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559 reviews by:
shahrazedez
1 star
TW: racism, use of slurs, ableism.
Waste of my time,
Predictable murderer that was so obvious, and the second half of the book trying to obscure it by talking about how the murderer had no financial motive was so silly considering he was in charge of the trust and had big plans and ambition. Edgar Lawson pretending to have a mental disorder was obvious considering the 'sly smile' he gave, him actually being the son of the murderer was the only intriguing thing but tbh the resemblance between them was only brought up as the information was revealed so it was lackluster. We did spend a lot of time with the characters which was better than some other books where we barely see their interactions. Miss Marple should have got this one immediately. This would have been better as a short story.
On top of that we have the inspector saying the n word out of nowhere, I mean I know she was a conservative and racist but to just put slurs in this book and everyone to praise it is laughable. And the constant weird remarks about Italians and how they're dramatic were annoying too.
The inspector himself was annoying, as was everyone else who pushed the sentiment and message of the book that seemed to be 'why help people who have done crimes because of mental disorders like kleptomania or schizophrenia, when you can help a hardworking poor lad who hasn't committed a crime?' and no one presenting the argument that maybe we should help both makes me think the author's personal feelings aligned with what characters like the inspector and Walter thought.
And to make matters worse we have the most tedious boring romance, with the classic 'here are all these suitors but really let me go back to my stereotypical manly husband who doesn't do the dreaded 'art' who wants me to give it all up for him and put me in a position where I'm even more vulnerable, even though I expressed throughout the book how I dislike how women are vulnerable in society and I enjoy power'. At least he didn't strangle her in this one.
The best character in the book was Ruth and she only appeared in the beginning.
TW: racism, use of slurs, ableism.
Waste of my time,
Predictable murderer that was so obvious, and the second half of the book trying to obscure it by talking about how the murderer had no financial motive was so silly considering he was in charge of the trust and had big plans and ambition. Edgar Lawson pretending to have a mental disorder was obvious considering the 'sly smile' he gave, him actually being the son of the murderer was the only intriguing thing but tbh the resemblance between them was only brought up as the information was revealed so it was lackluster. We did spend a lot of time with the characters which was better than some other books where we barely see their interactions. Miss Marple should have got this one immediately. This would have been better as a short story.
On top of that we have the inspector saying the n word out of nowhere, I mean I know she was a conservative and racist but to just put slurs in this book and everyone to praise it is laughable. And the constant weird remarks about Italians and how they're dramatic were annoying too.
The inspector himself was annoying, as was everyone else who pushed the sentiment and message of the book that seemed to be 'why help people who have done crimes because of mental disorders like kleptomania or schizophrenia, when you can help a hardworking poor lad who hasn't committed a crime?' and no one presenting the argument that maybe we should help both makes me think the author's personal feelings aligned with what characters like the inspector and Walter thought.
And to make matters worse we have the most tedious boring romance, with the classic 'here are all these suitors but really let me go back to my stereotypical manly husband who doesn't do the dreaded 'art' who wants me to give it all up for him and put me in a position where I'm even more vulnerable, even though I expressed throughout the book how I dislike how women are vulnerable in society and I enjoy power'. At least he didn't strangle her in this one.
The best character in the book was Ruth and she only appeared in the beginning.
