bookmaddie's reviews
1110 reviews

Fine? Not very thrilling, honestly, and Claudia kind of annoyed me. I kind of wish it was just Nicole’s narration.

Not for me. The writing is so stream of consciousness, and so teenager.. I just can’t find a way to enjoy it. 

A beautifully rendered, moving family story.
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What a novel—a family history and mystery all wrapped up in one compelling story! In this novel, based on the author's life and family, a woman is trying to figure out who sent an anonymous postcard to her mother bearing the name of four of her ancestors who were killed at Auschwitz during the Holocaust. Berest brings her ancestor's stories alive on the page. It's a beautiful tribute and speaks to the tremendous amount of research done for this book. I really enjoyed reading the NYT article about Berest's writing process—it sheds a bit more light on her research as well, which is quite fascinating.

This novel is divided into three parts that delve into her ancestor's stories in different ways, as well as Berest's own personal journey as she works to discover who sent the postcard, and learns about her family history along the way. Her work to figure out just what happened to her grandmother, great aunt and uncle, and great-grandparents made me think of my own family, and all that I don't know about them. It makes me wonder about my extended family, especially on my dad's side, and if any were residing in Europe during the Holocaust.

There is so much that I can never know at this point, but I found a great sense of peace and love in Berest's telling of her own family story, and of her newfound understanding of Judaism. I was also raised in a very non-religious family, and while I attended a Jewish elementary school, I never had a bat mitzvah or continued my studies of the Torah. I don't regret that choice, but I found it very heartening to read Berest's own journey with her faith—through the trauma and love that it embodies for her.

Even amongst the searing, heartbreaking moments in this story, I felt as if there was a comforting presence alongside me. I think this is partly due to Berest's choice to tell much of this story through dialogue, and have the storyteller as a sort of guide. But maybe it also nods to the histories and lives we all carry within us (though I'm getting a bit too prophetic for my own tastes, haha). 

I really enjoyed this novel, and I think the reading experience will stick with me for a long time. And of course, I hope all of you read it!! A big thank you to Europa Editions for providing me with a digital advanced copy.

One of the best graphic novels I’ve ever read.

I feel like parts of the second half went a bit over my head..

the ending… i cry :-( 
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Cushla teaches at a Catholic elementary school during the Troubles in Northern Ireland, and works at her family bar, where she meets an older man and begins an affair. I feel like this book is sold as a love story, but I found that to be the least compelling aspect of the story. Instead, I think of this novel as a coming-of-age in a confining community during a time of random, unceasing violence. Cushla gets involved in the life of one of her students, and has a stumbling, charming friendship with one of her fellow teachers. Both of these relationships felt like gems sparkling amongst the dust and darkness of the rest of the story, and I relished the moments I spent with them.

Even if I didn't find the love story that captivating, I think it was necessary to help Cushla come into her adulthood and understand a different part of her life, especially within a deeply segregated, yet small, community. Kennedy's writing is without flourish, yet unflinching, honest, and surprisingly funny at times. Cushla's clever comebacks always surprised and delighted me—they felt unstudied yet precise.

Full of tenderness and mundane catastrophe, with vivid characters who light up every page, this novel is powerful even in its quietest moments. I look forward to reading what Kennedy writes next!

What a fun romp!! The kind of book I've been missing, even if I didn't realize it til after I'd finished reading.

This story is full of wily characters who never run out of clever quips, and surprise you with their kindness and care. Aka the perfect group to go treasure-seeking across the seas! I love a good pirate book, and it was so fun to get a glimpse of other pirate communities (besides our main group, of course). Chakraborty knows how to write charming, delightful rascals, so it was always a delight to turn the page and see what new creature might appear next.

Such a vibrant group of characters is deserving of an equally imaginative story, and Chakraborty delivers! While it did take me a bit to get into the story, once the plot picked up, I was hooked. Each chapter drew me forward, and by the end, I was rushing to turn pages and learn what would happen next. I loved the in-between chapters that gave context, through legends and character's histories—even if they technically took me away from the main plot, I was always equally intrigued by whatever tangent I was briefly led down. I also love that this story was set up as a scribe writing down a story as it was told. I think it was a great way to get to know Amina through how she speaks, and get a glimpse of the mystery scribe's personality as well.

