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stuckinthebook's Reviews (248)
I really enjoyed the way this book was written. It slowly gave you little bits to keep you wanting more. I thought the timeline of the book was also a really good way of not only showing character development but also left me as a reader completely confused which I think was the desired effect in the lead up to the all-revealing final chapters. Thoroughly enjoyed it however there were some incredibly dark bits regarding abuse and trauma.
As you will probably know, Beautiful World, Where Are You is Sally Rooney’s new novel and after her first book being such a hit both as a book and as a TV show, there was quite a big fuss in the UK and around the world about her new release. I got my stunning copy in the September Books That Matter (https://www.booksthatmatter.co.uk) box when they collaborated with Sally Rooney and Faber & Faber to create a special edition box that celebrated Sally’s new release. So I read this book back in November but have been struggling ever since to write my review. Every time I have come to write my review, I’ve really struggled with putting my thoughts and feelings into words so bare with me here, I’m going to try and have a go…
So firstly, let’s begin with what the book is about. The book follows the long-distance friendship between Alice, a novelist, and her best friend, Eileen. Alice meets Felix, who works in a warehouse, and asks him if he’d like to travel to Rome with her. In Dublin, Eileen is getting over a recent break-up and slips back into flirting with Simon, a man she has known since childhood. Alice, Felix, Eileen, and Simon are still young but life is catching up with them. They desire each other, they delude each other, they get together, they break apart. They have sex, they worry about sex, they worry about their friendships and the world they live in. Are they standing in the last lighted room before the darkness, bearing witness to something? Will they ever find a way to believe in a beautiful world?
To be quite honest with you, when I read the blurb for this book, I have to say I was neither eager nor excited to start reading it. I actually thought it would sit on my bookshelves for months to come, just waiting to be read. So when I chose to read it back in November, it was actually because I was in the mood to read it. I fancied a bit of the pie that everyone was eating over on my socials and I also wanted to experience Sally Rooney all over again.
However, I have to say that I have a love/hate relationship with Sally Rooney and especially with Normal People. I didn’t love Normal People but I didn’t hate it either. I’m a full-on fence-sitter when it comes to that book and I don’t even deny it. I feel like what that marmite book did was introduce a new type of love story that has never really been told in a mainstream outlet before. For me anyway, the book felt like a turning point in literature where readers are introduced to this ‘modern’ and actually realistic way of dating and love. The love between Marianne and Connell was not a cheesy, all-encompassing love that everyone dreams of and neither was it the typical poor-boy-meets-rich-girl story - it was in fact a very complicated and (apologies for this) ‘normal’ love story that many of us have probably experienced. Combine that with the way Sally Rooney never uses speech marks, and you have a book that a fair few readers have never read before. Yes, I’d also agree that it’s as problematic as it is refreshing and as someone who couldn’t even get through one episode of the BBC adaptation, I can see why so many people are so divided over the book - however, I think what Sally Rooney did excellently was present us with a mirror to actual normal relationships in these modern times to show us how love can take many shapes and forms.
The reason I go on this huge Normal People tangent is to highlight the complications with loving/disliking Sally Rooney and her novels to help you understand what I thought about Beautiful World. But enough about Normal People, and let’s get into the nitty gritty of my review…
I think I actually really enjoyed this book. I say ‘think’ because again, I’m not entirely sure if I’ve decided on my final verdict. One of the main reasons why I enjoyed the book is because I actually found that I felt connected to the main characters more in this book, especially Alice and Eileen, as complicated as they were as main characters. The narrative interchanges between Alice’s and Eileen’s perspective but the story is also told through emails exchanged between the two friends and it’s during these emails where both Alice and Eileen ‘put the world to right’ and discuss all manner of topics that pop into their head whilst writing. I have to say that out of all the elements of this book, the email exchanges were my least favourite as I sometimes found them a little too ‘preachy’ but the things they were discussing, such as life/death, would send me into little anxiety panics and I would often have to skip over those pages.
Although I’d argue that nothing major happened in the book, I think that what made me enjoy the story was the exploration of mental health, relationships, love (especially complicated love) was iconic. I felt seen. I think in true Sally Rooney style, she excellently explored very raw human moments and connections by using disjointed, messed-up characters who form messed-up relationships with each other. And yet, even though you know their relationships are toxic, and it makes you sad reading about them, the brutal honesty of it is actually really refreshing and relatable for a lot of people; me included.
Just like with Normal People, Beautiful World forces you to re-think your views and opinions of love and what it means to be in love. And Sally Rooney isn’t just talking about the love between you and your partner she’s exploring all sorts of relationships. Family relations, friendships, encounters with strangers - all these moments of human connections that form how we behave and how we think. So without getting too spiritual, I feel like this book isn’t full to the brim of action and you may completely disagree with me and not enjoy it one bit, but for me I feel like Beautiful World is a moment. It was written during a time when hardly any of us were having these magical moments with strangers, our families or our friends and I certainly think this book made me appreciate my memories and genuine human connections even more.
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So firstly, let’s begin with what the book is about. The book follows the long-distance friendship between Alice, a novelist, and her best friend, Eileen. Alice meets Felix, who works in a warehouse, and asks him if he’d like to travel to Rome with her. In Dublin, Eileen is getting over a recent break-up and slips back into flirting with Simon, a man she has known since childhood. Alice, Felix, Eileen, and Simon are still young but life is catching up with them. They desire each other, they delude each other, they get together, they break apart. They have sex, they worry about sex, they worry about their friendships and the world they live in. Are they standing in the last lighted room before the darkness, bearing witness to something? Will they ever find a way to believe in a beautiful world?
To be quite honest with you, when I read the blurb for this book, I have to say I was neither eager nor excited to start reading it. I actually thought it would sit on my bookshelves for months to come, just waiting to be read. So when I chose to read it back in November, it was actually because I was in the mood to read it. I fancied a bit of the pie that everyone was eating over on my socials and I also wanted to experience Sally Rooney all over again.
However, I have to say that I have a love/hate relationship with Sally Rooney and especially with Normal People. I didn’t love Normal People but I didn’t hate it either. I’m a full-on fence-sitter when it comes to that book and I don’t even deny it. I feel like what that marmite book did was introduce a new type of love story that has never really been told in a mainstream outlet before. For me anyway, the book felt like a turning point in literature where readers are introduced to this ‘modern’ and actually realistic way of dating and love. The love between Marianne and Connell was not a cheesy, all-encompassing love that everyone dreams of and neither was it the typical poor-boy-meets-rich-girl story - it was in fact a very complicated and (apologies for this) ‘normal’ love story that many of us have probably experienced. Combine that with the way Sally Rooney never uses speech marks, and you have a book that a fair few readers have never read before. Yes, I’d also agree that it’s as problematic as it is refreshing and as someone who couldn’t even get through one episode of the BBC adaptation, I can see why so many people are so divided over the book - however, I think what Sally Rooney did excellently was present us with a mirror to actual normal relationships in these modern times to show us how love can take many shapes and forms.
The reason I go on this huge Normal People tangent is to highlight the complications with loving/disliking Sally Rooney and her novels to help you understand what I thought about Beautiful World. But enough about Normal People, and let’s get into the nitty gritty of my review…
I think I actually really enjoyed this book. I say ‘think’ because again, I’m not entirely sure if I’ve decided on my final verdict. One of the main reasons why I enjoyed the book is because I actually found that I felt connected to the main characters more in this book, especially Alice and Eileen, as complicated as they were as main characters. The narrative interchanges between Alice’s and Eileen’s perspective but the story is also told through emails exchanged between the two friends and it’s during these emails where both Alice and Eileen ‘put the world to right’ and discuss all manner of topics that pop into their head whilst writing. I have to say that out of all the elements of this book, the email exchanges were my least favourite as I sometimes found them a little too ‘preachy’ but the things they were discussing, such as life/death, would send me into little anxiety panics and I would often have to skip over those pages.
