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I am left with too many unanswered questions. How was this book supposed to make me feel - empathetic, sad, angry, hopeful? I have no idea. Pavla transforms continually but never finds herself. Her story is left incomplete. Also I agree with many of the reviews of this book that say Pavla and Danilo's stories were too separate. The main characters spent enough time apart that this read as two separate books. As a reader, I became used to Pavla's story but then she's absent for several chapters at a time. This ruins the continuity of the writing.
However, if you're someone who doesn't focus on plot but instead writing style and character development, you might enjoy this story. Also if you're a fan of fairytale retellings and dark stories like [b:The Complete Grimm's Fairy Tales|22917|The Complete Grimm's Fairy Tales|Jacob Grimm|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1369540060l/22917._SY75_.jpg|1855987], then "Little Nothing" is very similar.
This would be perfect for fans of [b:Coraline|17061|Coraline|Neil Gaiman|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1493497435l/17061._SY75_.jpg|2834844] and I wish it had been advertised that way so I knew what I was getting into. When it comes to character development, Pavla hardly changes her but Danilo grows into the role of a father and a lover. This change was beautifully written and one of the best things the story had going for it.
However, if you're someone who doesn't focus on plot but instead writing style and character development, you might enjoy this story. Also if you're a fan of fairytale retellings and dark stories like [b:The Complete Grimm's Fairy Tales|22917|The Complete Grimm's Fairy Tales|Jacob Grimm|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1369540060l/22917._SY75_.jpg|1855987], then "Little Nothing" is very similar.
This would be perfect for fans of [b:Coraline|17061|Coraline|Neil Gaiman|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1493497435l/17061._SY75_.jpg|2834844] and I wish it had been advertised that way so I knew what I was getting into. When it comes to character development, Pavla hardly changes her but Danilo grows into the role of a father and a lover. This change was beautifully written and one of the best things the story had going for it.
-- 4.5 stars --
An insightful glimpse into a storied life. To people Fitzgerald is either a playboy or a hero. There's never been a fair opinion, but this book depicts him as a flawed person capable of gifted writing. The stories that stand out are: "The I.O.U.," "What to Do About It," "I'd Die for You" and "The Pearl and the Fur."
"The I.O.U." had a plot twist that is one of Fitzgerald's best. It plays with the reader's mind, inviting them to question what is real and what isn't. However, although it plays with confusion it was never enough to deter me from the story.
"Travel Together" is the original jewel heist story. Here Fitzgerald writes with admirable empathy and there's never really a villain. The text is filled with imperfect characters, like Fitzgerald himself, who want their own justice to be fulfilled. I wish this story was more well-known. It's worth reading the book for this one story.
"I'd Die for You" has a rare character for Fitzgerald - a well written woman. Atlanta is confident, beautiful and sentimental without meaning to be. She has all the qualities of Daisy from "The Great Gatsby" but with more promise. The theme of suicide is correctly depicted as a complex issue.
"The Pearl and the Fur" is the most youthful and innocent story. For anyone who loves New York and knows it intimately, this is a must read. The streets come alive in Fitzgerald's writing and I could smell the interior of the dirty taxi cab.
An insightful glimpse into a storied life. To people Fitzgerald is either a playboy or a hero. There's never been a fair opinion, but this book depicts him as a flawed person capable of gifted writing. The stories that stand out are: "The I.O.U.," "What to Do About It," "I'd Die for You" and "The Pearl and the Fur."
"The I.O.U." had a plot twist that is one of Fitzgerald's best. It plays with the reader's mind, inviting them to question what is real and what isn't. However, although it plays with confusion it was never enough to deter me from the story.
"Travel Together" is the original jewel heist story. Here Fitzgerald writes with admirable empathy and there's never really a villain. The text is filled with imperfect characters, like Fitzgerald himself, who want their own justice to be fulfilled. I wish this story was more well-known. It's worth reading the book for this one story.
"I'd Die for You" has a rare character for Fitzgerald - a well written woman. Atlanta is confident, beautiful and sentimental without meaning to be. She has all the qualities of Daisy from "The Great Gatsby" but with more promise. The theme of suicide is correctly depicted as a complex issue.
