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2020: Dude, this book HOLDS UP!
I had forgotten nearly all of the major plot points in the last six years since I read this book, and it was a delight to revisit them. I was excited and scared and concerned for the characters, and overwhelmed by their struggles, and generally just ENTIRELY ABSORBED by this book. I literally had trouble sleeping after getting to a particularly intense scene!
I will say, I want to take away a point because I don't think that this book passes the Bechdel test. HOWEVER, the women are all well developed (and named!) characters in this story - I just don't think any of them talk to each other. I will make an exception - just this once.
One of the best wrap up endings ever, sooooo satisfying. An excellent read for anyone who loves books. On to The Angel's Game next!**
**I JUST FINISHED READING THE ANGEL'S GAME, IT'S NOT WORTH IT, DO NOT READ, JUST ENJOY THE SHADOW OF THE WIND AND BE DONE WITH ZAFON** See my review for more details.
"Perhaps for that very reason, I adored her all the more, because of the eternal human stupidity of pursuing those who hurt us the most."
2014: Thank you Vesna for this rec, it was incredible!!
"God, in His infinite wisdom, and perhaps overwhelmed by the avalanche of requests from so many tormented souls, did not answer."
I had forgotten nearly all of the major plot points in the last six years since I read this book, and it was a delight to revisit them. I was excited and scared and concerned for the characters, and overwhelmed by their struggles, and generally just ENTIRELY ABSORBED by this book. I literally had trouble sleeping after getting to a particularly intense scene!
I will say, I want to take away a point because I don't think that this book passes the Bechdel test. HOWEVER, the women are all well developed (and named!) characters in this story - I just don't think any of them talk to each other. I will make an exception - just this once.
One of the best wrap up endings ever, sooooo satisfying. An excellent read for anyone who loves books. On to The Angel's Game next!**
**I JUST FINISHED READING THE ANGEL'S GAME, IT'S NOT WORTH IT, DO NOT READ, JUST ENJOY THE SHADOW OF THE WIND AND BE DONE WITH ZAFON** See my review for more details.
"Perhaps for that very reason, I adored her all the more, because of the eternal human stupidity of pursuing those who hurt us the most."
2014: Thank you Vesna for this rec, it was incredible!!
"God, in His infinite wisdom, and perhaps overwhelmed by the avalanche of requests from so many tormented souls, did not answer."
2021: GO OUT AND GET YOUR HANDS ON A COPY OF THIS BOOK, STAT! 12/10 would recommend.
This is a fantastic anthology. It is not only ably diverse (as expected from the title) but the authors are racially and gender diverse as well. I would honestly read a full-length book from any of the authors included (and several of them have upcoming books, which I am pumped about!) It's also a great lesson in a way to make anthologies include content warnings in an unobtrusive, easy to find and read way (including an ESSENTIAL warning that one of the essays spoiled the ending to Hannah Gadsby's Nanette). I also loved that the authors' disabilities were not listed at the intro to the article - the reader had to read the entire essay to see when and how the author chose to disclose their own disability.
I learned SO MUCH from this series:
• How deaf inmates and blind inmates will often get celled together in prison because they both fall into the category of “disabled” and then suffer very frustratingly and unnecessarily because of their inability to help each other survive prison well.
• People who use prosthetic legs often need to take into account “how much” they are using their own legs, because insurance companies will take that into account when approving upgrades and new protheses.
• The horrible and incredible rules that govern the Access-A-Ride system in NYC, that’s meant to make this great city accessible for everyone, and yet manages to create a system that’s so chaotic that I can imagine why many people don’t / can’t use it. This includes forcing people to be waiting outside for the transit, with transit being allowed to arrive at any time within a 30 min window, but transit only has to wait for passengers for 5 mins. UGH
• The highest rates of sexual assault are for disabled people who cannot communicate their attacks.
• "audism" is the term for discrimination or prejudice against individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing.
I loved that this anthology included various speeches given in court, advocating for the advancement of disability protections and for making our country a better place. I also loved the inclusion of both advocating against eugenics in an anthology alongside an essay advocating to be pro-choice. I have never heard from the perspective of a disabled parent. I so often hear stories of abled parents caring for their disabled children, but not the other way around.