Although I’d argue that nothing major happened in the book, I think that what made me enjoy the story was the exploration of mental health, relationships, love (especially complicated love) was iconic. I felt seen. I think in true Sally Rooney style, she excellently explored very raw human moments and connections by using disjointed, messed-up characters who form messed-up relationships with each other. And yet, even though you know their relationships are toxic, and it makes you sad reading about them, the brutal honesty of it is actually really refreshing and relatable for a lot of people; me included.
Just like with Normal People, Beautiful World forces you to re-think your views and opinions of love and what it means to be in love. And Sally Rooney isn’t just talking about the love between you and your partner she’s exploring all sorts of relationships. Family relations, friendships, encounters with strangers - all these moments of human connections that form how we behave and how we think. So without getting too spiritual, I feel like this book isn’t full to the brim of action and you may completely disagree with me and not enjoy it one bit, but for me I feel like Beautiful World is a moment. It was written during a time when hardly any of us were having these magical moments with strangers, our families or our friends and I certainly think this book made me appreciate my memories and genuine human connections even more.
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Spanning Prohibition-era Montana, the Pacific Northwest, Alaska, New Zealand, wartime London, and modern-day Los Angeles, Great Circle tells the unforgettable story of a daredevil female aviator determined to chart her own course in life, at any cost.
After being rescued as infants from a sinking ocean liner in 1914, Marian and Jamie Graves are raised by their dissolute uncle in Missoula, Montana. There—after encountering a pair of barnstorming pilots passing through town in beat-up biplanes—Marian commences her lifelong love affair with flight. At fourteen, she drops out of school and finds an unexpected and dangerous patron in a wealthy bootlegger who provides a plane and subsidizes her lessons, an arrangement that will haunt her for the rest of her life, even as it allows her to fulfil her destiny: circumnavigating the globe by flying over the North and South Poles.
A century later, Hadley Baxter is cast to play Marian in a film that centres on Marian's disappearance in Antarctica. Vibrant, canny, and disgusted with the claustrophobia of Hollywood, Hadley is eager to redefine herself after a romantic film franchise has imprisoned her in the grip of cult celebrity. Her immersion into the character of Marian unfolds, thrillingly, alongside Marian's own story, as the two women's fates—and their hunger for self-determination in vastly different geographies and times—collide.
This is a long book. At over 600 pages, it’s not only the longest book I’ve read all year, it’s probably the longest book I’ve ever read. And because of its size, I was a little apprehensive about how long it would take me to finish it. Yet I’d say that the length of the chapters were small enough that I could easily read a few chapters every night, and the story was so encapsulating that when I sat down to read it, I would want to keep reading.
I would definitely say though that I found the narrative to be very jumpy and by the end I had got used to the changes in narrative and time period, but to begin with, I was so confused and I think if I hadn’t been so determined to persevere, I would have probably DNF’d. I also didn’t realise that the ‘famous’ pilot Marian Graves is in fact not a real person! It was written so well that I had to actually google ‘Marian Graves’ to double-check. The research that Maggie Shipstead must have done to create the story and all its twists and turns really paid off because the story was so believable and so inspirational, I really badly wanted her to be real.
Even though it is over 600 pages, I think what I love the most about long books like this is that you end up spending so much time getting to know each character, warts and all. Even when you put the book down, you're thinking about them. Marian was completely that for me. Every time I put the book down, I was thinking about her and everything she had to deal with. From a controlling overprotective older husband and an unreliable and gambling addict for an uncle/guardian, to numerous barriers to true happiness because of the sexist social constructs that existed at the time, everything that Marian experienced stayed with me long after putting the book down. And I think that’s the best thing about reading a long book…
Well actually it isn’t just Marian that this book is about. The book actually follows two different characters; Marian and Hadley - a famous actress who has been known for playing the love interest in a popular, cult film! Yet, I found myself much more interested in the Marian Graves story rather than Hadley’s who was playing Marian in a new film about her life. I found Hadley’s narrative quite boring and a bit ‘samey’ but I understood the importance of her narrative in the whole scale of things.
Honestly, I did struggle with the book at times. I did find myself reluctant to pick it up but when I did sit down to read it, I would completely lose myself in the story. I can't even imagine the research and the effort that went into making this book because every single character and element of the story was so well thought out and it all beautifully ended up tying up together in the end like one big great circle. Oh wait…
READ THIS IF:
After being rescued as infants from a sinking ocean liner in 1914, Marian and Jamie Graves are raised by their dissolute uncle in Missoula, Montana. There—after encountering a pair of barnstorming pilots passing through town in beat-up biplanes—Marian commences her lifelong love affair with flight. At fourteen, she drops out of school and finds an unexpected and dangerous patron in a wealthy bootlegger who provides a plane and subsidizes her lessons, an arrangement that will haunt her for the rest of her life, even as it allows her to fulfil her destiny: circumnavigating the globe by flying over the North and South Poles.
A century later, Hadley Baxter is cast to play Marian in a film that centres on Marian's disappearance in Antarctica. Vibrant, canny, and disgusted with the claustrophobia of Hollywood, Hadley is eager to redefine herself after a romantic film franchise has imprisoned her in the grip of cult celebrity. Her immersion into the character of Marian unfolds, thrillingly, alongside Marian's own story, as the two women's fates—and their hunger for self-determination in vastly different geographies and times—collide.
This is a long book. At over 600 pages, it’s not only the longest book I’ve read all year, it’s probably the longest book I’ve ever read. And because of its size, I was a little apprehensive about how long it would take me to finish it. Yet I’d say that the length of the chapters were small enough that I could easily read a few chapters every night, and the story was so encapsulating that when I sat down to read it, I would want to keep reading.
I would definitely say though that I found the narrative to be very jumpy and by the end I had got used to the changes in narrative and time period, but to begin with, I was so confused and I think if I hadn’t been so determined to persevere, I would have probably DNF’d. I also didn’t realise that the ‘famous’ pilot Marian Graves is in fact not a real person! It was written so well that I had to actually google ‘Marian Graves’ to double-check. The research that Maggie Shipstead must have done to create the story and all its twists and turns really paid off because the story was so believable and so inspirational, I really badly wanted her to be real.
Even though it is over 600 pages, I think what I love the most about long books like this is that you end up spending so much time getting to know each character, warts and all. Even when you put the book down, you're thinking about them. Marian was completely that for me. Every time I put the book down, I was thinking about her and everything she had to deal with. From a controlling overprotective older husband and an unreliable and gambling addict for an uncle/guardian, to numerous barriers to true happiness because of the sexist social constructs that existed at the time, everything that Marian experienced stayed with me long after putting the book down. And I think that’s the best thing about reading a long book…
Well actually it isn’t just Marian that this book is about. The book actually follows two different characters; Marian and Hadley - a famous actress who has been known for playing the love interest in a popular, cult film! Yet, I found myself much more interested in the Marian Graves story rather than Hadley’s who was playing Marian in a new film about her life. I found Hadley’s narrative quite boring and a bit ‘samey’ but I understood the importance of her narrative in the whole scale of things.
