lincoln’s son Willie, right as the Civil War is truly beginning. After the funeral, Lincoln returns to the cemetery to spend the night, one last night, with his son in the crypt where he was laid to rest. I think every single major literary theme is packed into this novel – family, grief, expectations, the greater good, acceptance, possibility for the future (just to name a few) – it’s almost unreal in its ambition.
Although I know it may not be for everyone, I loved the style. Parts of the story were told in snippets from various historical documents (letters, memoirs, commentaries, and other publications and written records), that tell the “facts” of the story. These cover everything from opinions about the war to Lincoln’s parenting style and physical features to the weather on the day Willie died and where fault lay for Willie’s death. I loved that, like any good “primary” sources, these accounts were all completely contradictory, which was both humorous to read and a great commentary on the nature and accuracy of historical (and current day) documents and people’s memories. And other parts of the story were told in [quickly] alternating points of view from the many ghosts that Willie meets while in bardo (which is not something a word I had heard before, but refers to a state of being between two lives on earth, after death and before one's next birth, when one's consciousness is not connected with a physical body – you learn something new every day). These snippets of narration are incredibly short and choppy, jumping around between three main narrators and a host of more short-term voices. Again, I can see this not being everyone’s cup of tea. The constant changes of narrator and lack of detailed exposition at the beginning require a lot of effort on the part of the reader and are not for the faint of heart. This formatting is not necessarily new, but Saunders executes it in a way that feels new and unique. And the short passages pull you along compulsively, making the story move quickly, in a way you don’t normally see when such intense themes are explored. Within this, the short, staccato way everything is described, from Lincoln himself to the snapshots of daily life, are surprisingly emotive for their brevity. Saunders gives the barest details, sometimes nothing more than a few words (“leather, soap, rug-tuft, cold water) and allows your imagination to fill in the necessary extra details. I don’t know how, but it works amazingly here; it’s fascinating. In fact, overall, the feelings of grief and loss from Lincoln, the longing and pain of the ghosts, are some of the most tender and touching I’ve ever read – as a reader I truly felt along with the characters (living and ghostly alike). And at the same time, he manages to infuse some surprisingly humorous details into the delivery that add a much needed lighter, but never flippantly so, pitch.
The way that the various points of view allowed Saunders to deftly include an open-ended number of experiences, opinions, and lifestyles of the time period was key to the story. We heard from people from so many different social, racial, economic and age backgrounds – with varied, informative, and super colorful voices. But their common ground was sorrow: a lack of fulfillment in life, a tragedy, a leftover anger or longing or fear. Each of the ghosts we meet is stuck in this bardo state, unable to move one. This is something that one usually only thinks about in terms of the living, the inability to move past an experienced tragedy. But it is less often explored, and definitely rarely explored to impeccably, from the point of view of the dead. These “dead” who are holding onto their grudges and failures and worries and are so unfulfilled that they have spent unimaginable numbers of years unable to let go of their lives in the ‘previous place’ and take the next step in their journey. Throughout all these little histories that we get, fascinating questions about human nature are addressed, how the way we are born versus the events we live through affect our actions, other explanations for why we act the way we do and what choice/power we have to change that – it was all covered. Plus, the final questions, the ones we see through Willie’s decision on whether to stay or move on and Lincoln’s final acceptance of Willie’s passing, as commentary on the true beginnings of change in the racial-social status of the US (the questions that began to be addressed, in large scale, by the Civil War) are quite timely.
All in all, I can absolutely see why this was shortlisted for Man Booker this year. And though I’ve only read one other of the 6 finalists (for now), (link – Exit West), I’m glad I’m not on the committee choosing a final winner. That must be an impossible task. Truly, this book is a haunting exploration of some heartbreaking, but ultimately hopeful, themes. It’s told in an incredibly distinctive way, through a chorus of unique voices, that will rouse your compassion and spirit.
“With all the splendor that was around this little fellow in his new home, he was so bravely and beautifully himself – and that only. A wild flower transplanted from the prairie to the hot-house, he retained his prairie habits, unalterably pure and simple, till he died.”
“We were perhaps not so unlovable as we had come to believe.”
“No one who has ever done anything worth doing has gone uncriticized.”
“He came out of nothingness, took form, was loved, was always bound to return to nothingness.”
“He was leaving here broken, awed, humbled, diminished.” “Reduced, ruined, remade.” “Merciful, patient, dazzled.”
“Was proceeding with a fury that suggested the two might well fight into eternity… Unless some fundamental and unimaginable alteration of reality should occur.”
“The way a moistness in the eye will blur a field of stars; the sore place on the shoulder a resting toboggan makes; writing one’s beloved’s name upon a frosted window with a gloved finger.”
I’d seen quite a few positive reviews of Lincoln in the Bardo floating around, had heard that it was shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize 2017 and, honestly, still wasn’t that sure about it. I have never been particularly enamored of American history, even less so of the period of the Civil War. (Note: I totally understand it’s horror, importance, and role in the formation of the US and what we are today. I do not mean to impugn any of that. It’s just that, when I choose books to read for my own fun and entertainment, ones from this period are not usually at the top of the list.) So, to be honest, when I saw this book on an endcap at my local library, I am not sure what made me pick it up. Maybe just my general need to be “up to speed” on what will clearly be a modern classic or perhaps seeing it all around finally wore me down... But whatever compelled me to grab it – thank you. This was an absolutely captivating read.
Told over the period of one night (I mean let’s start there, what an amazing talent to be able to write this much feeling and action into a single evening), Lincoln in the Bardo is the story of the death of President Lincoln’s son Willie, right as the Civil War is truly beginning. After the funeral, Lincoln returns to the cemetery to spend the night, one last night, with his son in the crypt where he was laid to rest. I think every single major literary theme is packed into this novel – family, grief, expectations, the greater good, acceptance, possibility for the future (just to name a few) – it’s almost unreal in its ambition.
Although I know it may not be for everyone, I loved the style. Parts of the story were told in snippets from various historical documents (letters, memoirs, commentaries, and other publications and written records), that tell the “facts” of the story. These cover everything from opinions about the war to Lincoln’s parenting style and physical features to the weather on the day Willie died and where fault lay for Willie’s death. I loved that, like any good “primary” sources, these accounts were all completely contradictory, which was both humorous to read and a great commentary on the nature and accuracy of historical (and current day) documents and people’s memories. And other parts of the story were told in [quickly] alternating points of view from the many ghosts that Willie meets while in bardo (which is not something a word I had heard before, but refers to a state of being between two lives on earth, after death and before one's next birth, when one's consciousness is not connected with a physical body – you learn something new every day). These snippets of narration are incredibly short and choppy, jumping around between three main narrators and a host of more short-term voices. Again, I can see this not being everyone’s cup of tea. The constant changes of narrator and lack of detailed exposition at the beginning require a lot of effort on the part of the reader and are not for the faint of heart. This formatting is not necessarily new, but Saunders executes it in a way that feels new and unique. And the short passages pull you along compulsively, making the story move quickly, in a way you don’t normally see when such intense themes are explored. Within this, the short, staccato way everything is described, from Lincoln himself to the snapshots of daily life, are surprisingly emotive for their brevity. Saunders gives the barest details, sometimes nothing more than a few words (“leather, soap, rug-tuft, cold water) and allows your imagination to fill in the necessary extra details. I don’t know how, but it works amazingly here; it’s fascinating. In fact, overall, the feelings of grief and loss from Lincoln, the longing and pain of the ghosts, are some of the most tender and touching I’ve ever read – as a reader I truly felt along with the characters (living and ghostly alike). And at the same time, he manages to infuse some surprisingly humorous details into the delivery that add a much needed lighter, but never flippantly so, pitch.
The way that the various points of view allowed Saunders to deftly include an open-ended number of experiences, opinions, and lifestyles of the time period was key to the story. We heard from people from so many different social, racial, economic and age backgrounds – with varied, informative, and super colorful voices. But their common ground was sorrow: a lack of fulfillment in life, a tragedy, a leftover anger or longing or fear. Each of the ghosts we meet is stuck in this bardo state, unable to move one. This is something that one usually only thinks about in terms of the living, the inability to move past an experienced tragedy. But it is less often explored, and definitely rarely explored to impeccably, from the point of view of the dead. These “dead” who are holding onto their grudges and failures and worries and are so unfulfilled that they have spent unimaginable numbers of years unable to let go of their lives in the ‘previous place’ and take the next step in their journey. Throughout all these little histories that we get, fascinating questions about human nature are addressed, how the way we are born versus the events we live through affect our actions, other explanations for why we act the way we do and what choice/power we have to change that – it was all covered. Plus, the final questions, the ones we see through Willie’s decision on whether to stay or move on and Lincoln’s final acceptance of Willie’s passing, as commentary on the true beginnings of change in the racial-social status of the US (the questions that began to be addressed, in large scale, by the Civil War) are quite timely.
All in all, I can absolutely see why this was shortlisted for Man Booker this year. And though I’ve only read one other of the 6 finalists (for now), (link – Exit West), I’m glad I’m not on the committee choosing a final winner. That must be an impossible task. Truly, this book is a haunting exploration of some heartbreaking, but ultimately hopeful, themes. It’s told in an incredibly distinctive way, through a chorus of unique voices, that will rouse your compassion and spirit.
“With all the splendor that was around this little fellow in his new home, he was so bravely and beautifully himself – and that only. A wild flower transplanted from the prairie to the hot-house, he retained his prairie habits, unalterably pure and simple, till he died.”
“We were perhaps not so unlovable as we had come to believe.”
“No one who has ever done anything worth doing has gone uncriticized.”
“He came out of nothingness, took form, was loved, was always bound to return to nothingness.”
“He was leaving here broken, awed, humbled, diminished.” “Reduced, ruined, remade.” “Merciful, patient, dazzled.”
“Was proceeding with a fury that suggested the two might well fight into eternity… Unless some fundamental and unimaginable alteration of reality should occur.”
“The way a moistness in the eye will blur a field of stars; the sore place on the shoulder a resting toboggan makes; writing one’s beloved’s name upon a frosted window with a gloved finger.”
This review originally appeared on the book review blog: Just One More Pa(i)ge.
I picked up and then passed by this audiobook at least 6 times before actually deciding to go for it. It sounded so interesting – talking of love and madness and myth all related to the periodic table. I mean I have never been a science person, and I was particularly less interested in physics and chemistry, so I was a little nervous. But off the top of my head I couple think of a couple crazy stories about gold, lithium, uranium, and all are pretty crazy and interesting, so I was guessing there’s be some good stuff included. Plus, I’m always down to learn (and hopefully this book would be a little less overwhelming than AP Chem). And so, I finally, I plucked up my mental “courage” and talked myself into trying it.