3 stars
This is a book that I would recommend both because it's an important read but also because there's a lot to analyse. I think the first third of the book was the strongest part, partly because we were in closest proximity to Yeong-hye. I was really enjoyed the idea of becoming vegetarian as part of the main characters rebellion against the patriarchal and capitalist social norms. I also saw the dream/nightmare that pushed her into vegetarianism as one that represented her guilt, she also had participated in the system of society, one where there are those that eat and those that are eaten. She had eaten meat, so she had hurt animals by eating them but also other humans by being part of this system. I interpreted her desire to almost return to a more simple state of being, a plant, as a response to the way she gets sexualised as a woman in this world, and as a form of dissociating from her body after being raped by her husband. After finishing the book I've seen other reviews and analyses that talk about payback as a theme, with the mc paybacking any debt she owes to society and that made me see her actions to become a tree/plant as more payback and punishment to society. Like in the yellow wallpaper, a book were madness becomes your escape from the pressure of societal restrictions, I think Yeong-hye has become so broken and tired in this world, that whilst she finds solace in her journey to become a plant, where nature heals, she is no longer bound by any humanly rule, usually most other players in society's system will abide by at minimum some of its rules, if only to survive, to preserve their human body. But Yeong-hye takes the most radical step in not caring for her human body anymore, inside she feels dead, so why maintain the exterior for the sake of others. As she pursues her desire to become a plant, it is now others who are worried and punished with the uncomfort of seeing a woman wither and kill herself away. This is something that most human beings are uncomfortable with, they see life as sacred, something to be preserved, and when they attempt to 'save' Yeong-hye the book gets us to question do they do it for her sake when it really seems like they do it for themselves? They are humans, but plants do not fear death, they welcome it as a chance to give back to the soil, for the nutrients remains to nourish the roots of others. Plants are the antithesis to capitalism, they do not take and benefit whilst others suffer, that is what humans and animals do. They receive only what is freely given to everyone else; sunshine and rain are freely given, not forced. And so plants don't fear death because they are not guilty of anything, something humans/animals cannot relate to. The main character's vegetarianism is an attempt to return to that guiltless state.
Outside of analysing the book, I didn't really love love the reading experience. I understand why it was necessary to have us read about the perspective of the mc from other characters, so that we have the responsibility to decide who and what she is. But I didn't enjoy being in the character's heads, in particular the brother-in-law. I understand it was about men will go to such lengths to sexualise women, even though he at times did not sexualise her, those were moments he always commented 'I didn't sexualise her here' which, in conjunction with his surprise when he made those remarks, made it seem like non-sexualisation was a rarity for him, and for society as a whole when it comes to women. The whole artist obsessed with sexualising women and concealing his desires behind 'the deeper meanings of art' was boring as was his obsession with the emptiness in her eyes. The whole man who is suffering from the system and its rules and gets all melancholy about it, but still participates in punching down and aligns with is rules when it comes to others, in particular women, was a perspective I had already read about.
I did enjoy In-hye's perspective but it mainly consisted of flashbacks and her final visit to the hospital. I wish we got to see more, especially now that In-hye who by the end of the book also knows the feel of the void that develops inside you once you are an outsider to the social norm clique, who has realised that by abiding to its rules she has not survived but trained herself better as a coward, as one who gives up. It would have been great to see her interactions with her sister after this realisation.
Despite it being quite short, it felt quite long to read. I think I love what the book was saying about the world rather than the story and the events that take place in it.
This is a book that I would recommend both because it's an important read but also because there's a lot to analyse. I think the first third of the book was the strongest part, partly because we were in closest proximity to Yeong-hye. I was really enjoyed the idea of becoming vegetarian as part of the main characters rebellion against the patriarchal and capitalist social norms. I also saw the dream/nightmare that pushed her into vegetarianism as one that represented her guilt, she also had participated in the system of society, one where there are those that eat and those that are eaten. She had eaten meat, so she had hurt animals by eating them but also other humans by being part of this system. I interpreted her desire to almost return to a more simple state of being, a plant, as a response to the way she gets sexualised as a woman in this world, and as a form of dissociating from her body after being raped by her husband. After finishing the book I've seen other reviews and analyses that talk about payback as a theme, with the mc paybacking any debt she owes to society and that made me see her actions to become a tree/plant as more payback and punishment to society. Like in the yellow wallpaper, a book were madness becomes your escape from the pressure of societal restrictions, I think Yeong-hye has become so broken and tired in this world, that whilst she finds solace in her journey to become a plant, where nature heals, she is no longer bound by any humanly rule, usually most other players in society's system will abide by at minimum some of its rules, if only to survive, to preserve their human body. But Yeong-hye takes the most radical step in not caring for her human body anymore, inside she feels dead, so why maintain the exterior for the sake of others. As she pursues her desire to become a plant, it is now others who are worried and punished with the uncomfort of seeing a woman wither and kill herself away. This is something that most human beings are uncomfortable with, they see life as sacred, something to be preserved, and when they attempt to 'save' Yeong-hye the book gets us to question do they do it for her sake when it really seems like they do it for themselves? They are humans, but plants do not fear death, they welcome it as a chance to give back to the soil, for the nutrients remains to nourish the roots of others. Plants are the antithesis to capitalism, they do not take and benefit whilst others suffer, that is what humans and animals do. They receive only what is freely given to everyone else; sunshine and rain are freely given, not forced. And so plants don't fear death because they are not guilty of anything, something humans/animals cannot relate to. The main character's vegetarianism is an attempt to return to that guiltless state.