It was an informative and inclusive book and honestly I think everyone should read it.
This is a fantastic anthology. It is not only ably diverse (as expected from the title) but the authors are racially and gender diverse as well. I would honestly read a full-length book from any of the authors included (and several of them have upcoming books, which I am pumped about!) It's also a great lesson in a way to make anthologies include content warnings in an unobtrusive, easy to find and read way (including an ESSENTIAL warning that one of the essays spoiled the ending to Hannah Gadsby's Nanette). I also loved that the authors' disabilities were not listed at the intro to the article - the reader had to read the entire essay to see when and how the author chose to disclose their own disability.
I learned SO MUCH from this series:
• How deaf inmates and blind inmates will often get celled together in prison because they both fall into the category of “disabled” and then suffer very frustratingly and unnecessarily because of their inability to help each other survive prison well.
• People who use prosthetic legs often need to take into account “how much” they are using their own legs, because insurance companies will take that into account when approving upgrades and new protheses.
• The horrible and incredible rules that govern the Access-A-Ride system in NYC, that’s meant to make this great city accessible for everyone, and yet manages to create a system that’s so chaotic that I can imagine why many people don’t / can’t use it. This includes forcing people to be waiting outside for the transit, with transit being allowed to arrive at any time within a 30 min window, but transit only has to wait for passengers for 5 mins. UGH
• The highest rates of sexual assault are for disabled people who cannot communicate their attacks.
• "audism" is the term for discrimination or prejudice against individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing.
I loved that this anthology included various speeches given in court, advocating for the advancement of disability protections and for making our country a better place. I also loved the inclusion of both advocating against eugenics in an anthology alongside an essay advocating to be pro-choice. I have never heard from the perspective of a disabled parent. I so often hear stories of abled parents caring for their disabled children, but not the other way around.
It was an informative and inclusive book and honestly I think everyone should read it.
2021: a good but not a great #ownvoices novel.
More specifically, it's a novel-in-verse. I did not know that going into it, so I was a little taken aback when the audiobook started and sounded like a spoken word poem. This wasn't a drawback, just unexpected.
Overall, Acevedo kept the plot pretty light and surface level. Sure, we know the major moments, such as their father's funeral happening both in New York City and in the Dominican Republic. But there is so much time that is guiltlessly skipped over. For example, after the two sisters meet for the first time, there is about 24 hours in between when we next hear from them. WHAT DID THEY DO DURING THAT TIME?! Tell me!!
The novel also does not dive as deeply into the girls' grief over the death of their father. Maybe this is reflective of the relationship that each daughter had with him, but I think this was a bit of a missed opportunity. It's there, but as soon as Acevedo dips her toe into their feelings, *poof* we move on to the next stanza.
There's quite a bit of Spanish in this book, which as a rusty Spanish speaker, I really enjoyed. Looking over most of the reviews here, it doesn't look like it would be difficult to navigate even if you don't know Spanish. I loved how much it added to my experience, but I certainly don't think you'd miss any plot points without it.
More specifically, it's a novel-in-verse. I did not know that going into it, so I was a little taken aback when the audiobook started and sounded like a spoken word poem. This wasn't a drawback, just unexpected.
Overall, Acevedo kept the plot pretty light and surface level. Sure, we know the major moments, such as their father's funeral happening both in New York City and in the Dominican Republic. But there is so much time that is guiltlessly skipped over. For example, after the two sisters meet for the first time, there is about 24 hours in between when we next hear from them. WHAT DID THEY DO DURING THAT TIME?! Tell me!!
The novel also does not dive as deeply into the girls' grief over the death of their father. Maybe this is reflective of the relationship that each daughter had with him, but I think this was a bit of a missed opportunity. It's there, but as soon as Acevedo dips her toe into their feelings, *poof* we move on to the next stanza.
There's quite a bit of Spanish in this book, which as a rusty Spanish speaker, I really enjoyed. Looking over most of the reviews here, it doesn't look like it would be difficult to navigate even if you don't know Spanish. I loved how much it added to my experience, but I certainly don't think you'd miss any plot points without it.
2021: Here's the deal - I really, really liked this book.