Honestly, I did struggle with the book at times. I did find myself reluctant to pick it up but when I did sit down to read it, I would completely lose myself in the story. I can't even imagine the research and the effort that went into making this book because every single character and element of the story was so well thought out and it all beautifully ended up tying up together in the end like one big great circle. Oh wait…
READ THIS IF:
I’m a huge fan of Beth O’Leary books having fallen in love with her bold and authentic writing style when I read 'The Flatshare' back in 2020. So I couldn’t believe my luck when I was gifted an early copy of the paperback edition of 'The Road Trip' from Quercus. With my Christmas cancelled due to catching COVID-19, I couldn’t think of a better book to keep me company!
So four years ago, Dylan and Addie fell in love under the Provence sun. Wealthy Oxford student Dylan was staying at his friend Cherry's enormous French villa; wild child Addie was spending her summer as the on-site caretaker. Two years ago, their relationship officially ended. They haven't spoken since.
Today, Dylan's and Addie's lives collide again. It's the day before Cherry's wedding, and Addie and Dylan crash cars at the start of the journey there. The car Dylan was driving is wrecked, and the wedding is in rural Scotland--he'll never get there on time by public transport.
So, along with Dylan's best friend, Addie's sister, and a random guy on Facebook who needed a ride, they squeeze into a space-challenged Mini and set off across Britain. Cramped into the same space, Dylan and Addie are forced to confront the choices they made that tore them apart--and ask themselves whether that final decision was the right one after all.
I really, really love Beth O’Leary books because they are easy to read but I always forget that her stories have so many different levels than just a feel -good rom-com. The book follows not only the broken relationship between Dylan and Addie but the friendships and family dynamics between Dylan’s best friend Marcus and Addie’s sister, Deb. All of whom are now travelling in one car from Chichester to Scotland for their other friend’s wedding.
The narrative flicks back in time between the present (with all 4 of them and some strange tag-a-long Rodney in one Mini) and the past to when Dylan and Addie first met and how they ended up splitting up. I really enjoyed how the narrative played out, with my heart breaking for nearly every character as the story unfolded.
I found all the different elements to the story so captivating and each of the characters had such a distinct voice in my head that I could easily picture where they were and what they looked like. It was such a fantastic reading experience and I was bitterly disappointed when it ended. I think the way Beth O’Leary creates such dynamic and endearing characters is like no other, as yet again I find myself obsessed with the characters in this book!
I’m actually incredibly grateful to Beth for writing a short follow-up to this book called 'The Return Journeys' which gives us a little glimpse into what happened after the book ended. Without this, I think I would have been so upset because I was genuinely gutted when the book ended and I could no longer get my Dylan and Addie fix!
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So four years ago, Dylan and Addie fell in love under the Provence sun. Wealthy Oxford student Dylan was staying at his friend Cherry's enormous French villa; wild child Addie was spending her summer as the on-site caretaker. Two years ago, their relationship officially ended. They haven't spoken since.
Today, Dylan's and Addie's lives collide again. It's the day before Cherry's wedding, and Addie and Dylan crash cars at the start of the journey there. The car Dylan was driving is wrecked, and the wedding is in rural Scotland--he'll never get there on time by public transport.
So, along with Dylan's best friend, Addie's sister, and a random guy on Facebook who needed a ride, they squeeze into a space-challenged Mini and set off across Britain. Cramped into the same space, Dylan and Addie are forced to confront the choices they made that tore them apart--and ask themselves whether that final decision was the right one after all.
I really, really love Beth O’Leary books because they are easy to read but I always forget that her stories have so many different levels than just a feel -good rom-com. The book follows not only the broken relationship between Dylan and Addie but the friendships and family dynamics between Dylan’s best friend Marcus and Addie’s sister, Deb. All of whom are now travelling in one car from Chichester to Scotland for their other friend’s wedding.
The narrative flicks back in time between the present (with all 4 of them and some strange tag-a-long Rodney in one Mini) and the past to when Dylan and Addie first met and how they ended up splitting up. I really enjoyed how the narrative played out, with my heart breaking for nearly every character as the story unfolded.
I found all the different elements to the story so captivating and each of the characters had such a distinct voice in my head that I could easily picture where they were and what they looked like. It was such a fantastic reading experience and I was bitterly disappointed when it ended. I think the way Beth O’Leary creates such dynamic and endearing characters is like no other, as yet again I find myself obsessed with the characters in this book!
I’m actually incredibly grateful to Beth for writing a short follow-up to this book called 'The Return Journeys' which gives us a little glimpse into what happened after the book ended. Without this, I think I would have been so upset because I was genuinely gutted when the book ended and I could no longer get my Dylan and Addie fix!
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“Small pleasures – the first cigarette of the day; a glass of sherry before Sunday lunch; a bar of chocolate parcelled out to last a week; a newly published library book, still pristine and untouched by other hands; the first hyacinths of spring; a neatly folded pile of ironing, smelling of summer; the garden under snow; an impulsive purchases of stationery for her drawer – had been encouragement enough.”
I’ve seen this book circling around social media for some time now and it was actually longlisted for the 2021 Women's Prize for Fiction, and has also featured on the BBC's talk show Between The Covers as a Book of the Week Pick. Yet, I’ve seen SO many mixed reviews about it and during the period between Christmas and New Year, I had a real urge to read it and make my own mind up about it. I also bought a copy from Waterstones which has sprayed orange pages so I mean, it just deserved to be read.
SYNOPSIS: The book is set in 1957, south-east suburbs of London. Jean Swinney is a feature writer on a local paper, disappointed in love and — on the brink of forty — living a limited existence with her truculent mother: a small life from which there is no likelihood of escape.
When a young Swiss woman, Gretchen Tilbury, contacts the paper to claim that her daughter is the result of a virgin birth, it is down to Jean to discover whether she is a miracle or a fraud. But the more Jean investigates, the more her life becomes strangely (and not unpleasantly) intertwined with that of the Tilburys: Gretchen is now a friend, and her quirky and charming daughter Margaret a sort of surrogate child. And Jean doesn't mean to fall in love with Gretchen's husband, Howard, but Howard surprises her with his dry wit, his intelligence and his kindness — and when she does fall, she falls hard.
But he is married, and to her friend — who is also the subject of the story she is researching for the newspaper, a story that increasingly seems to be causing dark ripples across all their lives. And yet Jean cannot bring herself to discard the chance of finally having a taste of happiness...but there will be a price to pay, and it will be unbearable.
REVIEW: This book definitely seems like a marmite book. For some, they absolutely adored it but for others, it seemed to miss the mark. I can see both sides of the argument. Yes in some places it is cliché and I did think to myself during some parts, what is this story? Is it a mystery? Is it a love story? But once you get past the feeling of trying to decipher what the book is trying to be and just enjoy the sheer beautiful storytelling in this book, I have no doubt you’ll fall in love.
Without spoiling the ending, this book broke my heart and it gave me such a huge book hangover. I personally don’t think I would have been so shocked and broken if Clare Chambers hadn’t written the main character, Jean, so well.
The book explores so many things; mother and daughter relationships, complicated love, illicit relationships, a woman’s place in the world etc. I personally loved a lot of elements in this book, from uncovering the real truth about the ‘virgin mary’ story to the articles that Jean wrote in the East Kent Echo.
I just thoroughly enjoyed the reading experience of this book. I couldn’t and didn’t want to put the book down and I was hanging on every word. I didn’t want the book to end and for me, that signifies a great book! I even listened to a 1950s Spotify playlist whilst reading because I just wanted to live the book.