I honestly cannot decide how I want to talk about this book. I think, to start, I’d like to just get it out there that I did enjoy it. It moved along smoothly and quickly, did a great job building on itself (and was self-recognizing enough to remind you of things you read/learned earlier, because it was a lot of information and it comes at you fast), and truly kept my interest. It’s a wonderful overview of many concepts and, while I’m sure the people that study these topics hate this kind of oversimplification of their life’s work, I felt a great line was walked between explaining enough to make things more understandable but not so much as to re-confuse or lose the reader. On the flip side, even with that there were a few concepts that I think still went over my head (perhaps because I was listening to the audiobook and couldn’t go back to re-read a section that was particularly dense or that I lost my train of thought during.) And in general, this was definitely a more intensive read than I was anticipating. The subtitle, “and other true tales of madness, love and the history of the world from the periodic table of elements” definitely, I felt, made the book sound much lighter than it ended up being. Similar to My Own Words (by the Notorious RBG), I am glad that I listened to this instead of read it. With books that are as in depth and informationally intensive (even though they both still have entertainment value beyond straight textbook education) as these, I think I would have gotten bogged down in the reading…having the audiobook version to keep things moving along was ideal.
As far as what was covered, there were definitely some stories along the lines of what I was anticipating – things like backstabbing scientists, Midas and his “golden touch,” lies and faked studies used to try and get ahead, and the titular story about spoons made from certain elements so that they would dissolve upon being used (big jokers, those scientists). But more than that, this was essentially a story of world history told within the context of the periodic table. From the race to discover (and create) new elements to the way certain elements were used/combined to make stronger and worse weapons war one war to then next to to politicization of scientific process, cooperation, discovery and naming of elements. It is also a mini primer on the basics of chemistry and physics (and the large to almost nonexistent differences between the two when it comes to work on the periodic table), from what all the numbers on the table mean and do, to how elements interact and break down, to the myriad ways they have been and are used (for good and evil and everything in between, like before people knew what would make them good or bad for you). The book then extends beyond that, into topics like the basic ideas beyond particle theory, quantum mechanics, and more. Plus, it even jumps into some even more theoretical science, discussing things like the possibility of extraterrestrial life. Although some of those moments got a bit dry, the author kept explanations of each piece reasonable and in short order you were onto the next element/story/theory.
Straight up, this book was like the intro level course for those who want to act like they know about what the characters on The Big Bang Theory are talking about. And I do love that show. I learned (or possibly re-learned, in some cases) a ton of information. And like I said earlier, it would be a lie to say I didn’t like this book – it was, for the most part entertaining and super interesting. However, it was a much more complex, mentally taxing, science-y (even if that sounds dumb, that’s how I feel) reading experience than I was anticipating. That’s probably no one’s fault but my own, and my personal conclusions drawn, but I definitely want to let anyone else who might try reading this: go in with the right mindset, because you’ll definitely need it. Otherwise, enjoy it and go learn some stuff!
*Note on the narrator – his voice was amazing, but possibly too soothing for a book of this density. A few times I found myself having zoned out a little while listening to him (it was so calming!). Maybe that’s just a me issue, not a book/audiobook issue, but I felt it was worth mentioning, just in case anyone else knows they may have a problem with that.
I picked up and then passed by this audiobook at least 6 times before actually deciding to go for it. It sounded so interesting – talking of love and madness and myth all related to the periodic table. I mean I have never been a science person, and I was particularly less interested in physics and chemistry, so I was a little nervous. But off the top of my head I couple think of a couple crazy stories about gold, lithium, uranium, and all are pretty crazy and interesting, so I was guessing there’s be some good stuff included. Plus, I’m always down to learn (and hopefully this book would be a little less overwhelming than AP Chem). And so, I finally, I plucked up my mental “courage” and talked myself into trying it.
I honestly cannot decide how I want to talk about this book. I think, to start, I’d like to just get it out there that I did enjoy it. It moved along smoothly and quickly, did a great job building on itself (and was self-recognizing enough to remind you of things you read/learned earlier, because it was a lot of information and it comes at you fast), and truly kept my interest. It’s a wonderful overview of many concepts and, while I’m sure the people that study these topics hate this kind of oversimplification of their life’s work, I felt a great line was walked between explaining enough to make things more understandable but not so much as to re-confuse or lose the reader. On the flip side, even with that there were a few concepts that I think still went over my head (perhaps because I was listening to the audiobook and couldn’t go back to re-read a section that was particularly dense or that I lost my train of thought during.) And in general, this was definitely a more intensive read than I was anticipating. The subtitle, “and other true tales of madness, love and the history of the world from the periodic table of elements” definitely, I felt, made the book sound much lighter than it ended up being. Similar to My Own Words (by the Notorious RBG), I am glad that I listened to this instead of read it. With books that are as in depth and informationally intensive (even though they both still have entertainment value beyond straight textbook education) as these, I think I would have gotten bogged down in the reading…having the audiobook version to keep things moving along was ideal.
As far as what was covered, there were definitely some stories along the lines of what I was anticipating – things like backstabbing scientists, Midas and his “golden touch,” lies and faked studies used to try and get ahead, and the titular story about spoons made from certain elements so that they would dissolve upon being used (big jokers, those scientists). But more than that, this was essentially a story of world history told within the context of the periodic table. From the race to discover (and create) new elements to the way certain elements were used/combined to make stronger and worse weapons war one war to then next to to politicization of scientific process, cooperation, discovery and naming of elements. It is also a mini primer on the basics of chemistry and physics (and the large to almost nonexistent differences between the two when it comes to work on the periodic table), from what all the numbers on the table mean and do, to how elements interact and break down, to the myriad ways they have been and are used (for good and evil and everything in between, like before people knew what would make them good or bad for you). The book then extends beyond that, into topics like the basic ideas beyond particle theory, quantum mechanics, and more. Plus, it even jumps into some even more theoretical science, discussing things like the possibility of extraterrestrial life. Although some of those moments got a bit dry, the author kept explanations of each piece reasonable and in short order you were onto the next element/story/theory.
Straight up, this book was like the intro level course for those who want to act like they know about what the characters on The Big Bang Theory are talking about. And I do love that show. I learned (or possibly re-learned, in some cases) a ton of information. And like I said earlier, it would be a lie to say I didn’t like this book – it was, for the most part entertaining and super interesting. However, it was a much more complex, mentally taxing, science-y (even if that sounds dumb, that’s how I feel) reading experience than I was anticipating. That’s probably no one’s fault but my own, and my personal conclusions drawn, but I definitely want to let anyone else who might try reading this: go in with the right mindset, because you’ll definitely need it. Otherwise, enjoy it and go learn some stuff!
*Note on the narrator – his voice was amazing, but possibly too soothing for a book of this density. A few times I found myself having zoned out a little while listening to him (it was so calming!). Maybe that’s just a me issue, not a book/audiobook issue, but I felt it was worth mentioning, just in case anyone else knows they may have a problem with that.
This review originally appeared on the book review blog: Just One More Pa(i)ge.
I have like 3 books on my shelf by Ishiguro, and they’ve all been on my TBR list for so long now… For some reason I have just kept putting them off. But, in light of the recent announcement of his winning the Nobel Prize for Literature, I felt that now, if ever, would be the time to jump into one. I ended up choosing The Buried Giant because it takes place in post-Arthurian Britain…and I do love King Arthur.
“The giant, once well buried, now stirs.”
This is a very odd tale – a mix of light fantasy/magical realism, historical fiction, and philosophy. The tone was incredibly ephemeral, atmospheric and metaphorical. Even before I had any idea what there could be a metaphor for, or even if there was one at all, is felt like I was reading one. The dialogue is written in the sort of awkwardly stilted, exclamatory way, interspersed with the verbose, slightly long-winded, exposition that is common in classic English literature (like in Shakespeare or Chaucer). It’s not necessarily my favorite writing style, and it’s definitely a bit cumbersome to read, taking a bit more effort on the part of the reader than I generally like (as far as wordiness is concerned). What it makes me think of is when you are listening to someone speaking with an accent: it’s totally fine, you can understand them no problem, but you have to pay close attention to the cadence, because if you lose that, it becomes very hard to follow or understand. However, considering the time period in which this story is based, that style does add to the overall ambiance of the novel.
We follow Axl and Beatrice, both Britons, as they start off on a journey to visit the village where their son lives. Along the way, they are joined by a Saxon warrior, a young Saxon orphan, and an aged Briton knight who once in his past served King Arthur. Although they travel together, throughout the story each of their separate agendas begin to emerge, placing some of them greatly at odds with the others. This is all complicated by the fact that a strange mist hovers over the land, obscuring the past and causing a general forgetfulness among the population. But as each of them have memories stirred by the faces and actions of the others, a fairly dark and tangled picture of their troubled histories takes shape.
This is one of those books that I feel like a college English class could dissect ad nauseum, with theories about what the author was trying to say in his explorations of love, war, revenge and memory. Although I feel like I never actually (or at least never confidently) figured out what this novel’s metaphor(s) might be, these are incredibly universal themes that we are given to think about. And with the story revolving around a mist of forgetfulness, it is easy to philosophize about the benefits or harm of forgetting the past versus remembering it. Is it better to leave behind the transgressions of war in order to build a more peaceful future or the remember them so that mistakes are not remade? Is it better to move past personal betrayals in order to focus on a better future relationship or to remember those failures and learn from them? These are very interesting, very thoughtful, very deep explorations that the author gives us on the basis for the growth of a nation and the bonds of love. And they are fascinatingly presented for discussion here (I mean take a second to truly think about what your relationships and life might look like if you could not remember any of the major terrible, or wonderful, events from your past – it’s overwhelming, a bit terrifying, and super intriguing). But if you are someone who prefers a clear moral, a wrapped-up conclusion, a tight story…you will not necessarily get that. This is more of a story for posing questions than answering them.
Overall, this was an impressive story, harkening back to classic English literature in form and language. It’s cerebral and not for the faint of heart, and though it was more effort to get through that I would have hoped for, I definitely recognize the brilliance behind it. I can see why Ishiguro has received such accolades.
“But then again I wonder if what we feel in our hearts today isn’t like these raindrops still falling on us from the soaked leaves above, even though the sky itself long stopped raining. I’m wondering if without our memories there’s nothing for it but for our love to fade and die.”
“For I suppose there’s some would hear my words and think our love flawed and broken. But God will know the slow tread of an old couple’s love for each other, and understand how black shadows make part of its whole.”
I have like 3 books on my shelf by Ishiguro, and they’ve all been on my TBR list for so long now… For some reason I have just kept putting them off. But, in light of the recent announcement of his winning the Nobel Prize for Literature, I felt that now, if ever, would be the time to jump into one. I ended up choosing The Buried Giant because it takes place in post-Arthurian Britain…and I do love King Arthur.
“The giant, once well buried, now stirs.”