Outside of analysing the book, I didn't really love love the reading experience. I understand why it was necessary to have us read about the perspective of the mc from other characters, so that we have the responsibility to decide who and what she is. But I didn't enjoy being in the character's heads, in particular the brother-in-law. I understand it was about men will go to such lengths to sexualise women, even though he at times did not sexualise her, those were moments he always commented 'I didn't sexualise her here' which, in conjunction with his surprise when he made those remarks, made it seem like non-sexualisation was a rarity for him, and for society as a whole when it comes to women. The whole artist obsessed with sexualising women and concealing his desires behind 'the deeper meanings of art' was boring as was his obsession with the emptiness in her eyes. The whole man who is suffering from the system and its rules and gets all melancholy about it, but still participates in punching down and aligns with is rules when it comes to others, in particular women, was a perspective I had already read about.
I did enjoy In-hye's perspective but it mainly consisted of flashbacks and her final visit to the hospital. I wish we got to see more, especially now that In-hye who by the end of the book also knows the feel of the void that develops inside you once you are an outsider to the social norm clique, who has realised that by abiding to its rules she has not survived but trained herself better as a coward, as one who gives up. It would have been great to see her interactions with her sister after this realisation.
Despite it being quite short, it felt quite long to read. I think I love what the book was saying about the world rather than the story and the events that take place in it.
It’s so sad how it’s so hard to get rid of stalkers since the police don’t take it as seriously as they should and it seems more like something others want you to sort out yourself. But Jung telling Yonggun that Seol likes him which kickstarted his stalking craze? Hmm he really is trying to ruin lives, but why does it seem like he also had a hand in making sure Yonggun didn’t turn up for the current semester?
3.5
I’m being a bit biased here because it’s my ancestor’s history but I enjoyed reading this. I read it in small sections over the course of 2 months and as I’d never read about the initial colonization of Algeria and the defeat of the Ottoman rule in Algeria, I learnt a lot. The ambush of the tribes that sided with France during the wedding was crazy to read, but it made me glad that we’ve always been rebelling and that even when the rebellions were kind of quashed by 1900, the spirit was still there and it reignited again enough to give us independence. Ofc you can’t talk about this story without talking about the women, the cloistering and hyper regulation over the bodies of Algerian girls and women is seen as they navigate spaces controlled by the colonists, the French, and in spaces of the Algerians, the home. So many sentiments and beliefs that permeated the culture back then still do to this day and reading it I felt a partial sense of being seen for the first time in any book ever. From the way marriage is the start of a cold constant war between in laws, a fight for which side is ‘better’, to the constant cloistering or restriction of women and their actions, to the point where even the most minuscule movement or sound becomes too much for anyone to bear, too sexual too much of something that must be kept concealed. I felt the power of being concealed and seeing and observing others and the weakness of being concealed and being invisible. I felt it was a book speaking to me, telling me stories I’d already partially lived but in a parallel world. The writing was beautiful, my favourite parts were learning of Asia’s childhood in the beginning chapters, the ambush at the wedding with Ben-djinn and the other fighters, and the tales of Lla Zhor, Cherifa and other resisting, and assisting in the mountain regions of the Ben Menacer tribe. It was interesting to see that under colonial rule women are the ultimate sufferers, to be involved in fighting against their oppressor and dying in battle is the way a lot of oppressed people would prefer to go out. But to be women, forced to wait at home, in the guise of protection, as the maquisards and their supporters, all men, run away and hide and the women must face the oppressors head on every time, not allowed to flee to prepare a target or attack, forced to wait and wait and give and give when the freedom fighters come as they take and take, and then they leave and you wait again. In silence, that sort of suffering is the worst. The ululation the only outlet.