Come to think of it, I did find myself thinking why the book is named ‘Small Pleasures’. I think because before Jean got caught up in this whole ‘virgin mary’ story, hers and her mothers life was very basic and quite mundane. However, in their life, they have little pleasures to get excited about - a tasty dinner, a dessert for afters, fresh seasonal fruit, a cigarette (only because it's the 1950s), a hot bath etc and when you’re life is so busy and turned on its head from time to time, you can forget to enjoy the small pleasure in life, like Jean did. Reading the reviews on Goodreads, the ending was marmite too as for some people, it ruined the whole story but for others, like me, it made the book a five star read.
READ THIS IF :
I’ve seen this book circling around social media for some time now and it was actually longlisted for the 2021 Women's Prize for Fiction, and has also featured on the BBC's talk show Between The Covers as a Book of the Week Pick. Yet, I’ve seen SO many mixed reviews about it and during the period between Christmas and New Year, I had a real urge to read it and make my own mind up about it. I also bought a copy from Waterstones which has sprayed orange pages so I mean, it just deserved to be read.
SYNOPSIS: The book is set in 1957, south-east suburbs of London. Jean Swinney is a feature writer on a local paper, disappointed in love and — on the brink of forty — living a limited existence with her truculent mother: a small life from which there is no likelihood of escape.
When a young Swiss woman, Gretchen Tilbury, contacts the paper to claim that her daughter is the result of a virgin birth, it is down to Jean to discover whether she is a miracle or a fraud. But the more Jean investigates, the more her life becomes strangely (and not unpleasantly) intertwined with that of the Tilburys: Gretchen is now a friend, and her quirky and charming daughter Margaret a sort of surrogate child. And Jean doesn't mean to fall in love with Gretchen's husband, Howard, but Howard surprises her with his dry wit, his intelligence and his kindness — and when she does fall, she falls hard.
But he is married, and to her friend — who is also the subject of the story she is researching for the newspaper, a story that increasingly seems to be causing dark ripples across all their lives. And yet Jean cannot bring herself to discard the chance of finally having a taste of happiness...but there will be a price to pay, and it will be unbearable.
REVIEW: This book definitely seems like a marmite book. For some, they absolutely adored it but for others, it seemed to miss the mark. I can see both sides of the argument. Yes in some places it is cliché and I did think to myself during some parts, what is this story? Is it a mystery? Is it a love story? But once you get past the feeling of trying to decipher what the book is trying to be and just enjoy the sheer beautiful storytelling in this book, I have no doubt you’ll fall in love.
Without spoiling the ending, this book broke my heart and it gave me such a huge book hangover. I personally don’t think I would have been so shocked and broken if Clare Chambers hadn’t written the main character, Jean, so well.
The book explores so many things; mother and daughter relationships, complicated love, illicit relationships, a woman’s place in the world etc. I personally loved a lot of elements in this book, from uncovering the real truth about the ‘virgin mary’ story to the articles that Jean wrote in the East Kent Echo.
I just thoroughly enjoyed the reading experience of this book. I couldn’t and didn’t want to put the book down and I was hanging on every word. I didn’t want the book to end and for me, that signifies a great book! I even listened to a 1950s Spotify playlist whilst reading because I just wanted to live the book.
Come to think of it, I did find myself thinking why the book is named ‘Small Pleasures’. I think because before Jean got caught up in this whole ‘virgin mary’ story, hers and her mothers life was very basic and quite mundane. However, in their life, they have little pleasures to get excited about - a tasty dinner, a dessert for afters, fresh seasonal fruit, a cigarette (only because it's the 1950s), a hot bath etc and when you’re life is so busy and turned on its head from time to time, you can forget to enjoy the small pleasure in life, like Jean did. Reading the reviews on Goodreads, the ending was marmite too as for some people, it ruined the whole story but for others, like me, it made the book a five star read.
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(NB: I'm very candid about my feelings towards this book in this review, and I know that not everyone will agree with what I say. However, I do point out that I'm still very much undecided about how I feel on some of the points that Emily makes in the book, and therefore I'm more than open/happy to discuss with anyone who would like to)
I hardly ever read non-fiction books and I don’t really know why because when I do read non-fiction, I thoroughly enjoy it. I’ve seen SO much discussion surrounding this new release from Emily Ratajkowski, with her book causing quite a stir in the Hollywood, feminist and book worlds. As someone who has (very fortunately) never really had any body issues, but has begun to notice more and more the degrading and hurtful thoughts I have about my body from time to time, I was really interested to delve into body politics and especially the opinions of someone who is famous ultimately because of her body.
My Body is a deeply honest investigation of what it means to be a woman and a commodity from Emily Ratajkowski, the archetypal, multi-hyphenate celebrity of our time. Emily Ratajkowski is an acclaimed model and actress, an engaged political progressive, a formidable entrepreneur, a global social media phenomenon, and now, a writer. Rocketing to world fame at age twenty-one, Ratajkowski sparked both praise and furor with the provocative display of her body as an unapologetic statement of feminist empowerment. The subsequent evolution in her thinking about our culture’s commodification of women is the subject of this book.
My Body is a profoundly personal exploration of feminism, sexuality, and power, of men's treatment of women and women's rationalizations for accepting that treatment. These essays chronicle moments from Ratajkowski’s life while investigating the culture’s fetishization of girls and female beauty, its obsession with and contempt for women’s sexuality, the perverse dynamics of the fashion and film industries, and the grey area between consent and abuse.
So where do I even begin? I have so many thoughts about this book. I suppose firstly, let me begin with saying that My Body is a collection of beautifully honest and brutal essays written by Emily at/about pivotal moments in her life and to be allowed to see this other, very realistic side of the Hollywood/fashion industry was extremely eye-opening. Emily draws the curtain on industries that we all probably know isn’t all fame and fortune but is rather complicated to navigate around especially as a young, naïve and aspiring woman. I found every one of her essays an absolute joy to read, not because of the topics explored of course, but because Emily’s writing truly did spark so many strong feelings.
I would love to say that I read this and instantly agreed with everything Emily was saying about women’s bodies and the male gaze. I actually found that it made me go round in circles about how I felt about Emily and the relationship between women in the limelight/film/TV/music/fashion industries and their bodies.
Each essay forced me to have multiple discussions with my boyfriend about the stories and the feelings this book was emitting. In some parts, I was truly shocked and my heart would break for Emily. There are multiple scenes of sexual abuse that Emily has experienced in her life and therefore I can see why Emily would have so many troubled thoughts about what it means to be beautiful or desired by men. Yet in some areas, I found her to be a little bit hypocritical. (FYI: I felt guilty for having these opinions though because I feel like I was doing Emily a disservice by not agreeing with everything she had to say.) However, I just don’t know where I stand on the points she was making. In one section, she’s calling out the fact that women have to change their bodies to be agreeable and desirable to men, yet in another section she feel liberated by posting naked photos of herself and posting them for the world to see; obsessing over the numbers of likes and how popular the post has been. I don’t think I've fully decided on how I feel about that, however, I’m really open to discussing this with anyone who wants to as I’d be interested to see everyone’s different views.