This is a very odd tale – a mix of light fantasy/magical realism, historical fiction, and philosophy. The tone was incredibly ephemeral, atmospheric and metaphorical. Even before I had any idea what there could be a metaphor for, or even if there was one at all, is felt like I was reading one. The dialogue is written in the sort of awkwardly stilted, exclamatory way, interspersed with the verbose, slightly long-winded, exposition that is common in classic English literature (like in Shakespeare or Chaucer). It’s not necessarily my favorite writing style, and it’s definitely a bit cumbersome to read, taking a bit more effort on the part of the reader than I generally like (as far as wordiness is concerned). What it makes me think of is when you are listening to someone speaking with an accent: it’s totally fine, you can understand them no problem, but you have to pay close attention to the cadence, because if you lose that, it becomes very hard to follow or understand. However, considering the time period in which this story is based, that style does add to the overall ambiance of the novel.
We follow Axl and Beatrice, both Britons, as they start off on a journey to visit the village where their son lives. Along the way, they are joined by a Saxon warrior, a young Saxon orphan, and an aged Briton knight who once in his past served King Arthur. Although they travel together, throughout the story each of their separate agendas begin to emerge, placing some of them greatly at odds with the others. This is all complicated by the fact that a strange mist hovers over the land, obscuring the past and causing a general forgetfulness among the population. But as each of them have memories stirred by the faces and actions of the others, a fairly dark and tangled picture of their troubled histories takes shape.
This is one of those books that I feel like a college English class could dissect ad nauseum, with theories about what the author was trying to say in his explorations of love, war, revenge and memory. Although I feel like I never actually (or at least never confidently) figured out what this novel’s metaphor(s) might be, these are incredibly universal themes that we are given to think about. And with the story revolving around a mist of forgetfulness, it is easy to philosophize about the benefits or harm of forgetting the past versus remembering it. Is it better to leave behind the transgressions of war in order to build a more peaceful future or the remember them so that mistakes are not remade? Is it better to move past personal betrayals in order to focus on a better future relationship or to remember those failures and learn from them? These are very interesting, very thoughtful, very deep explorations that the author gives us on the basis for the growth of a nation and the bonds of love. And they are fascinatingly presented for discussion here (I mean take a second to truly think about what your relationships and life might look like if you could not remember any of the major terrible, or wonderful, events from your past – it’s overwhelming, a bit terrifying, and super intriguing). But if you are someone who prefers a clear moral, a wrapped-up conclusion, a tight story…you will not necessarily get that. This is more of a story for posing questions than answering them.
Overall, this was an impressive story, harkening back to classic English literature in form and language. It’s cerebral and not for the faint of heart, and though it was more effort to get through that I would have hoped for, I definitely recognize the brilliance behind it. I can see why Ishiguro has received such accolades.
“But then again I wonder if what we feel in our hearts today isn’t like these raindrops still falling on us from the soaked leaves above, even though the sky itself long stopped raining. I’m wondering if without our memories there’s nothing for it but for our love to fade and die.”
“For I suppose there’s some would hear my words and think our love flawed and broken. But God will know the slow tread of an old couple’s love for each other, and understand how black shadows make part of its whole.”
This review originally appeared on the book review blog: Just One More Pa(i)ge.
“‘Going back’ had two distinct meanings at the school, depending on how it was said. It was the best thing in the world. It was also the worst thing that could happen to anybody. It was returning to a place that understood you so well that it had reached across realities to find you, claiming you as its own and only; it was being sent to a family that wanted to love you, wanted to keep you safe and sound, but didn’t know you well enough to do anything but hurt you. The duality of the phrase was like the duality of the doors: they changed lives, and they destroyed them, all with the same, simple invitation. Come through, and see."
Nancy walked through a door and found herself in the Halls of the Dead, an Underworld that prized stillness and punished motion and restlessness. Though years passed for her there, she is now back in the “normal” world, on orders from the Lord of the Dead that she cannot return until she is absolutely sure that it’s what she wants. But only weeks have passed in this world and her parents, hoping that someone else can help bring back the daughter she used to be before her disappearance, send her to Eleanor West’s Home for Wayward Children. But Eleanor runs a particular kind of home, and collects children who have returned, confused and yearning to go back, from the many worlds that their doors led them too. She meets Sumi (who visited a high Nonsense, high Virtue world), Jack and Jill (who visited a high Logic, high Wicked world), Kade (who visited a high Logic Fairyland), Christopher (a fellow visitor of an Underworld, but perhaps a more Nonsense one), and more. And they all, except perhaps Kade, want to go back – will perhaps do anything, go too far, to make it back to their through-the-door worlds.
I loved this book – the story, the atmospheric tone, the language – everything was exactly what it needed to be. The exposition and dialogue was executed so exactly that nothing was left wanting, despite the sparseness of words. The author could easily have used three times as many words to tell this story, but I do not feel like anything was lost for it being so short. In fact, the feel created by the brevity was ideal for the story being told – the little details about the characters and their worlds were the perfect little snapshots. Also, I cannot say how much I appreciated the straightforward, no nonsense, lack of frills way that sex, sexuality, gender and attraction were handled. The author wrote about them as if each characters’ feelings and decisions were every day, perfectly understandable…which, despite being what should be the norm, is generally not the case (particularly considering the wide range of sexuality and gender represented). I’d even venture to say that they were handled bluntly – no oblique descriptions or innuendos to be found – which was absolutely refreshing.
As far as the story itself, the plot was, in fact, fairly superficial. However, it functioned in its purpose just enough to move things along as we experience the real power of the story. While not particularly profound in and of itself, I found that after finishing, I was left deeply touched by the setting and the characters. Each of their experiences, while in detail wildly different, have a common base that spoke directly to the parts inside myself (the parts inside each of us) that we feel we need to hide from others, the parts that make us feel like outsiders, like we don’t fit in. I also thought that the way each of the characters has an odd problem or dysphoria, one that makes them unable to function fully in “normal” world setting is reminiscent of the Harry Potter fan theories that say Harry is actually a regular kid who has some kind of psychological disorder and that the entirety of the story is not “real,” but is happening in his head. In this case, their travels to worlds that accept or highlight those “worst” parts of them is just a fantastical explanation for something that is otherwise completely unfair: that some youth have to deal with difficult/terrible situations, while others don’t, and there is not always somewhere/one they can go to for help. Altogether, this book recognizes and highlights deeps truths about being an outcast, or feeling uncomfortable in your won skin, in an incredibly nuanced way.
A fast, whimsical and profound read, with just a hint of sinister, in perfect measure. A fantastic tale with a moral of [self] acceptance. This one will stay with me for a long time.
Quotes:
“Because hope is a knife that can cut through the foundations of the world.”
“We notice the silence of men. We depend upon the silence of women.”
“She dreamt of ghosts, and silent halls where the dead walked, untroubled.
Christopher dreamt of dancing skeletons that gleamed like opals, and the unchanging, ever-welcoming smile of the Skeleton Girl.
Kade dreamt a world in all the colors of the rainbow, a prism of a country, shattering itself into a thousand shards of light.”
“‘Going back’ had two distinct meanings at the school, depending on how it was said. It was the best thing in the world. It was also the worst thing that could happen to anybody. It was returning to a place that understood you so well that it had reached across realities to find you, claiming you as its own and only; it was being sent to a family that wanted to love you, wanted to keep you safe and sound, but didn’t know you well enough to do anything but hurt you. The duality of the phrase was like the duality of the doors: they changed lives, and they destroyed them, all with the same, simple invitation. Come through, and see."
Nancy walked through a door and found herself in the Halls of the Dead, an Underworld that prized stillness and punished motion and restlessness. Though years passed for her there, she is now back in the “normal” world, on orders from the Lord of the Dead that she cannot return until she is absolutely sure that it’s what she wants. But only weeks have passed in this world and her parents, hoping that someone else can help bring back the daughter she used to be before her disappearance, send her to Eleanor West’s Home for Wayward Children. But Eleanor runs a particular kind of home, and collects children who have returned, confused and yearning to go back, from the many worlds that their doors led them too. She meets Sumi (who visited a high Nonsense, high Virtue world), Jack and Jill (who visited a high Logic, high Wicked world), Kade (who visited a high Logic Fairyland), Christopher (a fellow visitor of an Underworld, but perhaps a more Nonsense one), and more. And they all, except perhaps Kade, want to go back – will perhaps do anything, go too far, to make it back to their through-the-door worlds.
I loved this book – the story, the atmospheric tone, the language – everything was exactly what it needed to be. The exposition and dialogue was executed so exactly that nothing was left wanting, despite the sparseness of words. The author could easily have used three times as many words to tell this story, but I do not feel like anything was lost for it being so short. In fact, the feel created by the brevity was ideal for the story being told – the little details about the characters and their worlds were the perfect little snapshots. Also, I cannot say how much I appreciated the straightforward, no nonsense, lack of frills way that sex, sexuality, gender and attraction were handled. The author wrote about them as if each characters’ feelings and decisions were every day, perfectly understandable…which, despite being what should be the norm, is generally not the case (particularly considering the wide range of sexuality and gender represented). I’d even venture to say that they were handled bluntly – no oblique descriptions or innuendos to be found – which was absolutely refreshing.
As far as the story itself, the plot was, in fact, fairly superficial. However, it functioned in its purpose just enough to move things along as we experience the real power of the story. While not particularly profound in and of itself, I found that after finishing, I was left deeply touched by the setting and the characters. Each of their experiences, while in detail wildly different, have a common base that spoke directly to the parts inside myself (the parts inside each of us) that we feel we need to hide from others, the parts that make us feel like outsiders, like we don’t fit in. I also thought that the way each of the characters has an odd problem or dysphoria, one that makes them unable to function fully in “normal” world setting is reminiscent of the Harry Potter fan theories that say Harry is actually a regular kid who has some kind of psychological disorder and that the entirety of the story is not “real,” but is happening in his head. In this case, their travels to worlds that accept or highlight those “worst” parts of them is just a fantastical explanation for something that is otherwise completely unfair: that some youth have to deal with difficult/terrible situations, while others don’t, and there is not always somewhere/one they can go to for help. Altogether, this book recognizes and highlights deeps truths about being an outcast, or feeling uncomfortable in your won skin, in an incredibly nuanced way.
A fast, whimsical and profound read, with just a hint of sinister, in perfect measure. A fantastic tale with a moral of [self] acceptance. This one will stay with me for a long time.
Quotes:
“Because hope is a knife that can cut through the foundations of the world.”
“We notice the silence of men. We depend upon the silence of women.”
“She dreamt of ghosts, and silent halls where the dead walked, untroubled.
Christopher dreamt of dancing skeletons that gleamed like opals, and the unchanging, ever-welcoming smile of the Skeleton Girl.
Kade dreamt a world in all the colors of the rainbow, a prism of a country, shattering itself into a thousand shards of light.”