HOWEVER, I have been a sixteen year old "in love", and I sure hope to God that I don't get to be 77 years old and filled with regret that I didn't make things happen with that one guy 60+ years ago. And maybe I just wasn't dating the right guy at 16 (and thank goodness I'm not still pining over him) but honestly, I have never been a fan of stories that hinge on the fact that two teenagers didn't bone each other.
That being said: this was a rich, lovely, wonderful novel about young love, loss, different cultures, and food, just to name a few topics covered in this novel. There are some great hidden gems about Newton, MA that you'll enjoy if you know it at all. -1 point overall for the inclusion of a gratuitous gay character that was killed off early and then shrugged away with a "this would never have happened between us anyway because it was the 60's".
This was a prime example of excellent historical fiction in my opinion. I knew NOTHING about the 1953 coup in Iran, and that did not detract from the story at all. Nor did explanation of the historical context slow down the plot or make me forget the progress that the two young lovers were making.
Don't get me wrong - this was a brutal separation that Roya and Bahman were forced to suffer. BUT. If time heals all wounds...there was too much still riding on this relationship by the end of the story. Too much regret for what might have been, and not enough appreciating of what did happen imho.
HOWEVER, I have been a sixteen year old "in love", and I sure hope to God that I don't get to be 77 years old and filled with regret that I didn't make things happen with that one guy 60+ years ago. And maybe I just wasn't dating the right guy at 16 (and thank goodness I'm not still pining over him) but honestly, I have never been a fan of stories that hinge on the fact that two teenagers didn't bone each other.
That being said: this was a rich, lovely, wonderful novel about young love, loss, different cultures, and food, just to name a few topics covered in this novel. There are some great hidden gems about Newton, MA that you'll enjoy if you know it at all. -1 point overall for the inclusion of a gratuitous gay character that was killed off early and then shrugged away with a "this would never have happened between us anyway because it was the 60's".
This was a prime example of excellent historical fiction in my opinion. I knew NOTHING about the 1953 coup in Iran, and that did not detract from the story at all. Nor did explanation of the historical context slow down the plot or make me forget the progress that the two young lovers were making.
Don't get me wrong - this was a brutal separation that Roya and Bahman were forced to suffer. BUT. If time heals all wounds...there was too much still riding on this relationship by the end of the story. Too much regret for what might have been, and not enough appreciating of what did happen imho.
2021: Blah.
I read this because it is the basis for one of the films nominated for this year's Best Adapted Screenplay Academy Award, and it's awards season! The film was a really faithful adaptation, but despite Priyanka Chopra Jonas's best feminist intentions, I still wouldn't recommend you watch it. However, I did enjoy the movie more than I enjoyed the book.
The book starts off with this useless gimmick where the main character, Balram, a regular old used-to-be-a-poor-servant-but-now-I-own-my-own-company, decides to email the prime minister of China to introduce him to the country of India upon his first official visit. In this email, Balram admits to murder, corruption, prostitution, and several other not-so-insignificant crimes. The use of the second person point of view is completely unnecessary and just didn't work for me at all.
The story does not pass the Bechdel test, and Pinky (one of the only three named female characters) is one of the biggest jerks I've ever met. Balram throws a hissy fit and screams and storms out of a hotel room when he discovers that the prostitute he's hired for the night is not a "real" blonde; her hair is dyed. Really? This is supposed to endear me to him? Just, yikes bro.
I have never been to India, so I am not sure how true this representation of Indians is, but I can't help but feel this book is popular in the West and not so popular back home. Overall, this will not end up in my top list of books read in 2021 for sure.
I read this because it is the basis for one of the films nominated for this year's Best Adapted Screenplay Academy Award, and it's awards season! The film was a really faithful adaptation, but despite Priyanka Chopra Jonas's best feminist intentions, I still wouldn't recommend you watch it. However, I did enjoy the movie more than I enjoyed the book.
The book starts off with this useless gimmick where the main character, Balram, a regular old used-to-be-a-poor-servant-but-now-I-own-my-own-company, decides to email the prime minister of China to introduce him to the country of India upon his first official visit. In this email, Balram admits to murder, corruption, prostitution, and several other not-so-insignificant crimes. The use of the second person point of view is completely unnecessary and just didn't work for me at all.