I did also think there were moments when it seemed like Emily and everyone around her were being naïve about the opportunities she was going for. In one part of the book, Emily’s agent sets up an opportunity for her to get the bus to the house of a random, not-very-well-known photographer, to do a shoot, sleep over there and then get the bus back in the morning. To me, this just sets Emily up to be put in a very scary and vulnerable position. Yet no one, not even Emily, could see it was going to be disastrous. So I initially had a problem with that story, but then unless you were Emily and in that position, I don’t fully know how I would have reacted. I look back now on things I’ve done in the past where I knew it was sketchy but I did it anyway and thankfully, nothing untoward happened. I suppose hindsight is a wonderful thing sometimes. You see how this book gave me all these confused feelings…
I don’t know Emily personally of course, but although I didn’t necessarily agree with everything she wrote about, I got the feeling that Emily, like with her naked Instagram posts, wasn’t writing these essays for anyone’s approval. She was writing them to make us think deeper about how different bodies are viewed and deconstructing this idea of ‘beauty’ and the power it still holds in nearly every aspect of life. Anyone who is accepted and labelled as ‘beautiful’, ultimately and immediately is given more power and more access to wealth and opportunities, whether you like it or not and whether those opportunities are right for you or not. Emily really did make me think about how on the surface, being ‘beautiful’ is an easy life for the beholder, but in reality, it isn’t all it’s set out to be.
No matter what I thought of the essays, I think Emily is so strong for being able to talk so openly in this book about her experiences, naivety and vulnerability. I know some people won't agree with everything she says because some people will feel like she's a beautiful woman complaining about being beautiful but if you’re going into the book with that opinion, then I don’t think you’re going to get the desired effect out of the reading experience. Clear your mind and be open to challenging your ways of thinking.
READ THIS IF :
✌ You want to read more about body politics, feminism and the male gaze
✌ You want to see the ‘behind the scenes’ of Hollywood and Emily’s climb to fame
✌ You are interested to see what all the hype is about
I hardly ever read non-fiction books and I don’t really know why because when I do read non-fiction, I thoroughly enjoy it. I’ve seen SO much discussion surrounding this new release from Emily Ratajkowski, with her book causing quite a stir in the Hollywood, feminist and book worlds. As someone who has (very fortunately) never really had any body issues, but has begun to notice more and more the degrading and hurtful thoughts I have about my body from time to time, I was really interested to delve into body politics and especially the opinions of someone who is famous ultimately because of her body.
My Body is a deeply honest investigation of what it means to be a woman and a commodity from Emily Ratajkowski, the archetypal, multi-hyphenate celebrity of our time. Emily Ratajkowski is an acclaimed model and actress, an engaged political progressive, a formidable entrepreneur, a global social media phenomenon, and now, a writer. Rocketing to world fame at age twenty-one, Ratajkowski sparked both praise and furor with the provocative display of her body as an unapologetic statement of feminist empowerment. The subsequent evolution in her thinking about our culture’s commodification of women is the subject of this book.
My Body is a profoundly personal exploration of feminism, sexuality, and power, of men's treatment of women and women's rationalizations for accepting that treatment. These essays chronicle moments from Ratajkowski’s life while investigating the culture’s fetishization of girls and female beauty, its obsession with and contempt for women’s sexuality, the perverse dynamics of the fashion and film industries, and the grey area between consent and abuse.
So where do I even begin? I have so many thoughts about this book. I suppose firstly, let me begin with saying that My Body is a collection of beautifully honest and brutal essays written by Emily at/about pivotal moments in her life and to be allowed to see this other, very realistic side of the Hollywood/fashion industry was extremely eye-opening. Emily draws the curtain on industries that we all probably know isn’t all fame and fortune but is rather complicated to navigate around especially as a young, naïve and aspiring woman. I found every one of her essays an absolute joy to read, not because of the topics explored of course, but because Emily’s writing truly did spark so many strong feelings.
I would love to say that I read this and instantly agreed with everything Emily was saying about women’s bodies and the male gaze. I actually found that it made me go round in circles about how I felt about Emily and the relationship between women in the limelight/film/TV/music/fashion industries and their bodies.
Each essay forced me to have multiple discussions with my boyfriend about the stories and the feelings this book was emitting. In some parts, I was truly shocked and my heart would break for Emily. There are multiple scenes of sexual abuse that Emily has experienced in her life and therefore I can see why Emily would have so many troubled thoughts about what it means to be beautiful or desired by men. Yet in some areas, I found her to be a little bit hypocritical. (FYI: I felt guilty for having these opinions though because I feel like I was doing Emily a disservice by not agreeing with everything she had to say.) However, I just don’t know where I stand on the points she was making. In one section, she’s calling out the fact that women have to change their bodies to be agreeable and desirable to men, yet in another section she feel liberated by posting naked photos of herself and posting them for the world to see; obsessing over the numbers of likes and how popular the post has been. I don’t think I've fully decided on how I feel about that, however, I’m really open to discussing this with anyone who wants to as I’d be interested to see everyone’s different views.
I did also think there were moments when it seemed like Emily and everyone around her were being naïve about the opportunities she was going for. In one part of the book, Emily’s agent sets up an opportunity for her to get the bus to the house of a random, not-very-well-known photographer, to do a shoot, sleep over there and then get the bus back in the morning. To me, this just sets Emily up to be put in a very scary and vulnerable position. Yet no one, not even Emily, could see it was going to be disastrous. So I initially had a problem with that story, but then unless you were Emily and in that position, I don’t fully know how I would have reacted. I look back now on things I’ve done in the past where I knew it was sketchy but I did it anyway and thankfully, nothing untoward happened. I suppose hindsight is a wonderful thing sometimes. You see how this book gave me all these confused feelings…
I don’t know Emily personally of course, but although I didn’t necessarily agree with everything she wrote about, I got the feeling that Emily, like with her naked Instagram posts, wasn’t writing these essays for anyone’s approval. She was writing them to make us think deeper about how different bodies are viewed and deconstructing this idea of ‘beauty’ and the power it still holds in nearly every aspect of life. Anyone who is accepted and labelled as ‘beautiful’, ultimately and immediately is given more power and more access to wealth and opportunities, whether you like it or not and whether those opportunities are right for you or not. Emily really did make me think about how on the surface, being ‘beautiful’ is an easy life for the beholder, but in reality, it isn’t all it’s set out to be.
No matter what I thought of the essays, I think Emily is so strong for being able to talk so openly in this book about her experiences, naivety and vulnerability. I know some people won't agree with everything she says because some people will feel like she's a beautiful woman complaining about being beautiful but if you’re going into the book with that opinion, then I don’t think you’re going to get the desired effect out of the reading experience. Clear your mind and be open to challenging your ways of thinking.
READ THIS IF :
✌ You want to read more about body politics, feminism and the male gaze
✌ You want to see the ‘behind the scenes’ of Hollywood and Emily’s climb to fame
✌ You are interested to see what all the hype is about
I always follow the Women’s Prize for fiction very closely, keeping an eye on all the longlisted and shortlisted books. So I saw all the praise for Detransition, Baby last year, but it has shamefully taken me this long to read the prize’s first longlisted book written by a trans novelist.
SYNOPSIS: Detransition, Baby is about three women whose lives collide after an unexpected pregnancy forces them to confront their deepest desires around gender, motherhood, and sex. Reese almost had it all: a loving relationship with Amy, an apartment in New York City, a job she didn't hate. She had scraped together what previous generations of trans women could only dream of: a life of mundane, bourgeois comforts. The only thing missing was a child. But then her girlfriend, Amy, detransitioned and became Ames, and everything fell apart. Now Reese is caught in a self-destructive pattern: avoiding her loneliness by sleeping with married men.