This review originally appeared on the book review blog: Just One More Pa(i)ge.
Well this one is just a no brainer. Neil Gaiman. I mean, that’s enough said there. But then add Norse mythology to that (any kind of mythology, really)? Yes. All the yes. Plus, I listened to the audiobook, which (and I did not know this before I started listening) is read by Gaiman himself. The best kind of surprise! And it’s all absolutely as awesome as you’d expect.
There are so many things to love about this book. First, Gaiman’s introduction gives some great, nicely succinct, background information about Norse mythology, his interest in and research on the subject, and how much (sadly) has been lost to time. We also get a little intro to each of the main “players” (learning their characters traits and families), the ones whose names we are already probably familiar with: Odin, Thor, and Loki. The structure of the book moving past that starts with the creation myths, of the great ash tree Yggdrasil and the Nine Worlds. We hear about how Odin sacrificed himself to himself in order to become the all-knowing god. We learn about how Thor got his hammer (and how it once got stolen and he had to dress as a woman to get it back). We are told about Loki’s many exploits and extortions, getting himself and the gods into and out of trouble, and the many times he is “forgiven” until the one time he is not. And then we see how the gods punish him. We are told some stories of the lesser gods, like when the god Frey falls in love with the giantess Gerd and what he trades in order to win her hand or about Idunn’s apples of immortality or about the mead of poets made from the blood of the god Kvasir. And in the end, we hear the description of how things will be at Ragnarok, the end of time, when the gods fall and a new world and people rise from the ashes. This is one of the most mystical and poetic descriptions of the end of time, really of anything, that I’ve ever read – it flows with a cold fluidity that is beautiful for all that it is about total destruction of our world.
Each story is started and told as if it is the first, a standalone, the way that it would have been told in oral tradition. References are made to previous stories and characters, but all are given with short explanations for the minor characters or complicated names that we, as new readers, may not remember. The tone is on point, timeless and charming, while still traditional. And the atmosphere these stories create are perfect for a cold winter night with a warm drink in hand and a hot fire burning. I can see how and why they were created, told, and retold, in ages past. On top of that, Gaiman’s pronunciation and cadence, as audiobook narrator, is everything.
I cannot say enough how much I loved this book – I fell right into each story, absorbed by the mythical and the magical, living within each tale as it was told. It was atmospheric and fascinating and educational and completely entertaining. Gaiman is a master storyteller in all senses of the word and I plan to recommend this collection to literally everyone.
Well this one is just a no brainer. Neil Gaiman. I mean, that’s enough said there. But then add Norse mythology to that (any kind of mythology, really)? Yes. All the yes. Plus, I listened to the audiobook, which (and I did not know this before I started listening) is read by Gaiman himself. The best kind of surprise! And it’s all absolutely as awesome as you’d expect.
There are so many things to love about this book. First, Gaiman’s introduction gives some great, nicely succinct, background information about Norse mythology, his interest in and research on the subject, and how much (sadly) has been lost to time. We also get a little intro to each of the main “players” (learning their characters traits and families), the ones whose names we are already probably familiar with: Odin, Thor, and Loki. The structure of the book moving past that starts with the creation myths, of the great ash tree Yggdrasil and the Nine Worlds. We hear about how Odin sacrificed himself to himself in order to become the all-knowing god. We learn about how Thor got his hammer (and how it once got stolen and he had to dress as a woman to get it back). We are told about Loki’s many exploits and extortions, getting himself and the gods into and out of trouble, and the many times he is “forgiven” until the one time he is not. And then we see how the gods punish him. We are told some stories of the lesser gods, like when the god Frey falls in love with the giantess Gerd and what he trades in order to win her hand or about Idunn’s apples of immortality or about the mead of poets made from the blood of the god Kvasir. And in the end, we hear the description of how things will be at Ragnarok, the end of time, when the gods fall and a new world and people rise from the ashes. This is one of the most mystical and poetic descriptions of the end of time, really of anything, that I’ve ever read – it flows with a cold fluidity that is beautiful for all that it is about total destruction of our world.
Each story is started and told as if it is the first, a standalone, the way that it would have been told in oral tradition. References are made to previous stories and characters, but all are given with short explanations for the minor characters or complicated names that we, as new readers, may not remember. The tone is on point, timeless and charming, while still traditional. And the atmosphere these stories create are perfect for a cold winter night with a warm drink in hand and a hot fire burning. I can see how and why they were created, told, and retold, in ages past. On top of that, Gaiman’s pronunciation and cadence, as audiobook narrator, is everything.
I cannot say enough how much I loved this book – I fell right into each story, absorbed by the mythical and the magical, living within each tale as it was told. It was atmospheric and fascinating and educational and completely entertaining. Gaiman is a master storyteller in all senses of the word and I plan to recommend this collection to literally everyone.
This review originally appeared on the book review blog: Just One More Pa(i)ge.
I’ve seriously only heard great things about this duology, so when I saw them on the shelf at Walmart a few months ago, I just had to pick them up. Plus, the author blurb mentioned that is a graduate of UNC Chapel Hill, so I of course have to show some alumna support! But then, as always happens, time got away from me and they sat unread on my shelves. I’ve read some pretty deep/heavy books lately though, and this past week I was really needing something fast and fun to read, a little literary pick me up, if you will. These seemed liked the perfect choice – and I was right. In fact, I got so lost in the story and sped through them both so quickly that I’m just going to write a single review for them as a set.
First, the story being modeled after The Arabian Nights was both a major selling point and one of my favorite parts of the story. I absolutely love retellings, so when they are done well (and this one definitely was), it’s that much better. Starting with the story itself, the plot (pacing and development) was fantastic. Shahrzad (or Shazi), volunteers to marry Khalid, the caliph Khorasan, even though she knows he kills his new brides each dawn. But she has an ulterior motive: her best friend Shiva was one of those brides he killed…and she’s here for revenge. As they talk that first night, and Shazi tells him a story that is not finished by dawn, something happens. Khalid stays her execution. And as time wears on, Shazi and Khalid begin to realize things about each other, things that will prevent Khalid from murdering Shazi and will prevent Shazi from enacting her revenge. However, even though their hearts are changing, the hearts of those around them are not. And they’ll have to fight for their love and their future. It’s a non-stop story (perhaps even, at times, a bit too rushed), told in a way that makes you want to compulsively turn the page. The relationships and plot twists (let me tell you, there were some I did not see coming) all filled exactly what I was looking for. Which probably explains why I finished both books in less than a week.
As for the character development within the plot, the first book handles that perfectly. Each character, from Khalid and Shazi to their old loves, like Tariq, and their new friends, like Despina, are rendered deeply and well layered. They are all flawed, rather remarkably so, but each is more compelling for it. Their aloofness, boldness, anger, lack of self-control, secrets, etc. make them much more realistic to read than more perfect characters would be. I also felt like their connections to each other grew and changed reasonably. However, the second book lets this go a little bit, in my opinion. The plot starts to take over and the histories and personalities of our characters, both returning and new, pay the price. I feel like, particularly with Isra and Artan, their roles (the help they give, their magic, etc.) were needed to move the plot forward, so their introduction was primarily for that and their usefulness superseded us actually getting to know them. In general, they were just flatter characters than the ones we met in the first book. Relatedly, those from the first book did not grow quite as much in the second. It seemed that their characteristics were set and that was that, with no more development needed, which at times just fell a little flat and seemed too easy (with the exception of Jahandar, who I think was probably the most fully explored character in the second book). There were just a lot of elements to this story and, while I’m grateful that it was a duology and not a longer series (sometimes short and nicely wrapped up is perfect, as I do not always have the energy to get into something that long), I wonder if some of the development issues could have been handled better if there was more time.
There were some interesting undertones of Helen of Troy, what with so many major decisions being made primarily because of or in relation to Shahrzad, which is not super realistic (especially from some of the more adult characters), however in the same way that Helen plays a role in the mythology around Troy, the reader can and should accept the role Shazi plays here. I also enjoyed the comparisons of smoldering/cold/controlled anger (from Khalid) and impulsive/hotheaded anger (from Tariq). It’s clear that the author has a preference for which type of anger is better, as one causes the character who has it quite a bit of suffering. And I’m not sure that’s necessarily a great message, as both are, at base, anger issues. But it was interesting to see them played against each other. And I definitely appreciated the way that love triangle was developed. It was present, with a part to play in the plot (a large part), but in a way that is decisive, not drawn out unnecessarily. The light, not excessive, role of magic was a great touch. Finally, I loved the ending. It was tidy but not unrealistic and I loved that all our female characters (strong throughout the novel) really took lead and brought about the conclusion. Quite satisfying.
Overall, this duology was incredibly entertaining and pretty much impossible to put down. It was exactly the quick, indulgent YA I was looking for. Though I have read better, as far as overall development, this was a fantastic, fun retelling. I am not overly attached to the characters or anything now that I am done, but I did laugh and cry (no spoilers, but there were definitely some tears) along with them while reading their story, which is exactly what I needed. If you are in the mood to spend some time in another world, whisked away on a consuming adventure with intrigue and romance, then I would definitely recommend this set.
There were a number of really sweet quotes from these books (about both love and lady strength):
“You are – remarkable. Every day I think I am going to be surprised by how remarkable you are, but I am not. Because this is what it means to be you. It means knowing no bounds. Being limitless in all that you do.”
“…I remember asking my mother what heaven was. She replied ‘A heart where love dwells.’ Of course, then I demanded to know what constituted hell. She looked me straight in the eye and said ‘A heart absent love.’”
“It is a great gift to find lasting love – one that gives for every bit it takes.”
“You are boundless. There is nothing you can’t do.”
“It was because they were two parts of a whole. He did not belong to her. And she did not belong to him. It was never about belonging to someone. It was about belonging together.”
“It does not take courage to kill. It takes courage to live.”
I’ve seriously only heard great things about this duology, so when I saw them on the shelf at Walmart a few months ago, I just had to pick them up. Plus, the author blurb mentioned that is a graduate of UNC Chapel Hill, so I of course have to show some alumna support! But then, as always happens, time got away from me and they sat unread on my shelves. I’ve read some pretty deep/heavy books lately though, and this past week I was really needing something fast and fun to read, a little literary pick me up, if you will. These seemed liked the perfect choice – and I was right. In fact, I got so lost in the story and sped through them both so quickly that I’m just going to write a single review for them as a set.