I’m being a bit biased here because it’s my ancestor’s history but I enjoyed reading this. I read it in small sections over the course of 2 months and as I’d never read about the initial colonization of Algeria and the defeat of the Ottoman rule in Algeria, I learnt a lot. The ambush of the tribes that sided with France during the wedding was crazy to read, but it made me glad that we’ve always been rebelling and that even when the rebellions were kind of quashed by 1900, the spirit was still there and it reignited again enough to give us independence. Ofc you can’t talk about this story without talking about the women, the cloistering and hyper regulation over the bodies of Algerian girls and women is seen as they navigate spaces controlled by the colonists, the French, and in spaces of the Algerians, the home. So many sentiments and beliefs that permeated the culture back then still do to this day and reading it I felt a partial sense of being seen for the first time in any book ever. From the way marriage is the start of a cold constant war between in laws, a fight for which side is ‘better’, to the constant cloistering or restriction of women and their actions, to the point where even the most minuscule movement or sound becomes too much for anyone to bear, too sexual too much of something that must be kept concealed. I felt the power of being concealed and seeing and observing others and the weakness of being concealed and being invisible. I felt it was a book speaking to me, telling me stories I’d already partially lived but in a parallel world. The writing was beautiful, my favourite parts were learning of Asia’s childhood in the beginning chapters, the ambush at the wedding with Ben-djinn and the other fighters, and the tales of Lla Zhor, Cherifa and other resisting, and assisting in the mountain regions of the Ben Menacer tribe. It was interesting to see that under colonial rule women are the ultimate sufferers, to be involved in fighting against their oppressor and dying in battle is the way a lot of oppressed people would prefer to go out. But to be women, forced to wait at home, in the guise of protection, as the maquisards and their supporters, all men, run away and hide and the women must face the oppressors head on every time, not allowed to flee to prepare a target or attack, forced to wait and wait and give and give when the freedom fighters come as they take and take, and then they leave and you wait again. In silence, that sort of suffering is the worst. The ululation the only outlet.
3 stars
This a book that I would enjoy analyzing upon a re-read. I connected to the themes and what the author was trying to say more than I connected to Marianne and Connell. This meant that I was a bit lost and bored during the first half of the book, and I also didn’t like the lack of kindness in Connell. But I enjoyed the second half much more. I found Marianne’s character and her arc more interesting than Connell’s. I could understand the path of self destruction she was on, I interpreted it as her disliking herself so much that she put herself into precarious situations of violence so she can feel punished, numb and also to see if there is a limit to how far she’ll self destruct, a part of her that likes her and want to self-preserve when in the face of too much violence. I think in Sweden she found that breaking point. Although I think by the end of the book Connell had developed and changed ahead of Marianne. He had aspirations to be a writer and made friends with those shared interests, his entire being was no longer just about Marianne; he also became kinder to an extent which was good to see. But for Marianne, she still had some healing to do in my opinion. Her world still revolves around Connell, what were the hobbies she liked to do outside of him, what were her career goals and life goals, or did she have none and why did she feel that way, where were here friends with shared interests? All this we didn’t get to see her grow towards. I would have loved to see her going to therapy, building her self esteem up more throughout her life and making friends with shared interests.
It made sense to me why they couldn’t work out in the many multiple times they tried, they had to learn how to grow towards one another. And you really see the way they’ve developed better communication skills after Rob’s funeral. I would loved if the book followed them across the decades of their lives.
