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randi_jo's Reviews (420)
This book is a great catalogue of oral history. Some of the stories might be a little far-fetched, and whose to say they haven't been stretched a little over the years? They're entertainment as well as history. I loved it.
I enjoyed this so much. Made me think so much.
To start this off I want to say this book has a LOT of content warnings, including: minor pedophilia, sexual abuse, coercion, and morally ambiguous relationships.
The main character, Jessa, is so rigid, so broken, that she is reminiscent of the animals that she taxidermies. I loved her - she is so relatable, and once she finally comes into her own, she tries so hard to mend what's broken, even when she doesn't know what she's doing - that she doesn't understand the things that make other happy. It's not a coming of age story, but more of a "coming into one's own" story and I am a huge sucker for it.
The descriptions are so raw, sometimes bordering vulgar, but it's all appropriate, so vivid, so true to life that you can easily see yourself as Jessa, sitting in the Florida sun, thinking about the disgusting parts of life. And the prose flows wonderfully, makes everyone feel as if they're holding their breaths, waiting for the next moment they can come up for air. Love it.
To start this off I want to say this book has a LOT of content warnings, including: minor pedophilia, sexual abuse, coercion, and morally ambiguous relationships.
The main character, Jessa, is so rigid, so broken, that she is reminiscent of the animals that she taxidermies. I loved her - she is so relatable, and once she finally comes into her own, she tries so hard to mend what's broken, even when she doesn't know what she's doing - that she doesn't understand the things that make other happy. It's not a coming of age story, but more of a "coming into one's own" story and I am a huge sucker for it.
The descriptions are so raw, sometimes bordering vulgar, but it's all appropriate, so vivid, so true to life that you can easily see yourself as Jessa, sitting in the Florida sun, thinking about the disgusting parts of life. And the prose flows wonderfully, makes everyone feel as if they're holding their breaths, waiting for the next moment they can come up for air. Love it.
This is the story of a group of loosely interconnected people during WWII, whose hardships are all different, but have the same undertone of disparity. The narrative goes from France, to Germany, juxtaposing the two sides of the warfronts - the rigorous, manic belief of Nazi Germany, and the disbelieving Parisians, buried under an onslaught. And despite their differences, there is a light inside each character that shows how similar they may actually be. The ending is heart wrenching, soft, and greater than reality all at once.
The prose of this book deserves its own mentions. Eloquent, sometimes shocking in description, it's beautifully immersive.
The prose of this book deserves its own mentions. Eloquent, sometimes shocking in description, it's beautifully immersive.
Ghost Forest is written in a series of vignettes, with a style similar to Sandra Cisnero's The House on Mango Street. It is simple - the lack of punctuation makes it feel like reading the protagonist's thoughts, hearing as she hear stories told to them about her family's hardships, their lives before she was born.
There is an emotion so heavy, so true, behind this book. The idea of knowing someone your whole life, no matter how distant, and having one opinion of them, that when suddenly they are sick, when they are dying, you realize that maybe you had been looking at them the wrong way the whole time - and the idea that you don't notice until they are gone and you can't go back and fix it - go back and forgive them and yourself - is such a difficult emotion to bear, but not one that is exclusive to the author.
I cried a couple times while reading this, and I will read this again, just so maybe I can feel that again.
There is an emotion so heavy, so true, behind this book. The idea of knowing someone your whole life, no matter how distant, and having one opinion of them, that when suddenly they are sick, when they are dying, you realize that maybe you had been looking at them the wrong way the whole time - and the idea that you don't notice until they are gone and you can't go back and fix it - go back and forgive them and yourself - is such a difficult emotion to bear, but not one that is exclusive to the author.
I cried a couple times while reading this, and I will read this again, just so maybe I can feel that again.
Honestly loved this. I really enjoy vignettes - just that little look into a moment that says so much. So many of the moments were relatable, some were sad, or were telling about the culture that pervades many Hispanic communities, even today.
I also enjoyed the idea of not using any quotation marks, because it feels like someone thinking, rather than a story. These are honest thoughts, they are messy, they are full of shame, of joy, of questions, and of fear.
I'll read this again.
I also enjoyed the idea of not using any quotation marks, because it feels like someone thinking, rather than a story. These are honest thoughts, they are messy, they are full of shame, of joy, of questions, and of fear.
I'll read this again.