The story does not pass the Bechdel test, and Pinky (one of the only three named female characters) is one of the biggest jerks I've ever met. Balram throws a hissy fit and screams and storms out of a hotel room when he discovers that the prostitute he's hired for the night is not a "real" blonde; her hair is dyed. Really? This is supposed to endear me to him? Just, yikes bro.
I have never been to India, so I am not sure how true this representation of Indians is, but I can't help but feel this book is popular in the West and not so popular back home. Overall, this will not end up in my top list of books read in 2021 for sure.
Think Week 2021: If this is your first time reading Dune, a big head's up - depending on your edition, THERE IS A GLOSSARY IN THE BACK. This will make your first time reading MUCH more enjoyable.
So yeah, I completely missed that "Terminology of the Imperium" in the Table of Contents was meant to say "Use This Dictionary So You'll Understand the First 100 Pages of This Book". I'm actually pretty proud of myself for getting through sentences like "We Bene Gesserit sift people to find the humans...perhaps you are the Kwisatz Haderach" without ANY context. I just kept muttering to myself, I'm sure this will all make sense eventually... and it did!
It seems clear that Herbert feared that a world without water was a distinct possibility in the future. It's kind of crazy thinking about that now, when we are at the precipice of too much water from our melting icecaps. Not sure if climate change was really that big of an issue in 1965, but it seems to have worked out for Herbert to focus on it for the setting of this novel.
Kudos to Herbert for writing a book that passes the Bechdel test in 1965, even with a male protagonist! See, gentlemen!? It's not that hard! That being said, there were a couple of moments that could have used a more emotional touch (um, [redacted]'s son just dies and we don't even pause?!) Also, there was an awful lot of villain monologuing to suffer through in this book.
It was a great world that Herbert built, and a satisfying conclusion to a sci-fi adventure. Overall, I'm pumped to watch Timothée Chalamet and Zendaya fuck around in the desert hopefully sometime this year!
So yeah, I completely missed that "Terminology of the Imperium" in the Table of Contents was meant to say "Use This Dictionary So You'll Understand the First 100 Pages of This Book". I'm actually pretty proud of myself for getting through sentences like "We Bene Gesserit sift people to find the humans...perhaps you are the Kwisatz Haderach" without ANY context. I just kept muttering to myself, I'm sure this will all make sense eventually... and it did!
It seems clear that Herbert feared that a world without water was a distinct possibility in the future. It's kind of crazy thinking about that now, when we are at the precipice of too much water from our melting icecaps. Not sure if climate change was really that big of an issue in 1965, but it seems to have worked out for Herbert to focus on it for the setting of this novel.
Kudos to Herbert for writing a book that passes the Bechdel test in 1965, even with a male protagonist! See, gentlemen!? It's not that hard! That being said, there were a couple of moments that could have used a more emotional touch (um, [redacted]'s son just dies and we don't even pause?!) Also, there was an awful lot of villain monologuing to suffer through in this book.
It was a great world that Herbert built, and a satisfying conclusion to a sci-fi adventure. Overall, I'm pumped to watch Timothée Chalamet and Zendaya fuck around in the desert hopefully sometime this year!
Think Week 2021: WHEW this book is a doozy!
It's a worthwhile read and an important one. I really appreciated revisiting a lot of history (that I learned from white teachers in American schools) from a much broader context and a non-Western centering lens. A great reminder that, even though this is how I currently view the world, it has not always been that way. But a delight to revisit history through a modern lens (+1 for using the female pronoun when a person’s gender is unknown. -1 for not using the Oxford comma, HARARI, HOW DARE YOU!)
This book primarily asks questions. Sure, Harari draws some conclusions, and the synthesis required here is remarkable. But his main goal seems to be showing how both positive and negative consequences came out of every major decision in history. He leaves some moments completely up for debate (see the discussion on patriarchy). If you can power through the first third of the book, definitely keep going (and not only because there are some great Harry Potter easter eggs in it!)
I would spend some time with this book if you can. It takes a long time because it's both a) pretty textbook-y (especially if you're out of practice) and b) it interrogates every fact it presents. The scope itself is incredible, and Harari just stops himself from continuing his questioning into the future (I believe he does that in his later books). I think I only gave it 4 stars because it took me SO LONG to read it, but it does require time and space to let its questions do their work.