This wasn't quite a five star read for me, but I'm hopeful for the subsequent books in the series to knock my socks off! I can't wait to adventure with the Amina and her crew again.

Thanks to NetGalley and Harper Voyager for my advanced digital copy of this book.

THE REHEARSAL is a complex, inquisitive, and nuanced exploration of girlhood and the performance of personhood. A high schooler is discovered having an affair with her jazz band teacher, and the effects are felt deeply within the tight-knit community. Through the eyes of schoolgirls and townspeople, Catton explores the aftermath of scandal and how it upends relationships of all kinds—lovers, mothers and daughters, teachers and students.

And while doing this, she also manages to create a narrative that holds many performances within it—a play, a storyteller, two girls trying to figure out how they want to be. It makes you wonder what parts of the novel actually happened and what was an imagination, reinforcing the nature of the scandal, as no one knows what actually happened. Clever! I don't think this narrative style will be for everyone, but I found it endlessly fascinating and clever.

Catton's writing of the schoolgirls is outstanding—they felt perfectly their age, with the teenage distractions, confidence, playacting, and moments of wisdom. The interiority she is known for shines through here in a more cutting, crisp way than her later novels.

I really enjoyed this novel, and it is definitely one that will stick around in my head for awhile. I'm sad that I don't have any more of Catton's writing to enjoy, but maybe it's just time for a reread of THE LUMINARIES.

I hadn't really come across the term pop-history before, but it definitely applies to some of the non-fiction I like to read. While I enjoyed reading about such a legendary woman in New York's history, this book felt a bit too "pop" for me to absolutely love it.

Wright's research into Madame Restell's life is detailed, and she portrays all that she found in short chapters that make for easy reading. Madame Restell, one of New York's most well-known (and disliked) abortion providers, was a fascinating woman who had opinions far ahead of her time, and practiced relatively safe abortions at a time when surgeons wouldn't even wash their hands before operating.

However, as beguiling as Madame Restell was, Wright's writing felt a bit basic and her attempts at humor or funny asides felt a bit awkward. Some relatively basic historical events, like the Civil War, were gone into with quite a bit of detail that I thought was largely irrelevant to the story of Madame Restell. It just felt rather elementary to me—I definitely began skimming over bits as I got further in the book. Wright also makes some weird comments where she's trying to make a joke or relate to the reader, but they felt a bit odd and out-of-place(at one point she hates on open concept homes?).

I think this is a really valuable read if you're curious about Madame Restell and life in New York City in the mid-1800s. It is a curious look into a very different time, and we even get glimpses of the Gilded Age, which is one of my favorite times in American history. I especially loved the chapters about architecture that Wright includes (Restell built a beautiful mansion for her family and an apartment building!).

The conclusion brings all that we have read into the present day, and oof—I was stressed! It's scary to imagine the United States going back to a time of illicit, backroom abortions provided by people who don't really know what they're doing, in conditions that aren't the safest. And we honestly don't seem that far from such a world (and this is the case in many parts of the world!). This book is eye-opening, inspiring, thought-provoking, and fear-inducing—one I'd definitely recommend.

This story follows a Greek teacher, who is going blind, and a woman in his class who has lost her voice. Generally, each chapter alternates from one perspective to another. Han's writing is consistently beautiful and flows well between each character.

However, the narrative doesn't feel as arresting, profound, or fully formed as her previous works. The student's story feels unresolved—both emotionally and plot-wise. I feel like she was mostly looking back through her memories without reflecting upon them, or finding some way to grow from her experiences. It felt like she was gazing at her life from behind a protective pane o glass, and it left her story without much emotional impact for me. The teacher's story was more captivating and realized—it felt as if he were truly examining his place in life and reflecting on his life to understand how he got to where he is.

Such an uneven balance between the two characters made it hard to find the point of the story, especially since it took so long for the two to interact in any significant way. And that ending.. HM.. I am not sure how I feel about it, one moment in particular. I could see some artistic or symbolic appeal, but it didn't fully justify what happened, in my mind. All in all, while I enjoyed reading Han's writing again, I found this book a tad disappointing.

Thanks to Hogarth and Netgalley for an advanced digital copy.

why did they kiss in the end!! did not feel.. expected? idk how i feel about the end.