caitlyn_baldwin's reviews
670 reviews

The Women by Kristin Hannah

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challenging dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

Hannah brings us a narrative of the Vietnam War from an unlikely perspective. The story feels well researched with the author noting at the end that she read first-hand accounts from women who served in their own capacities. I had some initial reservations that the narrative might skew too much in toward “patriotism” but I think that she did really well to address the political realities of the situation. On top of the obvious themes of war and geopolitics, I think it does a good job exploring the themes of loss, trauma, addiction, and persistence. I think the spotlight on the VA and general medical system’s shortcomings in treating war veterans is impactful and unfortunately still relevant

I think that the strain we see in Frankie’s relationship with her parents gives some good insight in the generational disconnect of the people who grew up during the silent generation vs the people that grew up during the baby boomer years. I also really loved the final full circle moment with the ending at the Vietnam Veterans War Memorial. Which ICYMI: it was designed by Asian-American architect Maya Lin :)


Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros

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adventurous emotional tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

Overall I think that the pacing throughout was a little odd but then Rebecca can be counted on for some action packed final chapters. I liked the addition to the world building and lore that we got with this installment and I have a lot of conspiracies that I’m eagerly waiting to find out the veracity of. 
On Our Best Behavior: The Seven Deadly Sins and the Price Women Pay to Be Good by Elise Loehnen

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informative reflective medium-paced

2.5

I liked the premise of the work, however the material tended to err more on the anecdotal side than I would generally prefer. I think inclusion of more academic sources as support for the prevalence of the issues discussed would have been more impactful. She does end the main discussion by talking a little about how men are negatively affected by the patriarchy, but overall, I would say that this piece does lack intersectionality
Kamisama Kiss, Vol. 7 by Julietta Suzuki

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adventurous mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

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dark emotional medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

The Rebel: An Essay on Man in Revolt by Albert Camus

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challenging reflective slow-paced

5.0

“Whatever we may do, excess will always keep its place in the heart of man, in the place where solitude is found. We all carry within us our places of exile, our crimes and our ravages. But our task is not to unleash them on the world; it is to fight them in ourselves and in others.”


Albert Camus is so metal.
Outlawed by Anna North

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adventurous emotional slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Men Explain Things to Me by Rebecca Solnit

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challenging informative reflective medium-paced

4.0

Paradise Lost by John Milton

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dark reflective slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

There’s better Bible fanfic out there tbh
Lady Macbeth by Ava Reid

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

I really liked the premise of the novel, and I thought it was a really intriguing idea to follow in the trend of reimagining classics through the eyes of the women involved. I think that the good Lady could have used some slightly different characterization in order to better meet the authors aims.