First, the story being modeled after The Arabian Nights was both a major selling point and one of my favorite parts of the story. I absolutely love retellings, so when they are done well (and this one definitely was), it’s that much better. Starting with the story itself, the plot (pacing and development) was fantastic. Shahrzad (or Shazi), volunteers to marry Khalid, the caliph Khorasan, even though she knows he kills his new brides each dawn. But she has an ulterior motive: her best friend Shiva was one of those brides he killed…and she’s here for revenge. As they talk that first night, and Shazi tells him a story that is not finished by dawn, something happens. Khalid stays her execution. And as time wears on, Shazi and Khalid begin to realize things about each other, things that will prevent Khalid from murdering Shazi and will prevent Shazi from enacting her revenge. However, even though their hearts are changing, the hearts of those around them are not. And they’ll have to fight for their love and their future. It’s a non-stop story (perhaps even, at times, a bit too rushed), told in a way that makes you want to compulsively turn the page. The relationships and plot twists (let me tell you, there were some I did not see coming) all filled exactly what I was looking for. Which probably explains why I finished both books in less than a week.
As for the character development within the plot, the first book handles that perfectly. Each character, from Khalid and Shazi to their old loves, like Tariq, and their new friends, like Despina, are rendered deeply and well layered. They are all flawed, rather remarkably so, but each is more compelling for it. Their aloofness, boldness, anger, lack of self-control, secrets, etc. make them much more realistic to read than more perfect characters would be. I also felt like their connections to each other grew and changed reasonably. However, the second book lets this go a little bit, in my opinion. The plot starts to take over and the histories and personalities of our characters, both returning and new, pay the price. I feel like, particularly with Isra and Artan, their roles (the help they give, their magic, etc.) were needed to move the plot forward, so their introduction was primarily for that and their usefulness superseded us actually getting to know them. In general, they were just flatter characters than the ones we met in the first book. Relatedly, those from the first book did not grow quite as much in the second. It seemed that their characteristics were set and that was that, with no more development needed, which at times just fell a little flat and seemed too easy (with the exception of Jahandar, who I think was probably the most fully explored character in the second book). There were just a lot of elements to this story and, while I’m grateful that it was a duology and not a longer series (sometimes short and nicely wrapped up is perfect, as I do not always have the energy to get into something that long), I wonder if some of the development issues could have been handled better if there was more time.
There were some interesting undertones of Helen of Troy, what with so many major decisions being made primarily because of or in relation to Shahrzad, which is not super realistic (especially from some of the more adult characters), however in the same way that Helen plays a role in the mythology around Troy, the reader can and should accept the role Shazi plays here. I also enjoyed the comparisons of smoldering/cold/controlled anger (from Khalid) and impulsive/hotheaded anger (from Tariq). It’s clear that the author has a preference for which type of anger is better, as one causes the character who has it quite a bit of suffering. And I’m not sure that’s necessarily a great message, as both are, at base, anger issues. But it was interesting to see them played against each other. And I definitely appreciated the way that love triangle was developed. It was present, with a part to play in the plot (a large part), but in a way that is decisive, not drawn out unnecessarily. The light, not excessive, role of magic was a great touch. Finally, I loved the ending. It was tidy but not unrealistic and I loved that all our female characters (strong throughout the novel) really took lead and brought about the conclusion. Quite satisfying.
Overall, this duology was incredibly entertaining and pretty much impossible to put down. It was exactly the quick, indulgent YA I was looking for. Though I have read better, as far as overall development, this was a fantastic, fun retelling. I am not overly attached to the characters or anything now that I am done, but I did laugh and cry (no spoilers, but there were definitely some tears) along with them while reading their story, which is exactly what I needed. If you are in the mood to spend some time in another world, whisked away on a consuming adventure with intrigue and romance, then I would definitely recommend this set.
There were a number of really sweet quotes from these books (about both love and lady strength):
“You are – remarkable. Every day I think I am going to be surprised by how remarkable you are, but I am not. Because this is what it means to be you. It means knowing no bounds. Being limitless in all that you do.”
“…I remember asking my mother what heaven was. She replied ‘A heart where love dwells.’ Of course, then I demanded to know what constituted hell. She looked me straight in the eye and said ‘A heart absent love.’”
“It is a great gift to find lasting love – one that gives for every bit it takes.”
“You are boundless. There is nothing you can’t do.”
“It was because they were two parts of a whole. He did not belong to her. And she did not belong to him. It was never about belonging to someone. It was about belonging together.”
“It does not take courage to kill. It takes courage to live.”
This review originally appeared on the book review blog: Just One More Pa(i)ge.
I’ve seriously only heard great things about this duology, so when I saw them on the shelf at Walmart a few months ago, I just had to pick them up. Plus, the author blurb mentioned that is a graduate of UNC Chapel Hill, so I of course have to show some alumna support! But then, as always happens, time got away from me and they sat unread on my shelves. I’ve read some pretty deep/heavy books lately though, and this past week I was really needing something fast and fun to read, a little literary pick me up, if you will. These seemed liked the perfect choice – and I was right. In fact, I got so lost in the story and sped through them both so quickly that I’m just going to write a single review for them as a set.
First, the story being modeled after The Arabian Nights was both a major selling point and one of my favorite parts of the story. I absolutely love retellings, so when they are done well (and this one definitely was), it’s that much better. Starting with the story itself, the plot (pacing and development) was fantastic. Shahrzad (or Shazi), volunteers to marry Khalid, the caliph Khorasan, even though she knows he kills his new brides each dawn. But she has an ulterior motive: her best friend Shiva was one of those brides he killed…and she’s here for revenge. As they talk that first night, and Shazi tells him a story that is not finished by dawn, something happens. Khalid stays her execution. And as time wears on, Shazi and Khalid begin to realize things about each other, things that will prevent Khalid from murdering Shazi and will prevent Shazi from enacting her revenge. However, even though their hearts are changing, the hearts of those around them are not. And they’ll have to fight for their love and their future. It’s a non-stop story (perhaps even, at times, a bit too rushed), told in a way that makes you want to compulsively turn the page. The relationships and plot twists (let me tell you, there were some I did not see coming) all filled exactly what I was looking for. Which probably explains why I finished both books in less than a week.
As for the character development within the plot, the first book handles that perfectly. Each character, from Khalid and Shazi to their old loves, like Tariq, and their new friends, like Despina, are rendered deeply and well layered. They are all flawed, rather remarkably so, but each is more compelling for it. Their aloofness, boldness, anger, lack of self-control, secrets, etc. make them much more realistic to read than more perfect characters would be. I also felt like their connections to each other grew and changed reasonably. However, the second book lets this go a little bit, in my opinion. The plot starts to take over and the histories and personalities of our characters, both returning and new, pay the price. I feel like, particularly with Isra and Artan, their roles (the help they give, their magic, etc.) were needed to move the plot forward, so their introduction was primarily for that and their usefulness superseded us actually getting to know them. In general, they were just flatter characters than the ones we met in the first book. Relatedly, those from the first book did not grow quite as much in the second. It seemed that their characteristics were set and that was that, with no more development needed, which at times just fell a little flat and seemed too easy (with the exception of Jahandar, who I think was probably the most fully explored character in the second book). There were just a lot of elements to this story and, while I’m grateful that it was a duology and not a longer series (sometimes short and nicely wrapped up is perfect, as I do not always have the energy to get into something that long), I wonder if some of the development issues could have been handled better if there was more time.
There were some interesting undertones of Helen of Troy, what with so many major decisions being made primarily because of or in relation to Shahrzad, which is not super realistic (especially from some of the more adult characters), however in the same way that Helen plays a role in the mythology around Troy, the reader can and should accept the role Shazi plays here. I also enjoyed the comparisons of smoldering/cold/controlled anger (from Khalid) and impulsive/hotheaded anger (from Tariq). It’s clear that the author has a preference for which type of anger is better, as one causes the character who has it quite a bit of suffering. And I’m not sure that’s necessarily a great message, as both are, at base, anger issues. But it was interesting to see them played against each other. And I definitely appreciated the way that love triangle was developed. It was present, with a part to play in the plot (a large part), but in a way that is decisive, not drawn out unnecessarily. The light, not excessive, role of magic was a great touch. Finally, I loved the ending. It was tidy but not unrealistic and I loved that all our female characters (strong throughout the novel) really took lead and brought about the conclusion. Quite satisfying.
Overall, this duology was incredibly entertaining and pretty much impossible to put down. It was exactly the quick, indulgent YA I was looking for. Though I have read better, as far as overall development, this was a fantastic, fun retelling. I am not overly attached to the characters or anything now that I am done, but I did laugh and cry (no spoilers, but there were definitely some tears) along with them while reading their story, which is exactly what I needed. If you are in the mood to spend some time in another world, whisked away on a consuming adventure with intrigue and romance, then I would definitely recommend this set.
There were a number of really sweet quotes from these books (about both love and lady strength):
“You are – remarkable. Every day I think I am going to be surprised by how remarkable you are, but I am not. Because this is what it means to be you. It means knowing no bounds. Being limitless in all that you do.”
“…I remember asking my mother what heaven was. She replied ‘A heart where love dwells.’ Of course, then I demanded to know what constituted hell. She looked me straight in the eye and said ‘A heart absent love.’”
“It is a great gift to find lasting love – one that gives for every bit it takes.”
“You are boundless. There is nothing you can’t do.”
“It was because they were two parts of a whole. He did not belong to her. And she did not belong to him. It was never about belonging to someone. It was about belonging together.”
“It does not take courage to kill. It takes courage to live.”
I’ve seriously only heard great things about this duology, so when I saw them on the shelf at Walmart a few months ago, I just had to pick them up. Plus, the author blurb mentioned that is a graduate of UNC Chapel Hill, so I of course have to show some alumna support! But then, as always happens, time got away from me and they sat unread on my shelves. I’ve read some pretty deep/heavy books lately though, and this past week I was really needing something fast and fun to read, a little literary pick me up, if you will. These seemed liked the perfect choice – and I was right. In fact, I got so lost in the story and sped through them both so quickly that I’m just going to write a single review for them as a set.
First, the story being modeled after The Arabian Nights was both a major selling point and one of my favorite parts of the story. I absolutely love retellings, so when they are done well (and this one definitely was), it’s that much better. Starting with the story itself, the plot (pacing and development) was fantastic. Shahrzad (or Shazi), volunteers to marry Khalid, the caliph Khorasan, even though she knows he kills his new brides each dawn. But she has an ulterior motive: her best friend Shiva was one of those brides he killed…and she’s here for revenge. As they talk that first night, and Shazi tells him a story that is not finished by dawn, something happens. Khalid stays her execution. And as time wears on, Shazi and Khalid begin to realize things about each other, things that will prevent Khalid from murdering Shazi and will prevent Shazi from enacting her revenge. However, even though their hearts are changing, the hearts of those around them are not. And they’ll have to fight for their love and their future. It’s a non-stop story (perhaps even, at times, a bit too rushed), told in a way that makes you want to compulsively turn the page. The relationships and plot twists (let me tell you, there were some I did not see coming) all filled exactly what I was looking for. Which probably explains why I finished both books in less than a week.