Harari does not end on what I would call a *positive* note, but his recommendation that everyone should become a Buddhist vegan is pretty hard to ignore.
It's a worthwhile read and an important one. I really appreciated revisiting a lot of history (that I learned from white teachers in American schools) from a much broader context and a non-Western centering lens. A great reminder that, even though this is how I currently view the world, it has not always been that way. But a delight to revisit history through a modern lens (+1 for using the female pronoun when a person’s gender is unknown. -1 for not using the Oxford comma, HARARI, HOW DARE YOU!)
This book primarily asks questions. Sure, Harari draws some conclusions, and the synthesis required here is remarkable. But his main goal seems to be showing how both positive and negative consequences came out of every major decision in history. He leaves some moments completely up for debate (see the discussion on patriarchy). If you can power through the first third of the book, definitely keep going (and not only because there are some great Harry Potter easter eggs in it!)
I would spend some time with this book if you can. It takes a long time because it's both a) pretty textbook-y (especially if you're out of practice) and b) it interrogates every fact it presents. The scope itself is incredible, and Harari just stops himself from continuing his questioning into the future (I believe he does that in his later books). I think I only gave it 4 stars because it took me SO LONG to read it, but it does require time and space to let its questions do their work.
Harari does not end on what I would call a *positive* note, but his recommendation that everyone should become a Buddhist vegan is pretty hard to ignore.
2020: WOW YES PLEASE this was a phenomenal book! If you liked [b:The Mothers|28815371|The Mothers|Brit Bennett|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1460652458l/28815371._SY75_.jpg|49031394] at all, you'll really enjoy this. It also gives off major [b:Little Fires Everywhere|51704136|Little Fires Everywhere|Celeste Ng|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1582774355l/51704136._SY75_.jpg|52959357] vibes.
This was a holiday read that I sped through too fast (what a surprise) and wish I could have spent more time reveling in Bennett's delicious prose and fantastic descriptions. There are complex layers of how the characters hid different pieces of themselves, each woven together extremely intricately. The title is creative and inspired and just right for the story.
I loved when the time period jumped and the younger daughters took over. The idea of horrible it was for the two twins to separate and lose each other only really set in to me once the next generation took over. Simultaneously, you are forced to confront what each twin gained, and what they had to give up in order to get there.
A DELIGHT and a strong recommendation to all.
This was a holiday read that I sped through too fast (what a surprise) and wish I could have spent more time reveling in Bennett's delicious prose and fantastic descriptions. There are complex layers of how the characters hid different pieces of themselves, each woven together extremely intricately. The title is creative and inspired and just right for the story.
I loved when the time period jumped and the younger daughters took over. The idea of horrible it was for the two twins to separate and lose each other only really set in to me once the next generation took over. Simultaneously, you are forced to confront what each twin gained, and what they had to give up in order to get there.
A DELIGHT and a strong recommendation to all.
2021: I really wanted to give this a 4/5 overall, but the objectifying male gaze, horribly unresolved plotlines, and the fact that the entire plot hinges on two people who held hands ONE TIME WHEN THEY WERE TEN actually being the pinnacle of true love...?! means that it stays firmly at 3/5.
The novel starts off very promisingly. Aomame is a secret assassin who goes around killing men who have raped and assaulted women and therefore "need to disappear" - totally into that. Tengo gets wrapped up in a plot to ghost-edit/write a novel under a psuedonym, which promotes a young female author into an award-winning spotlight. I was solidly into that too.
The male gaze is overwhelming throughout the book, and almost made me quit a number of times. I'm not going to pretend that I know what ALL women want, but I have to say, I was completely thrown when assassin and all around badass Aomame started having thoughts such as, "If only she had more cleavage to expose!" (which is a direct quote from her perspective in the book). Nah, Murakami, I don't buy it. Did he not interview any woman that's ever had a sleepover ever? Yikes.
The other biggest issue here is the treatment of Fuka-Eri, the 17-year-old original author of the novel that Tengo is rewriting, and (you guessed it!) ultimately has sex with. Reminder: Tengo is 30. This is OFFICIALLY creepy, despite the fact that the age of consent is 13 (THIRTEEN!!!!) in Japan and therefore technically legal. Murakami explains away this problematic encounter...by using Fuka-Eri as simply a passageway for Tengo to impregnate...Aomame...without ever touching her. Okay.