Ames isn't happy either. He thought detransitioning to live as a man would make life easier, but that decision cost him his relationship with Reese—and losing her meant losing his only family. Even though their romance is over, he longs to find a way back to her. When Ames's boss and lover, Katrina, reveals that she's pregnant with his baby—and that she's not sure whether she wants to keep it—Ames wonders if this is the chance he's been waiting for. Could the three of them form some kind of unconventional family—and raise the baby together?
REVIEW: The story is told from both Ames and Reece’s perspectives which allows us, as readers, to learn more about the two characters individually, as well as their past relationship and their thoughts regarding their current predicament. Although I enjoyed having the story from both perspectives, I found myself empathising more with Ames’ story than Reece’s and even now I’m questioning why that was? Perhaps it was because with Ames’ story, I felt real pain about how he had/how he was feeling whereas with Reece’s narrative, it made me feel like I shouldn't feel sorry for her. I wonder if this, or some part of this reading experience, was the author Torrey Peters’ plan - to give the reader complicated protagonists who they may or may not like.
I think what stood out to me most during this story was the theme of ‘motherhood’. The book describes Reece, Ames and Katrina as ‘three failed mom-wannabees' and throughout the book makes reference to a lot of different opinions about the decision to have children. For some, like Katrina, they are never given the luxury of the decision. Katrina didn’t decide to get pregnant the first time and she didn’t make the decision to have a miscarriage and she certainly did not decide to pregnant again with Ames. For others, like Ames, they make the decision to lose out on possibly having a biological child the moment they decide to start taking hormone replacements. And perhaps for others, like Reece, they decide a long time ago that the only thing that would give them true happiness is to have a child, yet society has decided against this decision for them because they are trans and therefore, less likely to be accepted for adoption. Peters’ does a wonderful job of picking apart society’s idea of motherhood and the pressure it puts on people (women especially) to want children, as equally as the pressure it puts on transsexuals to not want/have children. ‘Suppress not express’ certainly comes to mind.
Personally, I enjoyed the story even though I wouldn’t say it’s an exciting, action-packed novel but then again, it doesn’t need to be. For me, I felt like the book was such an incredible learning experience. I’m not part of the trans community but that doesn’t mean I don’t care. I suppose in a way, I care more because I want to educate myself on the struggles of someone I can’t relate to so I can empathise and learn more. There is a lot of language used in this novel that I have never come across before because I am not part of the LGBTQ+ community but I liked how Peters didn’t give us a little glossary at the back to help. Instead she gives no explanation and lets us learn about these terms for ourselves.
The book really does unpick these ideas of motherhood, gender and sex, and discusses why it’s OK to want exactly want you want in life, and to change your mind sometimes too! It’s your life and you decide how you want to live it! Without spoiling anything, I also loved the ambiguous ending as I thought it complemented the book and the reading experience superbly!
READ THIS IF :
SYNOPSIS: Detransition, Baby is about three women whose lives collide after an unexpected pregnancy forces them to confront their deepest desires around gender, motherhood, and sex. Reese almost had it all: a loving relationship with Amy, an apartment in New York City, a job she didn't hate. She had scraped together what previous generations of trans women could only dream of: a life of mundane, bourgeois comforts. The only thing missing was a child. But then her girlfriend, Amy, detransitioned and became Ames, and everything fell apart. Now Reese is caught in a self-destructive pattern: avoiding her loneliness by sleeping with married men.
Ames isn't happy either. He thought detransitioning to live as a man would make life easier, but that decision cost him his relationship with Reese—and losing her meant losing his only family. Even though their romance is over, he longs to find a way back to her. When Ames's boss and lover, Katrina, reveals that she's pregnant with his baby—and that she's not sure whether she wants to keep it—Ames wonders if this is the chance he's been waiting for. Could the three of them form some kind of unconventional family—and raise the baby together?
REVIEW: The story is told from both Ames and Reece’s perspectives which allows us, as readers, to learn more about the two characters individually, as well as their past relationship and their thoughts regarding their current predicament. Although I enjoyed having the story from both perspectives, I found myself empathising more with Ames’ story than Reece’s and even now I’m questioning why that was? Perhaps it was because with Ames’ story, I felt real pain about how he had/how he was feeling whereas with Reece’s narrative, it made me feel like I shouldn't feel sorry for her. I wonder if this, or some part of this reading experience, was the author Torrey Peters’ plan - to give the reader complicated protagonists who they may or may not like.
I think what stood out to me most during this story was the theme of ‘motherhood’. The book describes Reece, Ames and Katrina as ‘three failed mom-wannabees' and throughout the book makes reference to a lot of different opinions about the decision to have children. For some, like Katrina, they are never given the luxury of the decision. Katrina didn’t decide to get pregnant the first time and she didn’t make the decision to have a miscarriage and she certainly did not decide to pregnant again with Ames. For others, like Ames, they make the decision to lose out on possibly having a biological child the moment they decide to start taking hormone replacements. And perhaps for others, like Reece, they decide a long time ago that the only thing that would give them true happiness is to have a child, yet society has decided against this decision for them because they are trans and therefore, less likely to be accepted for adoption. Peters’ does a wonderful job of picking apart society’s idea of motherhood and the pressure it puts on people (women especially) to want children, as equally as the pressure it puts on transsexuals to not want/have children. ‘Suppress not express’ certainly comes to mind.
Personally, I enjoyed the story even though I wouldn’t say it’s an exciting, action-packed novel but then again, it doesn’t need to be. For me, I felt like the book was such an incredible learning experience. I’m not part of the trans community but that doesn’t mean I don’t care. I suppose in a way, I care more because I want to educate myself on the struggles of someone I can’t relate to so I can empathise and learn more. There is a lot of language used in this novel that I have never come across before because I am not part of the LGBTQ+ community but I liked how Peters didn’t give us a little glossary at the back to help. Instead she gives no explanation and lets us learn about these terms for ourselves.
The book really does unpick these ideas of motherhood, gender and sex, and discusses why it’s OK to want exactly want you want in life, and to change your mind sometimes too! It’s your life and you decide how you want to live it! Without spoiling anything, I also loved the ambiguous ending as I thought it complemented the book and the reading experience superbly!
READ THIS IF :
I don’t know what I expected from this book. I guess I expected the same kind of format as Daisy Jones. However, with this book, there are two stories taking place. We obviously have the narrative about Evelyn Hugo, but we also have the narrative of the girl who is interviewing Evelyn, Monique Grant. Her story is not as developed as we would probably like, but we do learn some vital things about her and her background does provide the setting for why Evelyn must tell her story.
When I was writing my notes for this, I asked myself if I liked the character of Evelyn, and I have to say that my opinion changed multiple times during this book. Sometimes I loved her boldness and how she built herself from nothing; how she escaped an abusive father and a life of hardship. She was fierce and simply took life by the balls (as she would say), never taking no for an answer. I admire anyone, especially any woman, who stands up to the world and says ‘OK, you want a piece of me? Come and get it.’
Yet, there were times where I thought Evelyn was very weak and as I held the book in my hands, my blood was boiling at how stupid she was in some situations. Her life revolved around scandal and marriage, undoubtedly using people to get exactly what she wanted. And she played the system well, there’s no doubt about that. But in doing so, she lost so much vital time with the people she really truly loved because of her stubbornness and society’s expectations of her.