As for the character development within the plot, the first book handles that perfectly. Each character, from Khalid and Shazi to their old loves, like Tariq, and their new friends, like Despina, are rendered deeply and well layered. They are all flawed, rather remarkably so, but each is more compelling for it. Their aloofness, boldness, anger, lack of self-control, secrets, etc. make them much more realistic to read than more perfect characters would be. I also felt like their connections to each other grew and changed reasonably. However, the second book lets this go a little bit, in my opinion. The plot starts to take over and the histories and personalities of our characters, both returning and new, pay the price. I feel like, particularly with Isra and Artan, their roles (the help they give, their magic, etc.) were needed to move the plot forward, so their introduction was primarily for that and their usefulness superseded us actually getting to know them. In general, they were just flatter characters than the ones we met in the first book. Relatedly, those from the first book did not grow quite as much in the second. It seemed that their characteristics were set and that was that, with no more development needed, which at times just fell a little flat and seemed too easy (with the exception of Jahandar, who I think was probably the most fully explored character in the second book). There were just a lot of elements to this story and, while I’m grateful that it was a duology and not a longer series (sometimes short and nicely wrapped up is perfect, as I do not always have the energy to get into something that long), I wonder if some of the development issues could have been handled better if there was more time.
There were some interesting undertones of Helen of Troy, what with so many major decisions being made primarily because of or in relation to Shahrzad, which is not super realistic (especially from some of the more adult characters), however in the same way that Helen plays a role in the mythology around Troy, the reader can and should accept the role Shazi plays here. I also enjoyed the comparisons of smoldering/cold/controlled anger (from Khalid) and impulsive/hotheaded anger (from Tariq). It’s clear that the author has a preference for which type of anger is better, as one causes the character who has it quite a bit of suffering. And I’m not sure that’s necessarily a great message, as both are, at base, anger issues. But it was interesting to see them played against each other. And I definitely appreciated the way that love triangle was developed. It was present, with a part to play in the plot (a large part), but in a way that is decisive, not drawn out unnecessarily. The light, not excessive, role of magic was a great touch. Finally, I loved the ending. It was tidy but not unrealistic and I loved that all our female characters (strong throughout the novel) really took lead and brought about the conclusion. Quite satisfying.
Overall, this duology was incredibly entertaining and pretty much impossible to put down. It was exactly the quick, indulgent YA I was looking for. Though I have read better, as far as overall development, this was a fantastic, fun retelling. I am not overly attached to the characters or anything now that I am done, but I did laugh and cry (no spoilers, but there were definitely some tears) along with them while reading their story, which is exactly what I needed. If you are in the mood to spend some time in another world, whisked away on a consuming adventure with intrigue and romance, then I would definitely recommend this set.
There were a number of really sweet quotes from these books (about both love and lady strength):
“You are – remarkable. Every day I think I am going to be surprised by how remarkable you are, but I am not. Because this is what it means to be you. It means knowing no bounds. Being limitless in all that you do.”
“…I remember asking my mother what heaven was. She replied ‘A heart where love dwells.’ Of course, then I demanded to know what constituted hell. She looked me straight in the eye and said ‘A heart absent love.’”
“It is a great gift to find lasting love – one that gives for every bit it takes.”
“You are boundless. There is nothing you can’t do.”
“It was because they were two parts of a whole. He did not belong to her. And she did not belong to him. It was never about belonging to someone. It was about belonging together.”
“It does not take courage to kill. It takes courage to live.”
This review originally appeared on the book review blog: Just One More Pa(i)ge.
“You know, for a long time I thought every human life was just a clock waiting to run out. No matter what they did, it made no difference. At the end of their time, no one was special, no one was unique, and no matter who they were or what they’d accomplished, they’d all die, just like any other.”
I had never heard of this novel, or author, until a few weeks ago when he emailed to say that he enjoyed my reviews and would I be interested in reading/reviewing a copy of his soon-to-be-published novel about a girl who thinks she is Death. Well, that just sounded a little too intriguing to pass up. Plus, as a still fairly nascent book blogger, I was super flattered regarding the compliments to my reviewing style. (I won’t lie.) So, here we are.
This was definitely an entertaining read. The slightly off-color sense of humor and snarky tone, set before you even start reading by the cover design (which, I have to say, I really enjoy), is consistent throughout the novel. Although at times the writing itself is a little juvenile and forced, at times I did get a little annoyed by the simplicity and didacticism of the internal monologue and the use/repetition of many stock phrases, I think the general feel of the writing stayed on point and created a mood/atmosphere that I definitely liked. The dialogue was inconsistent in its delivery – at times awkward and stilted but at others really natural and on point. Relatedly, I think there are points where the plot flows smoothly and realistically and other times that things happen just a little too conveniently (though after I read the ending, it’s possible that some of that can be explained away…a little). All in all, there was never a point where I got too frustrated to keep reading, I was definitely into the story and the characters, I just think a little more focus on consistency in style and working to ease up on abruptness of transitions/connections would really help.
Regardless of some of those shortcomings, I LOVED that for the entirety of the book, pretty much until the last few pages, it remained unclear whether our protagonist was truly Death or if she really was just a messed-up girl named Dorothy. Like, I cannot say enough good things about how well the author managed to balance the two possibilities. Occasionally we’d be thrown little things like her speaking a phrase of Russian out of the blue or knowing the story of how someone died before she was told, and you’d be like ‘O, ok, she could actually be Death and is just missing her powers.’ And then at other times, all the normal/mundane details would overwhelm those small moments and you’d be back to thinking that they were some kind of fluke or that she got lucky, and she really is just a confused, crazy young Dorothy. The role(s) played by some of the supporting characters, like Curtis, really help prolong this back and forth. This is just such an awesome concept and was executed smoothly and competently, stringing me along (making me want to read faster and faster so I could finally find out) all the way until the end. I also really like that the “lesson” of the story, if you will, is the same no matter which version is true (whether our heroine is actually Death or ‘just’ Dorothy) and that you “learn” it before the final reveal. In line with all that, I think the ending is spot on. I was worried, considering how long the build-up was, that when we finally learned the truth it would be a bit anticlimactic. Well, definitely not the case – it was creative and unexpected and really nicely pulled things together without any of it getting too…mushy/cliched/obvious. Very satisfying.
In the interest of honesty, I also want to say that my least favorite part is the many lofty pronouncements made by the author, about everything from “those damn hipsters” to “trigger happy cops” to “money grubbing board executives” to “youth speaking their slang.” It made it seem like the book was written by a grumpy old man who cannot decide what side of the political spectrum he is on, but handles it by criticizing everyone and everything because nothing is like it used to be anymore. I think the reason it bugged me it’s not like these opinions were all held by one character and that’s just who they were, but instead were attributed widely among the characters and even sometimes were just background details/descriptions. It was just a bit overdone and unrealistic – even if that’s what each character really thought, there is no way they would all express it that straightforwardly and with so much acceptance of the opinions…
Overall, I enjoyed this novel. I was super impressed with the premise and the way it was pulled off – handily accomplished. There were some aspects of the writing itself that I was not as impressed with, but those are much easier to fix (and overlook) than conceptual problems. Definitely a fun read and, if you have a bit of an off kilter humorous side, this story will keep you amused.
I received an ARC of this book from the author, in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for the opportunity!
“You know, for a long time I thought every human life was just a clock waiting to run out. No matter what they did, it made no difference. At the end of their time, no one was special, no one was unique, and no matter who they were or what they’d accomplished, they’d all die, just like any other.”
I had never heard of this novel, or author, until a few weeks ago when he emailed to say that he enjoyed my reviews and would I be interested in reading/reviewing a copy of his soon-to-be-published novel about a girl who thinks she is Death. Well, that just sounded a little too intriguing to pass up. Plus, as a still fairly nascent book blogger, I was super flattered regarding the compliments to my reviewing style. (I won’t lie.) So, here we are.
This was definitely an entertaining read. The slightly off-color sense of humor and snarky tone, set before you even start reading by the cover design (which, I have to say, I really enjoy), is consistent throughout the novel. Although at times the writing itself is a little juvenile and forced, at times I did get a little annoyed by the simplicity and didacticism of the internal monologue and the use/repetition of many stock phrases, I think the general feel of the writing stayed on point and created a mood/atmosphere that I definitely liked. The dialogue was inconsistent in its delivery – at times awkward and stilted but at others really natural and on point. Relatedly, I think there are points where the plot flows smoothly and realistically and other times that things happen just a little too conveniently (though after I read the ending, it’s possible that some of that can be explained away…a little). All in all, there was never a point where I got too frustrated to keep reading, I was definitely into the story and the characters, I just think a little more focus on consistency in style and working to ease up on abruptness of transitions/connections would really help.
Regardless of some of those shortcomings, I LOVED that for the entirety of the book, pretty much until the last few pages, it remained unclear whether our protagonist was truly Death or if she really was just a messed-up girl named Dorothy. Like, I cannot say enough good things about how well the author managed to balance the two possibilities. Occasionally we’d be thrown little things like her speaking a phrase of Russian out of the blue or knowing the story of how someone died before she was told, and you’d be like ‘O, ok, she could actually be Death and is just missing her powers.’ And then at other times, all the normal/mundane details would overwhelm those small moments and you’d be back to thinking that they were some kind of fluke or that she got lucky, and she really is just a confused, crazy young Dorothy. The role(s) played by some of the supporting characters, like Curtis, really help prolong this back and forth. This is just such an awesome concept and was executed smoothly and competently, stringing me along (making me want to read faster and faster so I could finally find out) all the way until the end. I also really like that the “lesson” of the story, if you will, is the same no matter which version is true (whether our heroine is actually Death or ‘just’ Dorothy) and that you “learn” it before the final reveal. In line with all that, I think the ending is spot on. I was worried, considering how long the build-up was, that when we finally learned the truth it would be a bit anticlimactic. Well, definitely not the case – it was creative and unexpected and really nicely pulled things together without any of it getting too…mushy/cliched/obvious. Very satisfying.
In the interest of honesty, I also want to say that my least favorite part is the many lofty pronouncements made by the author, about everything from “those damn hipsters” to “trigger happy cops” to “money grubbing board executives” to “youth speaking their slang.” It made it seem like the book was written by a grumpy old man who cannot decide what side of the political spectrum he is on, but handles it by criticizing everyone and everything because nothing is like it used to be anymore. I think the reason it bugged me it’s not like these opinions were all held by one character and that’s just who they were, but instead were attributed widely among the characters and even sometimes were just background details/descriptions. It was just a bit overdone and unrealistic – even if that’s what each character really thought, there is no way they would all express it that straightforwardly and with so much acceptance of the opinions…
Overall, I enjoyed this novel. I was super impressed with the premise and the way it was pulled off – handily accomplished. There were some aspects of the writing itself that I was not as impressed with, but those are much easier to fix (and overlook) than conceptual problems. Definitely a fun read and, if you have a bit of an off kilter humorous side, this story will keep you amused.