"The Pearl and the Fur" is the most youthful and innocent story. For anyone who loves New York and knows it intimately, this is a must read. The streets come alive in Fitzgerald's writing and I could smell the interior of the dirty taxi cab.
I'm disappointed and vexed by this book. The ending didn't feel open-ended; instead it felt incomplete which is altogether worse. There was such promise to this writer and the main story of the book "The Ballad of the Sad Cafe." The arrangement of the stories didn't sit well with me. "Ballad" takes up almost half of the book so everything following it felt inferior. All of the short stories read like scenes, not complete stories. The plot didn't go anywhere and hardly anything happened. I enjoy slow plots as a rule so the fact that I couldn't enjoy this is saying something. I try not to expect much from short stories, but when you compare this selection to other great works in the genre, it is lacking.
This is what specifically bothered me in "Ballad":
1. Why was Cousin Lymon so enamored with Marvin Macy? His later association with Macy made it seem impossible that he ever cared about Miss. Amelia.
2. Why did Lymon go to so much trouble to befriend Amelia if all he ended up doing was abandoning that friendship? It made little to no sense.
3. Is Miss. Amelia a feminist ahead of her time or a witless, spineless woman who exists unhappily? One moment she seemed courageous and intelligent and the next she was barely a functioning person. Her life felt like a series of random decisions. Is she a metaphor?
4. At seventy-two pages, all that really happens is Lymon coming to town, a cafe being popular, Macy coming back to town, there's a fight and Lymon and Macy leave town again. Miss. Amelia then never leaves her cafe for the rest of her life. Why does no one in town seem to be a realistic or real person???
This is what specifically bothered me in "Ballad":
1. Why was Cousin Lymon so enamored with Marvin Macy? His later association with Macy made it seem impossible that he ever cared about Miss. Amelia.
2. Why did Lymon go to so much trouble to befriend Amelia if all he ended up doing was abandoning that friendship? It made little to no sense.
3. Is Miss. Amelia a feminist ahead of her time or a witless, spineless woman who exists unhappily? One moment she seemed courageous and intelligent and the next she was barely a functioning person. Her life felt like a series of random decisions. Is she a metaphor?
4. At seventy-two pages, all that really happens is Lymon coming to town, a cafe being popular, Macy coming back to town, there's a fight and Lymon and Macy leave town again. Miss. Amelia then never leaves her cafe for the rest of her life. Why does no one in town seem to be a realistic or real person???
SPOILERS!!!
-- 3.5 stars --
Where do I even begin? For a book that was in every #bookstagram post a year ago, I'm not sure it lived up to the hype. I've been putting off writing this review to come to terms with how I felt about the book. I would definitely read more from this author in the future because the language is lovely and surreal, but now I know all the plot happens in the last fifty pages.
I've already talked about the slow plot and that was a major factor in why I struggled to read this book. In the middle barely anything was happening except everyone falling in love with each other. It's reminiscent of [b:A Midsummer Night's Dream|1622|A Midsummer Night's Dream|William Shakespeare|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1327874534l/1622._SY75_.jpg|894834] with the whole plot revolving around emotions. At least in "Midsummer" there's a little character development but all that changes is that everyone basically becomes evil at the end. The characters that stay heroes die or have tragic ends, especially Evie.
Oh my gosh where to start with Evie?! She gets one of the worst and most unfair endings I've ever read. Of course someone was going to turn into Ursula but Evie's personality is nothing like hers! It makes no sense that Evie becomes evil at all and that such a kind and courageous heroine is dealt such a blow. Her whole life was ruined and the book goes on like this is no big deal. That's crazy. I am still steaming at how she never got her happy ending.
To sum up, here are two SHOCKING MOMENTS:
1. When Nik admits he loves Evie it is at the worst possible time and I don't care how Evie tries to justify it, there was no passion there. I never never never suspected they liked each other in that way. Their relationship was essentially ruined.
2. What was the point of Iker as a character? He was fun and entertaining, but then his character did a complete 180 and he ended up prosecuting Evie. Then Evie instantly fell out of love with him. Ultimately, he had no lasting impact on the story.
-- 3.5 stars --
Where do I even begin? For a book that was in every #bookstagram post a year ago, I'm not sure it lived up to the hype. I've been putting off writing this review to come to terms with how I felt about the book. I would definitely read more from this author in the future because the language is lovely and surreal, but now I know all the plot happens in the last fifty pages.