Homosexuality is discussed a number of times throughout the book and it is interesting to read the lengths people would go to to ensure their true sexuality was perfectly hidden. With Evelyn’s story based on the glitz and glamour of Hollywood from the 1950s to the present day, it is interesting to read about the society’s and the press’ portrayal of homosexuality. Most people knew who was gay but would either keep it to themselves (in fear that the dark secrets they were inevitably keeping would be exposed) or would use them as a way of manipulating anyone they wanted. With gay relationships only being made legal in recent times, it is no wonder that people would do ANYTHING to hide their true selves in order to keep their jobs or fame.
With seven marriages, you would think that Evelyn was an expert on love and relationships. And maybe even heartbreak. I think my favourite husband had to be either Harry or Rex because these were relationships that allowed Evelyn to be who she was. Love is obviously a defining theme in this book and yet again, Taylor Jenkins Reid offers some beautiful text surrounding love and how it can be explained.
There is a great twist at the end of the book too. I expected that there was something the book was leading up to but I didn’t expect the twist, which is always a great feeling. I always love it when you have no clue how the book will end.
Credit to Taylor Jenkins Reid for creating yet another masterpiece. I really enjoyed this book and Jenkins Reid is slowly but surely becoming one of my favourite authors. If you were a fan of Daisy Jones & The Six you will undoubtedly love this book too.
When I was writing my notes for this, I asked myself if I liked the character of Evelyn, and I have to say that my opinion changed multiple times during this book. Sometimes I loved her boldness and how she built herself from nothing; how she escaped an abusive father and a life of hardship. She was fierce and simply took life by the balls (as she would say), never taking no for an answer. I admire anyone, especially any woman, who stands up to the world and says ‘OK, you want a piece of me? Come and get it.’
Yet, there were times where I thought Evelyn was very weak and as I held the book in my hands, my blood was boiling at how stupid she was in some situations. Her life revolved around scandal and marriage, undoubtedly using people to get exactly what she wanted. And she played the system well, there’s no doubt about that. But in doing so, she lost so much vital time with the people she really truly loved because of her stubbornness and society’s expectations of her.
Homosexuality is discussed a number of times throughout the book and it is interesting to read the lengths people would go to to ensure their true sexuality was perfectly hidden. With Evelyn’s story based on the glitz and glamour of Hollywood from the 1950s to the present day, it is interesting to read about the society’s and the press’ portrayal of homosexuality. Most people knew who was gay but would either keep it to themselves (in fear that the dark secrets they were inevitably keeping would be exposed) or would use them as a way of manipulating anyone they wanted. With gay relationships only being made legal in recent times, it is no wonder that people would do ANYTHING to hide their true selves in order to keep their jobs or fame.
With seven marriages, you would think that Evelyn was an expert on love and relationships. And maybe even heartbreak. I think my favourite husband had to be either Harry or Rex because these were relationships that allowed Evelyn to be who she was. Love is obviously a defining theme in this book and yet again, Taylor Jenkins Reid offers some beautiful text surrounding love and how it can be explained.
There is a great twist at the end of the book too. I expected that there was something the book was leading up to but I didn’t expect the twist, which is always a great feeling. I always love it when you have no clue how the book will end.
Credit to Taylor Jenkins Reid for creating yet another masterpiece. I really enjoyed this book and Jenkins Reid is slowly but surely becoming one of my favourite authors. If you were a fan of Daisy Jones & The Six you will undoubtedly love this book too.
I saw a few people reading this book over Christmas and I’ve seen so many wonderful reviews too and as it’s only 220 pages, I thought I would give it a go as a quick win. I also LOVE Japanese translated fiction novels because they are so wholesome and they always tend to dig deep into what it means to ‘live’ so I was excited to get stuck into this one.
SYNOPSIS: Natsuki Books was a tiny second-hand bookshop on the edge of town. Inside, towering shelves reached the ceiling, every one crammed full of wonderful books. Rintaro Natsuki loved this space that his grandfather had created. He spent many happy hours there, reading whatever he liked. It was the perfect refuge for a boy who tended to be something of a recluse.
After the death of his grandfather, Rintaro is devastated and alone. It seems he will have to close the shop. Then, a talking tabby cat called Tiger appears and asks Rintaro for help. The cat needs a book lover to join him on a mission. This odd couple will go on three magical adventures to save books from people who have imprisoned, mistreated and betrayed them. Finally, there is one last rescue that Rintaro must attempt alone…
REVIEW: I felt so sorry for our protagonist, Rintaro. After the death of his grandad, who was the only adult left to care for him, Rintaro is obviously grieving throughout the majority of the book. What’s even worse is that his grandad owned a bookshop, Natsuki Books, which now falls to Rintaro to maintain. So Rintaro, who is still at secondary school, has to quickly grow up and become mature enough to know how to look after himself and a second-hand bookshop. His distant aunt also plans for Rintaro to say goodbye to the bookshop to go and live with her. So my heart just broke for Rintaro in so many ways.
I absolutely loved the structure of the book which is structured around Rintaro and his talking tabby cat visiting four different magical labyrinths with their agenda to save books.
Labyrinth 1 - Man who reads books once and let's them die on the shelf
Labyrinth 2 - Man who cuts up books to make them shorter and therefore easier to read
Labyrinth 3 - Man who publishes thousands and thousands of books just because they will make money not because they are good books.
Labyrinth 4 - Old woman who wants to know why Rintaro has been going around saving books.
I loved how each labyrinth represented a different problem within the book world and I felt seen, especially by the man in the first labyrinth who read books once and then never touches them again. GUILTY as charged. Yet I also loved how there was a deeper message behind every journey to the labyrinths and how the talking cat gently eased Rintaro to understand why they were saving these books. I also really liked how Rintaro is very reserved but in each scenario really comes into his own confidence and very cleverly talks these three men into sense by using their own arguments against them.
The book definitely made me question my own reading habits and the wider book world and how it operates too. Maybe it’s not great to read books once and then leave them on my shelves to die. Maybe it’s also not great to read the most popular books of our time rather than appreciating older, timeless books. But the book also reminded me that you read books the way you read books for a reason and to embrace these habits as your own. See what I mean when I say that Japanese fiction is one of a kind?
I’m yet to read a Japanese fiction novel that I haven’t thoroughly enjoyed. This book was an absolute joy to read and it reminded me how beautiful it is to be a book lover. There were so many fantastic quotes about what it means to be a reader and what books can offer us more than just words on a page. It was like a huge warm hug for all of the book lovers out there who have at some point felt alienated, weird, nerdy or lonely by being a bookworm. Sosuke Natsukawa and Louise Heal Kawai - thank you!
READ THIS IF:
SYNOPSIS: Natsuki Books was a tiny second-hand bookshop on the edge of town. Inside, towering shelves reached the ceiling, every one crammed full of wonderful books. Rintaro Natsuki loved this space that his grandfather had created. He spent many happy hours there, reading whatever he liked. It was the perfect refuge for a boy who tended to be something of a recluse.
After the death of his grandfather, Rintaro is devastated and alone. It seems he will have to close the shop. Then, a talking tabby cat called Tiger appears and asks Rintaro for help. The cat needs a book lover to join him on a mission. This odd couple will go on three magical adventures to save books from people who have imprisoned, mistreated and betrayed them. Finally, there is one last rescue that Rintaro must attempt alone…
REVIEW: I felt so sorry for our protagonist, Rintaro. After the death of his grandad, who was the only adult left to care for him, Rintaro is obviously grieving throughout the majority of the book. What’s even worse is that his grandad owned a bookshop, Natsuki Books, which now falls to Rintaro to maintain. So Rintaro, who is still at secondary school, has to quickly grow up and become mature enough to know how to look after himself and a second-hand bookshop. His distant aunt also plans for Rintaro to say goodbye to the bookshop to go and live with her. So my heart just broke for Rintaro in so many ways.