I received an ARC of this book from the author, in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for the opportunity!
This review originally appeared on the book review blog: Just One More Pa(i)ge.
I am a huge fan of a retelling. So, seeing this collection of retellings of fairy tales, folk tales and other well-known/traditional stories available for request on NetGalley had me super interested. Needless to say, I was psyched when I got chosen and sent the ARC. I was a little nervous starting to read, because “everyday horror” could mean a lot of things (I totally overlooked that subtitle when originally requesting, as the rest of the description jumped at me first) and I am a giant baby when it comes to scary stories. But these are the perfect type of creepy for me: twisted and dark, instead of full on scary. And I got to read them right in time for Halloween!
Here are some short thoughts on each of the stories:
The Daughter Cells: The way the differences in perspective (between the original Little Mermaid and this retelling) are captured is on point. In general, this was an awesomely gory story to start the collection with.
The Thankless Child: The gender fluidity in the Cinderella retelling was really interesting and I thought that was a fascinating new take. And the uncomfortable focus of the fairy godmother on Paul (our Cinderella character) definitely made this tale a little horrific to read. However, beyond that I am not sure that understood the religious undertones (that were somehow related to salt?) or what the ending meant.
Fear Not: An Incident Log: The angel voice/monologue was a creative point of view. There was definitely a dark humor in carrying out God’s orders as a sort of mundane check the boxes/HR sort of job position. Very original and probably my favorite use of religion in any of the stories.
The Six Boy-Coffins: With details from a couple well known fairy tales (even if you cannot name them, you’ll recognize the elements, like nettle shirts and brothers turned into swans), this was probably my favorite story of the collection! This is a wonderfully horrifying take on the normal “handsome prince marries fair maiden” fairy tale trope, with a lovely feminist commentary on the lack of a no not meaning a yes. And the [well-deserved] lady revenge at the end was awesome! Love this quote: “She was beginning to learn the danger of silence, and that someone who wishes to hear a yes will not go out of his way to listen for a yes.”
The Rabbit: This one likely scared me the most. A sociopathic version of the Velveteen Rabbit, with a very succubus take on what being “Real” in the eyes of a child means. It felt a little like I was reading a stuffed animal version of a pathological killer storyline on a crime show. Yikes! But it was very creative, both in that I’ve never seen this story retold anywhere before, and to be fair it’s not an unreasonable (if still totally dark) reimagining of the original.
The Merry Spinster: The titular story. And sadly not my favorite considering it being based on my favorite ever, Beauty and the Beast. It started out super promising, but by the end I was really confused by the progression of the relationship between Beauty and the “Beast” and the ending. So when I finished I was pretty unsatisfied. However, this quote is pretty much my life: “Instead, she reads books, which did her no good whatever. She was twenty-eight and mostly useless.”
The Wedding Party: The dialogue between the main characters in this story was superb. It was witty, and authentic and creative and I loved it. I also thought the couple unsettling moments between them were well written examples of “everyday” horror. Unfortunately, the rest of the story, like the plot, made very little sense to me. I mean I understood what was happening on the surface, but I don’t think I recognized any of the original tales they were retellings of, which meant I wasn’t getting anything deeper from the story.
Some of Us Had Been Threatening Our Friend Mr. Toad: Whoa. What a sick and twisted story about messing with someone’s head. So much manipulation at the hands of supposed friends – the mind games and intimidation in this story were definitely a bit terrifying.
Cast Your Bread Upon the Waters: Probably my second favorite story overall. This was a cool take on the many siren/mermaid/selkie myths. Really entertaining, with a great gory ending and a big dash of over-righteous father (I mean really, you have to be pretty zealous to do what he did to his own son…yeesh).
The Frog’s Princess: This one definitely had some humor too, like an exaggerated warning story to children about making promises they don’t intend to keep. I also feel like there was a chance something deeper was going on, some kind of societal commentary on the importance we place on beauty (“Beauty is never private.”), but I think exactly what that was went over my head. Regardless, this was a lighthearted sort of gross.
Good Fences Make Good Neighbors: This was a strange amalgamation of a Grimm fairy tale and Frog and Toad. Both of which I like. But the way they are combined here is done very creepily – another really “horrifying in a depressing way” story of manipulation by someone who is supposed to be a friend. It’s well done though and a good way to close the collection.
Finally, a few of my thoughts on the collection as a whole. As I already mentioned, the “everyday horror” was the perfect amount for me: off-putting, but not enough to keep me awake at night. There were religious undertones in a number of the stories and some I enjoyed, but I felt like it happened too often for my enjoyment (keep in mind that I am super atheist and take that with a grain of salt). On the other hand, there were lots of real life phrases dropped in pretty much all the stories, everything from “financial portfolio” to “metal alloys” to “oil-modified urethane finish” and I thought that the jarring juxtaposition of that language with the fairy tale tone used throughout was a great touch. It gave a different sort of spin on the idea of “everyday horror.” One other thing I noticed was that many of the stories had some serious pronoun fluidity and confusion, which I am generally be ok with, but I felt like I couldn’t ever figure out why, what it added to the stories or what message it was supposed to be sending, so I’m not sure how I feel about it in these cases (as far as actually/truly reviewing it). Unless the goal was to just normalize non-traditional pronoun use....in that case - hell yea! Overall, an entertaining collection of super weird retellings and stories inspired from popular tales!
Thanks to NetGalley and that publisher, Henry Holt & Co, for sending me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I am a huge fan of a retelling. So, seeing this collection of retellings of fairy tales, folk tales and other well-known/traditional stories available for request on NetGalley had me super interested. Needless to say, I was psyched when I got chosen and sent the ARC. I was a little nervous starting to read, because “everyday horror” could mean a lot of things (I totally overlooked that subtitle when originally requesting, as the rest of the description jumped at me first) and I am a giant baby when it comes to scary stories. But these are the perfect type of creepy for me: twisted and dark, instead of full on scary. And I got to read them right in time for Halloween!
Here are some short thoughts on each of the stories:
The Daughter Cells: The way the differences in perspective (between the original Little Mermaid and this retelling) are captured is on point. In general, this was an awesomely gory story to start the collection with.
The Thankless Child: The gender fluidity in the Cinderella retelling was really interesting and I thought that was a fascinating new take. And the uncomfortable focus of the fairy godmother on Paul (our Cinderella character) definitely made this tale a little horrific to read. However, beyond that I am not sure that understood the religious undertones (that were somehow related to salt?) or what the ending meant.
Fear Not: An Incident Log: The angel voice/monologue was a creative point of view. There was definitely a dark humor in carrying out God’s orders as a sort of mundane check the boxes/HR sort of job position. Very original and probably my favorite use of religion in any of the stories.
The Six Boy-Coffins: With details from a couple well known fairy tales (even if you cannot name them, you’ll recognize the elements, like nettle shirts and brothers turned into swans), this was probably my favorite story of the collection! This is a wonderfully horrifying take on the normal “handsome prince marries fair maiden” fairy tale trope, with a lovely feminist commentary on the lack of a no not meaning a yes. And the [well-deserved] lady revenge at the end was awesome! Love this quote: “She was beginning to learn the danger of silence, and that someone who wishes to hear a yes will not go out of his way to listen for a yes.”
The Rabbit: This one likely scared me the most. A sociopathic version of the Velveteen Rabbit, with a very succubus take on what being “Real” in the eyes of a child means. It felt a little like I was reading a stuffed animal version of a pathological killer storyline on a crime show. Yikes! But it was very creative, both in that I’ve never seen this story retold anywhere before, and to be fair it’s not an unreasonable (if still totally dark) reimagining of the original.
The Merry Spinster: The titular story. And sadly not my favorite considering it being based on my favorite ever, Beauty and the Beast. It started out super promising, but by the end I was really confused by the progression of the relationship between Beauty and the “Beast” and the ending. So when I finished I was pretty unsatisfied. However, this quote is pretty much my life: “Instead, she reads books, which did her no good whatever. She was twenty-eight and mostly useless.”
The Wedding Party: The dialogue between the main characters in this story was superb. It was witty, and authentic and creative and I loved it. I also thought the couple unsettling moments between them were well written examples of “everyday” horror. Unfortunately, the rest of the story, like the plot, made very little sense to me. I mean I understood what was happening on the surface, but I don’t think I recognized any of the original tales they were retellings of, which meant I wasn’t getting anything deeper from the story.
Some of Us Had Been Threatening Our Friend Mr. Toad: Whoa. What a sick and twisted story about messing with someone’s head. So much manipulation at the hands of supposed friends – the mind games and intimidation in this story were definitely a bit terrifying.
Cast Your Bread Upon the Waters: Probably my second favorite story overall. This was a cool take on the many siren/mermaid/selkie myths. Really entertaining, with a great gory ending and a big dash of over-righteous father (I mean really, you have to be pretty zealous to do what he did to his own son…yeesh).
The Frog’s Princess: This one definitely had some humor too, like an exaggerated warning story to children about making promises they don’t intend to keep. I also feel like there was a chance something deeper was going on, some kind of societal commentary on the importance we place on beauty (“Beauty is never private.”), but I think exactly what that was went over my head. Regardless, this was a lighthearted sort of gross.
Good Fences Make Good Neighbors: This was a strange amalgamation of a Grimm fairy tale and Frog and Toad. Both of which I like. But the way they are combined here is done very creepily – another really “horrifying in a depressing way” story of manipulation by someone who is supposed to be a friend. It’s well done though and a good way to close the collection.
Finally, a few of my thoughts on the collection as a whole. As I already mentioned, the “everyday horror” was the perfect amount for me: off-putting, but not enough to keep me awake at night. There were religious undertones in a number of the stories and some I enjoyed, but I felt like it happened too often for my enjoyment (keep in mind that I am super atheist and take that with a grain of salt). On the other hand, there were lots of real life phrases dropped in pretty much all the stories, everything from “financial portfolio” to “metal alloys” to “oil-modified urethane finish” and I thought that the jarring juxtaposition of that language with the fairy tale tone used throughout was a great touch. It gave a different sort of spin on the idea of “everyday horror.” One other thing I noticed was that many of the stories had some serious pronoun fluidity and confusion, which I am generally be ok with, but I felt like I couldn’t ever figure out why, what it added to the stories or what message it was supposed to be sending, so I’m not sure how I feel about it in these cases (as far as actually/truly reviewing it). Unless the goal was to just normalize non-traditional pronoun use....in that case - hell yea! Overall, an entertaining collection of super weird retellings and stories inspired from popular tales!
Thanks to NetGalley and that publisher, Henry Holt & Co, for sending me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
This review originally appeared on the book review blog: Just One More Pa(i)ge.