I am also frustrated that I just spent HOURS of my life reading a book that is only 3/5 - if I am going to dedicate 1150 pages to a story, I want it to be worthwhile! That being said, I did enjoy the philosophical questions that Murakami asks (how DO you know if you're in an alternate universe? What DOES it mean to die without leaving any legacy? How long should you wait for true love?) I also appreciated that there were relatively few characters for the 1150 pages, which means that all of them get very fleshed out and a lot of subplots are thoroughly explored (shoutout to the dowager, my favorite character!)
The entire novel would have fallen apart if this had taken place in a world with cell phones or the internet. Every time one of the characters ran into a problem, I said, "well why doesn't he just google it" or "well why doesn't she just call her on her cell phone" and was promptly reminded that neither of these existed in 1984. When Ushikawa goes on a stakeout, he decides that it would be "too difficult to set up a phone" so he's just going to use the local pay phone. And then he needs to get an "ample amount of film" - throwback!
Aomame and Tengo alternate narrating the chapters, which works very well up until around page 750, when a third narrator is introduced. The last 200+ pages ends up being a clunky overlapping timelines, where Murakami wants to make sure you get everything from the third narrator's POV as well, so he doubles back and makes you read about events you already know have happened. It's a real drag in the final pages of a climax that had the potential to be spectacular.
Don't get me started on all of the questions that Murakami DOESN'T answer in this book. It's like he's trying to send a big FUCK YOU to Chekhov by doing the opposite of following his principle of introducing a gun. The actual gun introduced never gets fired. No idea who The Little People actually are or if they actually existed. Who was the fucking NHK collector that kept tormenting Aomame and Ushikawa? No one knows. The list goes on and on.
I mean, in case I haven't said it enough, the very first conversation that Aomame and Tengo have after literally traveling to an alternate universe and Tengo discovering that he is going to be a dad is, "are my boobs too small for you??" which just put me right over the edge. Take off your porno hat, Murakami. I'm going to give [b:Kafka on the Shore|4929|Kafka on the Shore|Haruki Murakami|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1429638085l/4929._SY75_.jpg|6191072] one final chance, but if I get even a whiff of objectifying women's breasts, I'm out and done with him forever.
The novel starts off very promisingly. Aomame is a secret assassin who goes around killing men who have raped and assaulted women and therefore "need to disappear" - totally into that. Tengo gets wrapped up in a plot to ghost-edit/write a novel under a psuedonym, which promotes a young female author into an award-winning spotlight. I was solidly into that too.
The male gaze is overwhelming throughout the book, and almost made me quit a number of times. I'm not going to pretend that I know what ALL women want, but I have to say, I was completely thrown when assassin and all around badass Aomame started having thoughts such as, "If only she had more cleavage to expose!" (which is a direct quote from her perspective in the book). Nah, Murakami, I don't buy it. Did he not interview any woman that's ever had a sleepover ever? Yikes.
The other biggest issue here is the treatment of Fuka-Eri, the 17-year-old original author of the novel that Tengo is rewriting, and (you guessed it!) ultimately has sex with. Reminder: Tengo is 30. This is OFFICIALLY creepy, despite the fact that the age of consent is 13 (THIRTEEN!!!!) in Japan and therefore technically legal. Murakami explains away this problematic encounter...by using Fuka-Eri as simply a passageway for Tengo to impregnate...Aomame...without ever touching her. Okay.
I am also frustrated that I just spent HOURS of my life reading a book that is only 3/5 - if I am going to dedicate 1150 pages to a story, I want it to be worthwhile! That being said, I did enjoy the philosophical questions that Murakami asks (how DO you know if you're in an alternate universe? What DOES it mean to die without leaving any legacy? How long should you wait for true love?) I also appreciated that there were relatively few characters for the 1150 pages, which means that all of them get very fleshed out and a lot of subplots are thoroughly explored (shoutout to the dowager, my favorite character!)
The entire novel would have fallen apart if this had taken place in a world with cell phones or the internet. Every time one of the characters ran into a problem, I said, "well why doesn't he just google it" or "well why doesn't she just call her on her cell phone" and was promptly reminded that neither of these existed in 1984. When Ushikawa goes on a stakeout, he decides that it would be "too difficult to set up a phone" so he's just going to use the local pay phone. And then he needs to get an "ample amount of film" - throwback!
