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nadia's reviews
565 reviews
Enter Ghost by Isabella Hammad
challenging
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This is a great book! The writing and use of varying narrative forms/media was excellent and I appreciated the setting and the themes, especially how art, via theatre and Shakespeare, intertwined with war, politics, and identity. The book started off really strong for me: I was intrigued, immersed, and could feel the tension between the characters. And it does unfold masterfully on the whole.
However, at some point it started to drag a little and I couldn't keep track of all of the characters introduced. This made it hard for me to fully believe or be invested in some of their decisions and actions. To be fair, I was super tired while reading this and also trying to read it super quickly in advanced of the Women's Prize winner announcement. And, although I don't think it necessary, I do wish I had a stronger grasp of the story and characters in Hamlet as that would have enhanced my engagement with the debates and discussions featured in the book.
Current Women's Prize 2024 Fiction Shortlist rankings:
1. Brotherless Night
2. River East, River West
3. Enter Ghost
4. Soldier Sailor
5. Restless Dolly Maunder
Despite being my third ranked book, I see Enter Ghost being a worthy winner of the Women's Prize, more so than River East, River West!
However, at some point it started to drag a little and I couldn't keep track of all of the characters introduced. This made it hard for me to fully believe or be invested in some of their decisions and actions. To be fair, I was super tired while reading this and also trying to read it super quickly in advanced of the Women's Prize winner announcement. And, although I don't think it necessary, I do wish I had a stronger grasp of the story and characters in Hamlet as that would have enhanced my engagement with the debates and discussions featured in the book.
Current Women's Prize 2024 Fiction Shortlist rankings:
1. Brotherless Night
2. River East, River West
3. Enter Ghost
4. Soldier Sailor
5. Restless Dolly Maunder
Despite being my third ranked book, I see Enter Ghost being a worthy winner of the Women's Prize, more so than River East, River West!
Content Warnings
Graphic: War
Brotherless Night by V.V. Ganeshananthan
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.25
This was a great book about a topic I've not read anything about prior. Emotional, tense, sad, and informative, it gives a unique portrayal of life in a time of a brutal civil war, exploring the tough choices people, especially women, have to make every single day. While I really liked the writing style and certain narrative techniques used, it also contributed to certain parts of the book not having as big of an emotional impact on me as I'd expect given the subject matter!
Current Women's Prize 2024 Fiction Shortlist rankings:
1. Brotherless Night
2. River East, River West
3. Soldier Sailor
4. Restless Dolly Maunder
Current Women's Prize 2024 Fiction Shortlist rankings:
1. Brotherless Night
2. River East, River West
3. Soldier Sailor
4. Restless Dolly Maunder
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, War
Moderate: Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence
River East, River West by Aube Rey Lescure
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
This is a great debut! I was engaged every step of the way and enjoyed the two main POVs/timelines and how they intertwined. It felt like a unique expat story/perspective than one I've typically read before.
Current Women's Prize 2024 Fiction Shortlist rankings:
1. River East, River West
2. Soldier Sailor
3. Restless Dolly Maunder
Current Women's Prize 2024 Fiction Shortlist rankings:
1. River East, River West
2. Soldier Sailor
3. Restless Dolly Maunder
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Child death, Death, Infidelity, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt
Restless Dolly Maunder by Kate Grenville
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.75
I was excited when I started this book. I got on with the narrative voice and was so curious as to where the story was going...then it ended up being slightly underwhelming, boring, and repetitive.
I was rather disappointed come the end but when you learn of the context under which this book was written it adds some magic back to the whole thing, the knowledge of which contributed to my final rating.
Current Women's Prize 2024 Fiction Shortlist rankings:
1. Soldier Sailor
2. Restless Dolly Maunder
I was rather disappointed come the end but when you learn of the context under which this book was written it adds some magic back to the whole thing, the knowledge of which contributed to my final rating.
Current Women's Prize 2024 Fiction Shortlist rankings:
1. Soldier Sailor
2. Restless Dolly Maunder
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity, Sexism
Minor: Sexual harassment
Soldier Sailor by Claire Kilroy
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
A very well-written, raw, real book about motherhood and marriages. I can see how this book would be a very tough read for some and very relatable to others — probably both! For me, the book lost a little bit of steam in the middle and then towards the end. Certain themes started to feel a bit repetitive, but overall it evoked emotion — a range (frustration, anger, sadness, nostalgia, joy) — and sustained my interest!
Current Women's Prize 2024 Fiction Shortlist rankings:
1. Soldier Sailor
:-D
Current Women's Prize 2024 Fiction Shortlist rankings:
1. Soldier Sailor
:-D
Content Warnings
Moderate: Vomit
Minor: Fatphobia, Suicidal thoughts
All That She Carried: The Journey of Ashley's Sack, a Black Family Keepsake by Tiya Miles
challenging
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
2.5
I was so excited for this book. I thought it might end up being my favourite out of the Women's Prize Nonfiction shortlist. The concept intrigued me!
Alas, I'm so incredibly sad to report that I found this book incredibly hard to get through. I really struggled. The book read like an academic paper, with a lot of repetition and conjecture. This speculative style of history just didn't work for me. I felt so detached from the central characters of the book because of it.
I'm especially sad that I didn't like All That She Carried given the important subject matter. I wanted to rate this book higher just because of the topic, but given my reading experience I just couldn't.
Final Women's Prize 2024 Non-Fiction Shortlist rankings:
1. How to Say Babylon
2. Code Dependent
3. A Flat Place
4. Thunderclap
5. Doppelganger
6. All That She Carried
Alas, I'm so incredibly sad to report that I found this book incredibly hard to get through. I really struggled. The book read like an academic paper, with a lot of repetition and conjecture. This speculative style of history just didn't work for me. I felt so detached from the central characters of the book because of it.
I'm especially sad that I didn't like All That She Carried given the important subject matter. I wanted to rate this book higher just because of the topic, but given my reading experience I just couldn't.
Final Women's Prize 2024 Non-Fiction Shortlist rankings:
1. How to Say Babylon
2. Code Dependent
3. A Flat Place
4. Thunderclap
5. Doppelganger
6. All That She Carried
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Slavery
How to Say Babylon by Safiya Sinclair
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
A really good memoir with great writing! I didn't really know much about the origins of the Rastafari religion, so it was interesting to learn more about it in this book, interspersed with Sinclair's journey from a difficult childhood to the poet/writer she is today.
Current Women's Prize 2024 Non-Fiction Shortlist rankings:
1. How to Say Babylon
2. Code Dependent
3. A Flat Place
4. Thunderclap
5. Doppelganger
Current Women's Prize 2024 Non-Fiction Shortlist rankings:
1. How to Say Babylon
2. Code Dependent
3. A Flat Place
4. Thunderclap
5. Doppelganger
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Emotional abuse
Doppelganger by Naomi Klein
challenging
informative
reflective
medium-paced
3.0
Out of the Women's Prize Nonfiction Shortlist books I've read so far, this book had the strongest start for me and I thought it'd end up shooting straight to the top of the rankings. I loved how the thesis, concept, and context was laid out, but then...
...the book, to me, started to lose its way and go all over the place. I couldn't keep the thread of Klein's argument straight. There were so many interesting ideas and areas of history, politics, and philosophy to explore, but it felt like a lot of the topics could have been books in their own right.
Also, I don't if it's just me but I thought that Klein relied way too much on the plot points of other novels and movies to support her argument, spoiling that content for people who haven't consumed it yet. I skipped several pages so that Roth's Operation Shylock wasn't spoiled for me.
Some of the other works spoiled to varying degrees: The Picture of Dorian Gray, The Double (Dostoyevsky), the "Eight Bites" short story from Her Body and Other Parties, and the film Everything Everywhere All At Once. (And there are one or two others I didn't bother to note down).
Current Women's Prize 2024 Non-Fiction Shortlist rankings:
1. Code Dependent
2. A Flat Place
3. Thunderclap
4. Doppelganger
...the book, to me, started to lose its way and go all over the place. I couldn't keep the thread of Klein's argument straight. There were so many interesting ideas and areas of history, politics, and philosophy to explore, but it felt like a lot of the topics could have been books in their own right.
Also, I don't if it's just me but I thought that Klein relied way too much on the plot points of other novels and movies to support her argument, spoiling that content for people who haven't consumed it yet. I skipped several pages so that Roth's Operation Shylock wasn't spoiled for me.
Some of the other works spoiled to varying degrees: The Picture of Dorian Gray, The Double (Dostoyevsky), the "Eight Bites" short story from Her Body and Other Parties, and the film Everything Everywhere All At Once. (And there are one or two others I didn't bother to note down).
Current Women's Prize 2024 Non-Fiction Shortlist rankings:
1. Code Dependent
2. A Flat Place
3. Thunderclap
4. Doppelganger
Content Warnings
Moderate: Genocide, War
Code Dependent: Living in the Shadow of AI by Madhumita Murgia
informative
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
I really liked this book, namely because the stories gripped me. I didn't feel like I learnt anything especially new and I was hoping for more of a thesis/conclusion from the author than just your typical "this is hard and we all have to think about it and work on it together" but I found the writing good and easy to read, I enjoyed the that there was some nuance in some of the chapters — it wasn't wholly one-sided against AI — and it did get me thinking a lot about how we can prioritise the effective and helpful uses of AI and minimise any harmful outcomes.
Current Women's Prize 2024 Non-Fiction Shortlist rankings:
1. Code Dependent
2. A Flat Place
3. Thunderclap
Current Women's Prize 2024 Non-Fiction Shortlist rankings:
1. Code Dependent
2. A Flat Place
3. Thunderclap
A Flat Place by Noreen Masud
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
4.0
I never thought I'd enjoy a book with so much description of natural landscapes, but I did. Didn't know what to expect going in, so some of the content, especially the memoir aspect, took me by surprise (not at all in a bad way, though this isn't happy subject matter)! I enjoyed the writing and Masud did a great job of transporting me into her memories. The book got me itching to go on a hike now, especially across flat land!
Current Women's Prize 2024 Non-Fiction Shortlist rankings:
1. A Flat Place
2. Thunderclap
Current Women's Prize 2024 Non-Fiction Shortlist rankings:
1. A Flat Place
2. Thunderclap
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Emotional abuse