I don’t know if this title was supposed to mean “here is a story about a little bit of life” or “here is the story of one small life” but honestly it doesn’t matter. Because either way, this is a story of a life that is nothing short of a masterpiece. This has been on my to read list for a while, but at over 700 pages, it’s a tad intimidating. At this point though, having just finished, my only regret is that I didn’t read it sooner. I haven’t been more touched, and emotionally devastated, since I read All the Ugly and Wonderful Things (which is one of my favorites books of all time). I would just like to shout out to my long-distance book club for being brave enough to vote on a book this long, because it was exactly the push I needed to start it. And it was absolutely everything it was built up to be. So very worth the time investment.
This is the story of four friends who meet in a small college in Massachusetts. Directly from the blurb on the side cover, we have: “…kind and handsome Willem, an aspiring actor; JB, a quick-witted, sometimes cruel Brooklyn-born painter seeking entry into the art world; Malcolm, a frustrated architect at a prominent firm; and withdrawn, brilliant, enigmatic Jude…” We see their relationships change and grow as they do so themselves, sometimes for the better and sometimes for the worse. But, eventually, everything in this story revolves around Jude, who becomes a high-powered lawyer but cannot leave behind the scars (physical and emotional) that haunt him from his horrifyingly traumatic childhood. As the decades pass and these four move through life, we see how they come together and fall apart in one of the most affecting and compelling depictions of friendship, brotherly (and other: familial, parental, romantic, sexual, manipulated, self) love, and the power of our pasts that I’ve ever read.
I’m really struggling with how to write this review, because I don’t think I have the words, or the skill to wield the ones I do have, to appropriately describe (read: laud) the agony that is this novel. Yanagihara is a genius. Her language, pacing, character development, plot advancement (including when to reveal and when to hold back), and just overall ability to create an atmosphere are nigh on unparalleled. To be able to tell a story of life like this, in such a compelling and absorbing way, but to still have it be, truly just a story of everyday life (albeit at least partially greater/beyond the ordinary) is unbelievable. Immediately after I started, and continuing throughout the whole story, I was completely invested, living and experiencing alongside the characters, losing myself in their stories, and pretty much unable to put down or disconnect from the book. Everything was just so real that I times I forgot that these were fictional characters and stories. I seriously loved (and sometimes hated) every second reading this. My emotional responses ran the gamut, from being deliriously happy to on the edge of my seat with apprehension to dramatic (and ugly) tears of pain and sorrow. There is so much hopefulness and hopelessness all tied up together here in such a nuanced, tangled way – the heartbreaking and full-heartedness of life (both in the daily, small details juxtaposed with the overarching, lifelong elements) all come together in a haunting and unforgettably authentic way here. Although it was at times so so hard to read, there was never even a question that I would push forward, hoping for the best (which essentially beautifully mirrors the perseverance we see from our protagonists, and particularly Jude, all along). Poignant and amazing.
So many times I read passages (I’ve included some below), that just made me stop for a second and think and appreciated how well the author captured certain feelings and ideas. There are so many universally recognizable concepts that she puts into words in a way I wouldn’t have though possible. From the lighter side, like comfortable and natural connection and companionship (with the ability to understand without the need for words), to the darker side, like the anger and lashing out at those you love most when you start to feel lost and overwhelmed (despite knowing that you’re being irrational), this novel covers it all. You cannot help but identify and empathize with these characters feelings of guilt, vulnerability (and the need to hide the ‘worst’ parts of yourself), closeness and acceptance, dependency (both good and bad), and sorrow and bargaining, love and loathing (for both oneself and towards others), unconditional support, frustration and anger – it’s truly the most realistic depiction of all the best and darkest parts of the human psyche and experience in relationships. At every turn you recognize parts of yourself in these characters’ relationships and reactions, even though at times it’s incredibly hard to admit.
I could keep going, but I think you all get the idea. And if not, the fault lies with me, and my words were not enough to convey the depth and power of this story. The truth, the humanity the author creates and presents to us, the readers, through this novel is absolutely a tour de force. I cannot recommend it enough.
Some beautiful passages/insights:
“…it was a relief to simply be with another person to whom you didn’t have to explain anything…”
“He experienced the singular pleasure of watching people he loved fall in love with other people he loved.”
“…this whole incident is a metaphor for life in general: things get broken, and sometimes they get repaired, and in most cases, you realize that no matter what gets damaged, life rearranges itself to compensate for your loss, sometimes wonderfully.”
“It was two people who remained together, day after day, bound not by sex or physical attraction or money or children or property, but only by the shared agreement to keep going, the mutual dedication to a union that could never be codified. Friendship was witnessing another’s slow drip of miseries, and long bouts of boredom, and occasional triumphs. It was feeling honored by the privilege of getting to be present for another person’s most dismal moments, and knowing that you could be dismal around him in return.”
“We all say we want our kids to be happy, only happy, and healthy, but we don’t want that. We want them to be like we are, or better than we are. We as humans are very unimaginative in that sense. We aren’t equipped for the possibility that they might be worse.”
“…it is always easier to believe what you already think than to try to change your mind.”
“Wasn’t it a miracle to have survived the unsurvivable? Wasn’t friendship its own miracle, the finding of another person who made the entire world seem somehow less lonely? And so who could blame him for hoping for one more, that despite biology, and time, and history, that they would be the exception…that even with all that Jude had overcome, he might overcome just one more thing?”
“It was precisely these scenes he missed the most from his own life with [ ], the forgettable, in-between moments in which nothing seemed to be happening but whose absence was singularly unfillable.”
I don’t know if this title was supposed to mean “here is a story about a little bit of life” or “here is the story of one small life” but honestly it doesn’t matter. Because either way, this is a story of a life that is nothing short of a masterpiece. This has been on my to read list for a while, but at over 700 pages, it’s a tad intimidating. At this point though, having just finished, my only regret is that I didn’t read it sooner. I haven’t been more touched, and emotionally devastated, since I read All the Ugly and Wonderful Things (which is one of my favorites books of all time). I would just like to shout out to my long-distance book club for being brave enough to vote on a book this long, because it was exactly the push I needed to start it. And it was absolutely everything it was built up to be. So very worth the time investment.
This is the story of four friends who meet in a small college in Massachusetts. Directly from the blurb on the side cover, we have: “…kind and handsome Willem, an aspiring actor; JB, a quick-witted, sometimes cruel Brooklyn-born painter seeking entry into the art world; Malcolm, a frustrated architect at a prominent firm; and withdrawn, brilliant, enigmatic Jude…” We see their relationships change and grow as they do so themselves, sometimes for the better and sometimes for the worse. But, eventually, everything in this story revolves around Jude, who becomes a high-powered lawyer but cannot leave behind the scars (physical and emotional) that haunt him from his horrifyingly traumatic childhood. As the decades pass and these four move through life, we see how they come together and fall apart in one of the most affecting and compelling depictions of friendship, brotherly (and other: familial, parental, romantic, sexual, manipulated, self) love, and the power of our pasts that I’ve ever read.
I’m really struggling with how to write this review, because I don’t think I have the words, or the skill to wield the ones I do have, to appropriately describe (read: laud) the agony that is this novel. Yanagihara is a genius. Her language, pacing, character development, plot advancement (including when to reveal and when to hold back), and just overall ability to create an atmosphere are nigh on unparalleled. To be able to tell a story of life like this, in such a compelling and absorbing way, but to still have it be, truly just a story of everyday life (albeit at least partially greater/beyond the ordinary) is unbelievable. Immediately after I started, and continuing throughout the whole story, I was completely invested, living and experiencing alongside the characters, losing myself in their stories, and pretty much unable to put down or disconnect from the book. Everything was just so real that I times I forgot that these were fictional characters and stories. I seriously loved (and sometimes hated) every second reading this. My emotional responses ran the gamut, from being deliriously happy to on the edge of my seat with apprehension to dramatic (and ugly) tears of pain and sorrow. There is so much hopefulness and hopelessness all tied up together here in such a nuanced, tangled way – the heartbreaking and full-heartedness of life (both in the daily, small details juxtaposed with the overarching, lifelong elements) all come together in a haunting and unforgettably authentic way here. Although it was at times so so hard to read, there was never even a question that I would push forward, hoping for the best (which essentially beautifully mirrors the perseverance we see from our protagonists, and particularly Jude, all along). Poignant and amazing.
So many times I read passages (I’ve included some below), that just made me stop for a second and think and appreciated how well the author captured certain feelings and ideas. There are so many universally recognizable concepts that she puts into words in a way I wouldn’t have though possible. From the lighter side, like comfortable and natural connection and companionship (with the ability to understand without the need for words), to the darker side, like the anger and lashing out at those you love most when you start to feel lost and overwhelmed (despite knowing that you’re being irrational), this novel covers it all. You cannot help but identify and empathize with these characters feelings of guilt, vulnerability (and the need to hide the ‘worst’ parts of yourself), closeness and acceptance, dependency (both good and bad), and sorrow and bargaining, love and loathing (for both oneself and towards others), unconditional support, frustration and anger – it’s truly the most realistic depiction of all the best and darkest parts of the human psyche and experience in relationships. At every turn you recognize parts of yourself in these characters’ relationships and reactions, even though at times it’s incredibly hard to admit.
I could keep going, but I think you all get the idea. And if not, the fault lies with me, and my words were not enough to convey the depth and power of this story. The truth, the humanity the author creates and presents to us, the readers, through this novel is absolutely a tour de force. I cannot recommend it enough.
Some beautiful passages/insights:
“…it was a relief to simply be with another person to whom you didn’t have to explain anything…”
“He experienced the singular pleasure of watching people he loved fall in love with other people he loved.”
“…this whole incident is a metaphor for life in general: things get broken, and sometimes they get repaired, and in most cases, you realize that no matter what gets damaged, life rearranges itself to compensate for your loss, sometimes wonderfully.”
“It was two people who remained together, day after day, bound not by sex or physical attraction or money or children or property, but only by the shared agreement to keep going, the mutual dedication to a union that could never be codified. Friendship was witnessing another’s slow drip of miseries, and long bouts of boredom, and occasional triumphs. It was feeling honored by the privilege of getting to be present for another person’s most dismal moments, and knowing that you could be dismal around him in return.”
“We all say we want our kids to be happy, only happy, and healthy, but we don’t want that. We want them to be like we are, or better than we are. We as humans are very unimaginative in that sense. We aren’t equipped for the possibility that they might be worse.”
“…it is always easier to believe what you already think than to try to change your mind.”
“Wasn’t it a miracle to have survived the unsurvivable? Wasn’t friendship its own miracle, the finding of another person who made the entire world seem somehow less lonely? And so who could blame him for hoping for one more, that despite biology, and time, and history, that they would be the exception…that even with all that Jude had overcome, he might overcome just one more thing?”
“It was precisely these scenes he missed the most from his own life with [ ], the forgettable, in-between moments in which nothing seemed to be happening but whose absence was singularly unfillable.”