I absolutely loved the structure of the book which is structured around Rintaro and his talking tabby cat visiting four different magical labyrinths with their agenda to save books.
Labyrinth 1 - Man who reads books once and let's them die on the shelf
Labyrinth 2 - Man who cuts up books to make them shorter and therefore easier to read
Labyrinth 3 - Man who publishes thousands and thousands of books just because they will make money not because they are good books.
Labyrinth 4 - Old woman who wants to know why Rintaro has been going around saving books.
I loved how each labyrinth represented a different problem within the book world and I felt seen, especially by the man in the first labyrinth who read books once and then never touches them again. GUILTY as charged. Yet I also loved how there was a deeper message behind every journey to the labyrinths and how the talking cat gently eased Rintaro to understand why they were saving these books. I also really liked how Rintaro is very reserved but in each scenario really comes into his own confidence and very cleverly talks these three men into sense by using their own arguments against them.
The book definitely made me question my own reading habits and the wider book world and how it operates too. Maybe it’s not great to read books once and then leave them on my shelves to die. Maybe it’s also not great to read the most popular books of our time rather than appreciating older, timeless books. But the book also reminded me that you read books the way you read books for a reason and to embrace these habits as your own. See what I mean when I say that Japanese fiction is one of a kind?
I’m yet to read a Japanese fiction novel that I haven’t thoroughly enjoyed. This book was an absolute joy to read and it reminded me how beautiful it is to be a book lover. There were so many fantastic quotes about what it means to be a reader and what books can offer us more than just words on a page. It was like a huge warm hug for all of the book lovers out there who have at some point felt alienated, weird, nerdy or lonely by being a bookworm. Sosuke Natsukawa and Louise Heal Kawai - thank you!
READ THIS IF:
So just like I said in my review of The Bell Jar, there’s just something I love about complicated, unnerving female leads in a book and if Esther Greenwood was tame for you, I raise you the unnamed narrator of Acts of Desperation. I bought this book in the London Piccadilly Waterstones store and the shop assistant was so excited I was buying the book. We spoke for ages about all the accolades the book had been awarded/nominated for, as well as our love of Irish authors and complicated narrators. So it was only a matter of time until I picked this book up.
SYNOPSIS: In the first scene of this provocative gut-punch of a novel, our unnamed narrator meets a magnetic writer named Ciaran and falls, against her better judgement, completely in his power. After a brief, all-consuming romance he abruptly rejects her, sending her into a tailspin of jealous obsession and longing. If he ever comes back to her, she resolves to hang onto him and his love at all costs, even if it destroys her…
Part breathless confession, part lucid critique, Acts of Desperation renders a consciousness split between rebellion and submission, between escaping degradation and eroticizing it, between loving and being lovable. With unsettling, electric precision, Nolan dissects one of life’s most elusive mysteries: Why do we want what we want, and how do we want it?
REVIEW: I was quite confused as to what was happening to the majority of the first few chapters and I actually had to tab the time periods in order for my brain to follow where I was in the timeline. I did actually think the book was easy to follow but the structure of the book and the way it's written was slightly new to me so it took a while for my brain to navigate.
Saying that though, I demolished this book within a day and I think part of that was because of the story and also partly because of the quick, short chapters. I found the story to be a bit of a slow burner but it had real elements of absolute drama and surprises every now and then. Just enough to keep you wanting more detail on what was happening.
Our unnamed narrator is definitely a very self-destructive protagonist and her love for Ciaran was so damaging right from the start. My first impressions of Ciaran was that he seemed pretentious and traumatic and my opinion only got worse as the book progressed. There were real moments in the book that had fantastic examples of gaslighting in a relationship and I thought this was as much educational as it was upsetting.
There are also bits of the story that seemed to be written by an older narrator, looking back on the events she was transcribing and adding elements of hindsight to what happened. This all led me to question how reliable our narrator was? Although there were moments when Ciaran was a real asshole, there were also moments where she seemed to enjoy winding Ciaran up but for the sole purpose that he will give her the attention she craves.
I found the story to be very messed up and I think from reading the author's interview at the back that this story is meant to show how awful it can be when someone is in the constant pursuit of love and happiness and how that pursuit can cloud judgement and sanity.
After finishing the book, I couldn’t stop questioning why this book has been so popular and why it’s an international bestseller as it is honestly really sad and quite brutal and depressing in some parts. Some scenes made me feel physically sick. The narrator purposely put herself in these awful and degrading situations to make her feel better about herself, perhaps because she thought that she deserved it?
Considering all this, I do think that I enjoyed the reading experience of this book. I suppose every now and then I come across a book that sparks such internal dialogue within me and leaves me thinking about the narrator's motivation and the author's motivation too! So if you read this book, hit me up and we can discuss!
READ THIS IF:
SYNOPSIS: In the first scene of this provocative gut-punch of a novel, our unnamed narrator meets a magnetic writer named Ciaran and falls, against her better judgement, completely in his power. After a brief, all-consuming romance he abruptly rejects her, sending her into a tailspin of jealous obsession and longing. If he ever comes back to her, she resolves to hang onto him and his love at all costs, even if it destroys her…
Part breathless confession, part lucid critique, Acts of Desperation renders a consciousness split between rebellion and submission, between escaping degradation and eroticizing it, between loving and being lovable. With unsettling, electric precision, Nolan dissects one of life’s most elusive mysteries: Why do we want what we want, and how do we want it?
REVIEW: I was quite confused as to what was happening to the majority of the first few chapters and I actually had to tab the time periods in order for my brain to follow where I was in the timeline. I did actually think the book was easy to follow but the structure of the book and the way it's written was slightly new to me so it took a while for my brain to navigate.
Saying that though, I demolished this book within a day and I think part of that was because of the story and also partly because of the quick, short chapters. I found the story to be a bit of a slow burner but it had real elements of absolute drama and surprises every now and then. Just enough to keep you wanting more detail on what was happening.
Our unnamed narrator is definitely a very self-destructive protagonist and her love for Ciaran was so damaging right from the start. My first impressions of Ciaran was that he seemed pretentious and traumatic and my opinion only got worse as the book progressed. There were real moments in the book that had fantastic examples of gaslighting in a relationship and I thought this was as much educational as it was upsetting.
There are also bits of the story that seemed to be written by an older narrator, looking back on the events she was transcribing and adding elements of hindsight to what happened. This all led me to question how reliable our narrator was? Although there were moments when Ciaran was a real asshole, there were also moments where she seemed to enjoy winding Ciaran up but for the sole purpose that he will give her the attention she craves.
I found the story to be very messed up and I think from reading the author's interview at the back that this story is meant to show how awful it can be when someone is in the constant pursuit of love and happiness and how that pursuit can cloud judgement and sanity.
After finishing the book, I couldn’t stop questioning why this book has been so popular and why it’s an international bestseller as it is honestly really sad and quite brutal and depressing in some parts. Some scenes made me feel physically sick. The narrator purposely put herself in these awful and degrading situations to make her feel better about herself, perhaps because she thought that she deserved it?
Considering all this, I do think that I enjoyed the reading experience of this book. I suppose every now and then I come across a book that sparks such internal dialogue within me and leaves me thinking about the narrator's motivation and the author's motivation too! So if you read this book, hit me up and we can discuss!
READ THIS IF: