pineconek's Reviews (816)

My appreciation for this book was strongly crafted by Margaret Atwood's excellent introduction/essay. It gives away major plot points and is best read after the book but it definitely provides much needed context and reflection.

The book itself was fine but I wouldn't recommend it to anyone who doesn't think going down a deep historical sci-fi rabbit hole sounds fun. This is science fiction before that term existed and lays the foundation for future explorations of interesting questions. A lot of the writing and imagery is dated and, unfortunately, really carries strong colonialist overtones that are impossible to overlook. All in all - 3 stars, since it's an interesting read if you're into literary history/origins of genre fiction.

The most shocking thing about reading this book: almost all the dialogue in the book is in the Netflix miniseries (and vice versa). The mini-series is an incredibly faithful adaptation and the few (I'd say 3 or 4) minor changes are subtle and understandable. Basically: if you want to feel like you're re-watching the adaptation, pick up this book. It's fun, fast-paced, and subtly touches on the darker parts without losing focus. The book remains primarily about chess, and secondarily as a satisfying redemption arc.

The thing about Kings writing is that it's adductive. Everything is a micro cliffhanger, so I find myself saying "ok, I'll stop after this is revealed". And that's how I breezed through the first 400 pages of this in one sitting.

Solid 3.5 stars rounded up to a 4. This book was a lot of fun and definitely made me want to keep reading it. Would I recommend it widely? Mixed bag. I can see parts of this book being extremely frustrating, to the point where I wanted to be frustrated... But, in typical King fashion, it worked and was a fun ride.

I knew very little about Norse mythology. Now I know a lot about Norse mythology. This is a wonderful short retelling of classic myths and a quick read.

I have very mixed feelings about this book. I think they're largely positive, albeit from a few different directions.

Some disjointed thoughts:
- The writing was enjoyable, although it used the "I'll throw in a word or two in the language the characters are supposed to be speaking so you remember where we are" trope way too often and in ways that felt obnoxious.
- I enjoyed the love of literature and science that permeated the book.
- The framing of the story (opening with and returning to the climax) didn't sit right with me either.
- I did like the middle sections of the book quite a lot because it felt so new. Everything between Werner's first discoveries of radios to when he gets enlisted was fresh and fascinating. Marie-Laure's chapters during that time were not as fresh but also enjoyable.
- While the last quarter had some moving moments, they felt... Odd. I'm not sure how much of this comes from a sense of the ending being too "Hollywood" or how much I'm contrasting with other works of WWII literature I've read or how much of this is my innate struggle of sympathizing with "the good Germans" - probably a mix of all of the above.

All in all, I didn't dislike the book and I don't regret reading it but I wouldn't recommend it widely, and it definitely wouldn't be my first choice of a recommended WWII novel.

This was a really interesting listen that reminded me to reconnect with some of the therapeutic tools I learned in less cognitive modalities (art, theatre, etc). I recommend it to anyone interested in tangible ideas and exercises to explore vagal phases.

I was debating a 3 or 4 star but leaned towards 4 since that's the time to which I stayed up reading this (oops).
The vanishing half explores identity, belonging, selfishness, and guilt in some interesting and potentially uncomfortable ways. The book was quite character driven and slow (especially in the first third), which is always a strength as far as I'm concerned.

The central idea in the book is really about who and what create our identity, how much does identity hinge on others perceptions of us, and how much control do we have over our identity. I'd recommend it to anyone interested in exploring those topics.

What a strange, playful, sad, and interesting book. I listened to it read by the author and that was an immensely successful production. The premise is ridiculous and played out completely seriously (and includes some amusing satirical observations). It's quite a lighthearted read and a good pallet cleanser from far more serious things.

Spoiler and disclaimer: yes, the dog dies in this one. It's still worth it.