sandro_reads's reviews
102 reviews

The Girls is written with such detached simplicity that the gruesome events can be read with a wink and a nod.

It all feels very English and a bit of a chore to get through - even at its short length.

I saw Clover repeatedly compared to Eleanor Oliphant (which I loved) and I was looking for a hopeful read to close the year. But, where Eleanor is a three-dimensional character that elicits a full range of emotions, Clover feels flat. 

The premise of a death doula who acts on the regrets of her patients has promise (especially once Claudia appears) but rather than allowing us to draw insight from the story, we are force-fed platitudes like a self help book on grief with an all too tidy resolution. 

Set in Ireland, The Bee Sting is a family epic told through the alternating POVs of each member. The children, Cass and PJ, instantly drew me in with their funny, coming-of-age-ness but then Murray hits the brakes…

Imelda’s sections are told without any punctuation (can this trend please end?) and Dickie’s story slowly spirals from bleak to bleaker - making me FEEL the 650 page length.

It does come back in the last fast-paced 50ish pages but, by then. I wasn’t sure that I cared enough. 

I only have a passing memory of Huckleberry Finn which I wish I had reread prior to James to better see how they interconnect.

James deserves the praise heaped upon it. It’s just so clever in the way it spins a different take on the old South through familiar characters and how much of our history still reverberates today. 

I wanted to like Black Cake more and, judging by the reviews, my thoughts of it are in the minority.

But, while I loved reading about the history and culture of the Caribbean Islands, the sprawling amount of (underdeveloped) characters were unnecessary and major plot advances were just too convenient. 

Another “scariest book I’ve ever read” over-hype from TikTok.

Incidents is told from the perspective of a child (one ridiculously astute at times) who repetitively pretends she’s asleep to “overhear” the adults talking. 

The adults are insufferable. Bad decisions stretching a meandering plot  - with the mother being the true horror of the book.

With all of that said, there are some creepy moments with Other Mommy that could work far better as a movie. 

My brother and I recently lost our father and although that is where the similarities with the plot of Intermezzo ends, I felt an obvious connection immediately. 

This is my second Rooney novel and I’m officially a fan. You can almost feel the characters’ breath rise from the page. Brothers, Peter and Ivan, alternate POVs - each with a style of their own - as they examine grief and relationships.

I did find myself drawn more to Ivan’s linear voice over Peter’s stream of consciousness but I will not soon forget either. 

Math and baseball are not topics I would ever gravitate towards but, The Housekeeper and The Professor is such a lovely story about found family that one can get swept away amongst the prime numbers and batting averages. 

Keegan’s writing is timeless. This could easily sit on a shelf next to Little Women. She creates a world that feels far fuller than the page count suggests.

Small Things Like These follows Bill Furlong along his day in a small Irish town, Christmas 1985, as he reflects on his life and our choice to do what is right. 

Chain Gang All-Stars reads a bit like The Hunger Games where prisoners battle to the death for entertainment.
 
But, it takes it to the next level by marrying that not-so-distant dystopian reality with the very real statistics that plague our judicial and prison systems - a powerful message diluted by so many different character POVs.