Aomame and Tengo alternate narrating the chapters, which works very well up until around page 750, when a third narrator is introduced. The last 200+ pages ends up being a clunky overlapping timelines, where Murakami wants to make sure you get everything from the third narrator's POV as well, so he doubles back and makes you read about events you already know have happened. It's a real drag in the final pages of a climax that had the potential to be spectacular.
Don't get me started on all of the questions that Murakami DOESN'T answer in this book. It's like he's trying to send a big FUCK YOU to Chekhov by doing the opposite of following his principle of introducing a gun. The actual gun introduced never gets fired. No idea who The Little People actually are or if they actually existed. Who was the fucking NHK collector that kept tormenting Aomame and Ushikawa? No one knows. The list goes on and on.
I mean, in case I haven't said it enough, the very first conversation that Aomame and Tengo have after literally traveling to an alternate universe and Tengo discovering that he is going to be a dad is, "are my boobs too small for you??" which just put me right over the edge. Take off your porno hat, Murakami. I'm going to give [b:Kafka on the Shore|4929|Kafka on the Shore|Haruki Murakami|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1429638085l/4929._SY75_.jpg|6191072] one final chance, but if I get even a whiff of objectifying women's breasts, I'm out and done with him forever.
2021: a good dip back into contemporary fantasy after a brief stint away!
It's been a while since I read a modern fantasy tale, and this one checked a lot of my boxes. Decently progressive, I most enjoyed the casual bi representation in this book. It was made clear that both Addie and Henry are bi, it's included in their character development, and it helps move the plot along without being gratuitous. Their sexualities come from a positive place, rather than from a place of trauma (it's not a "problem" or a plot conflict that they are both bisexual). Gave me very Schitt's Creek vibes, which I loved.
I am such a sucker for #sadboys that Henry easily won me over as the best love interest in this book. Absolutely NO QUESTION as to who I wanted Addie to end up with at the end. A big trigger warning here (suicide & suicidal thoughts). Through Henry, Schwab makes a ton of excellent book references that I got a good kick out of. I'm assuming her art references are equally as wonderful, but as I'm not as "in-tune" with the art world, so it's hard for me to say.
I was a little disappointed at how Euro-centric / Western world focused this journey was. Over the course of her 300 years, I got the vibe that Addie only ever visited major cities in the US and Western Europe. I thought that was a missed opportunity for a little more variation, and would have been more true to Addie's character. She's literally the least tied down character ever; let her take advantage of it!
All I have to say in the end is make sure you read the final seven paragraphs of the book, because up until that point, I was ready to throw this book straight across the room for its ending. I'm still not entirely convinced that things will really go Addie's way, which is why this overall is sitting at a clear 4/5.
It's been a while since I read a modern fantasy tale, and this one checked a lot of my boxes. Decently progressive, I most enjoyed the casual bi representation in this book. It was made clear that both Addie and Henry are bi, it's included in their character development, and it helps move the plot along without being gratuitous. Their sexualities come from a positive place, rather than from a place of trauma (it's not a "problem" or a plot conflict that they are both bisexual). Gave me very Schitt's Creek vibes, which I loved.
I am such a sucker for #sadboys that Henry easily won me over as the best love interest in this book. Absolutely NO QUESTION as to who I wanted Addie to end up with at the end. A big trigger warning here (suicide & suicidal thoughts). Through Henry, Schwab makes a ton of excellent book references that I got a good kick out of. I'm assuming her art references are equally as wonderful, but as I'm not as "in-tune" with the art world, so it's hard for me to say.
I was a little disappointed at how Euro-centric / Western world focused this journey was. Over the course of her 300 years, I got the vibe that Addie only ever visited major cities in the US and Western Europe. I thought that was a missed opportunity for a little more variation, and would have been more true to Addie's character. She's literally the least tied down character ever; let her take advantage of it!
All I have to say in the end is make sure you read the final seven paragraphs of the book, because up until that point, I was ready to throw this book straight across the room for its ending. I'm still not entirely convinced that things will really go Addie's way, which is why this overall is sitting at a clear 4/5.