I've already talked about the slow plot and that was a major factor in why I struggled to read this book. In the middle barely anything was happening except everyone falling in love with each other. It's reminiscent of [b:A Midsummer Night's Dream|1622|A Midsummer Night's Dream|William Shakespeare|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1327874534l/1622._SY75_.jpg|894834] with the whole plot revolving around emotions. At least in "Midsummer" there's a little character development but all that changes is that everyone basically becomes evil at the end. The characters that stay heroes die or have tragic ends, especially Evie.
Oh my gosh where to start with Evie?! She gets one of the worst and most unfair endings I've ever read. Of course someone was going to turn into Ursula but Evie's personality is nothing like hers! It makes no sense that Evie becomes evil at all and that such a kind and courageous heroine is dealt such a blow. Her whole life was ruined and the book goes on like this is no big deal. That's crazy. I am still steaming at how she never got her happy ending.
To sum up, here are two SHOCKING MOMENTS:
1. When Nik admits he loves Evie it is at the worst possible time and I don't care how Evie tries to justify it, there was no passion there. I never never never suspected they liked each other in that way. Their relationship was essentially ruined.
2. What was the point of Iker as a character? He was fun and entertaining, but then his character did a complete 180 and he ended up prosecuting Evie. Then Evie instantly fell out of love with him. Ultimately, he had no lasting impact on the story.
SPOILERS!!!
This book wrecked my soul emotionally. For a middle grade fiction book, this was a dark one. I went to read "The Line Tender" as a new book in the children's library. I hoped that I'd be able to recommend it to the kiddos. I would recommend this book to someone who likes sad stories like [b:The Notebook|33648131|The Notebook (The Notebook, #1)|Nicholas Sparks|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1483183484l/33648131._SY75_.jpg|1498135] or someone who watches "Titanic" on repeat. This book reminded me of [b:A Dog's Purpose|7723542|A Dog's Purpose (A Dog's Purpose, #1)|W. Bruce Cameron|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1441219933l/7723542._SY75_.jpg|10479953] so if you didn't ball your eyes out reading that book or seeing the movie, then you can appreciate "The Line Tender."
The synopsis misled me. Gladly I was warned that the main character's parents were either dead or depressed so no surprise there. However, I had no idea that this was the kind of book that killed off a kid out of nowhere. Few books of middle grade fiction actually kill off a main character - let alone a kid! Then, as the book progresses, we find out information about that character that makes us love them more. Yes bury the knife deeper!
What's even most heart wrenching is that the character continues to be referenced. We learn more and more things about them, thus making the reader care more. We learn about all the things the character wanted to do and feelings they had for others that they never got the chance to act on. When Lucy finds the necklace, oh my gosh, I teared up. It was too much emotion for one book!
This book wrecked my soul emotionally. For a middle grade fiction book, this was a dark one. I went to read "The Line Tender" as a new book in the children's library. I hoped that I'd be able to recommend it to the kiddos. I would recommend this book to someone who likes sad stories like [b:The Notebook|33648131|The Notebook (The Notebook, #1)|Nicholas Sparks|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1483183484l/33648131._SY75_.jpg|1498135] or someone who watches "Titanic" on repeat. This book reminded me of [b:A Dog's Purpose|7723542|A Dog's Purpose (A Dog's Purpose, #1)|W. Bruce Cameron|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1441219933l/7723542._SY75_.jpg|10479953] so if you didn't ball your eyes out reading that book or seeing the movie, then you can appreciate "The Line Tender."
The synopsis misled me. Gladly I was warned that the main character's parents were either dead or depressed so no surprise there. However, I had no idea that this was the kind of book that killed off a kid out of nowhere. Few books of middle grade fiction actually kill off a main character - let alone a kid! Then, as the book progresses, we find out information about that character that makes us love them more. Yes bury the knife deeper!
What's even most heart wrenching is that the character continues to be referenced. We learn more and more things about them, thus making the reader care more. We learn about all the things the character wanted to do and feelings they had for others that they never got the chance to act on. When Lucy finds the necklace, oh my gosh, I teared up. It was too much emotion for one book!