Overall this was an interesting read once we got to the second half of the story. I would like to re-read it but I don’t know if I’d find any more themes and things to analyze than from my first read. I think buddy reading this book would be a good experience, especially discussing your different opinions on the characters and reasons behind their behaviour.
Surprisingly, the lack of speech marks/quotations did not bother me at all. I don’t know whether it made me read slower or faster, nor whether it added or took away from the reading experience.
Edit Feb 2025: After revisiting the attachment styles, I think Marianne's self destructive behaviour and Connell's coldness paired with their terrible communication styles is evidence for Marianne having a disorganized attachment style and Connell an avoidant one. This makes me realise why they didn't work out since they never worked towards becoming more secure, so much time has passed but they as people have not grown when it comes to becoming more emotionally intelligent about themselves, their relationships and how they act within them and that's why the book felt stagnant.
This a book that I would enjoy analyzing upon a re-read. I connected to the themes and what the author was trying to say more than I connected to Marianne and Connell. This meant that I was a bit lost and bored during the first half of the book, and I also didn’t like the lack of kindness in Connell. But I enjoyed the second half much more. I found Marianne’s character and her arc more interesting than Connell’s. I could understand the path of self destruction she was on, I interpreted it as her disliking herself so much that she put herself into precarious situations of violence so she can feel punished, numb and also to see if there is a limit to how far she’ll self destruct, a part of her that likes her and want to self-preserve when in the face of too much violence. I think in Sweden she found that breaking point. Although I think by the end of the book Connell had developed and changed ahead of Marianne. He had aspirations to be a writer and made friends with those shared interests, his entire being was no longer just about Marianne; he also became kinder to an extent which was good to see. But for Marianne, she still had some healing to do in my opinion. Her world still revolves around Connell, what were the hobbies she liked to do outside of him, what were her career goals and life goals, or did she have none and why did she feel that way, where were here friends with shared interests? All this we didn’t get to see her grow towards. I would have loved to see her going to therapy, building her self esteem up more throughout her life and making friends with shared interests.
It made sense to me why they couldn’t work out in the many multiple times they tried, they had to learn how to grow towards one another. And you really see the way they’ve developed better communication skills after Rob’s funeral. I would loved if the book followed them across the decades of their lives.
Overall this was an interesting read once we got to the second half of the story. I would like to re-read it but I don’t know if I’d find any more themes and things to analyze than from my first read. I think buddy reading this book would be a good experience, especially discussing your different opinions on the characters and reasons behind their behaviour.
Surprisingly, the lack of speech marks/quotations did not bother me at all. I don’t know whether it made me read slower or faster, nor whether it added or took away from the reading experience.
Edit Feb 2025: After revisiting the attachment styles, I think Marianne's self destructive behaviour and Connell's coldness paired with their terrible communication styles is evidence for Marianne having a disorganized attachment style and Connell an avoidant one. This makes me realise why they didn't work out since they never worked towards becoming more secure, so much time has passed but they as people have not grown when it comes to becoming more emotionally intelligent about themselves, their relationships and how they act within them and that's why the book felt stagnant.
3.5 stars
I love Murderbot and Art and their whole dynamic.
I also love how bot/construct cantered this story is usually stories with robots are always still centred around humans, so this one was refreshing. I liked seeing Murderbot try to find out what happened before it’s memory got deleted, the whole helping the crew get their files plot line was a safe easy one that felt episodic and it was comforting to read. I need to read the next one asap. I think this series is a great way to get someone into sci-if too, since the beginning of the series are all novellas.
I love Murderbot and Art and their whole dynamic.
I also love how bot/construct cantered this story is usually stories with robots are always still centred around humans, so this one was refreshing. I liked seeing Murderbot try to find out what happened before it’s memory got deleted, the whole helping the crew get their files plot line was a safe easy one that felt episodic and it was comforting to read. I need to read the next one asap. I think this series is a great way to get someone into sci-if too, since the beginning of the series are all novellas.