dernichtraucherin's reviews
216 reviews

Fourteen Days: A Collaborative Novel by The Authors Guild, Douglas Preston, Margaret Atwood

reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

2.0

this was an unbelievably boring read for a pitch that could have made an amazing book. it would have needed a better editor and maybe different authors aswell, the storytelling was sloppy, there was so little happening between each "story telling nights" that it was impossible to build a connection to anyone. the butch lesbian super could have been so much more as a protagonist but smh they chose to give her one personality trait (alcoholic) and i could bring myself to care for any of the other tenants either.

in hindsight (knowing the plot twist at the end) it makes a lot of sense why it would have been written that way but that doesnt excuse how boring it was. i read it for magaret atwood alone and she only sponsored a single story that also wasnt her best effort so i was pretty disappointed overall. i didnt check which story was hers before i read the book so i made a little game of it. having read a lot of atwoods work i thought it would be funny for me to guess which story was hers to see if i could recognise her writing and i guessed wrong but that didnt matter cause the only good thing that came from this book was that i discovered one (1) new author im interested in!

the writer i mistook for margaret atwood was in fact charlie jane anders and im looking forward to reading some of her work!

The Essential Dykes to Watch Out For by Alison Bechdel

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emotional funny fast-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

5.0

A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian by Marina Lewycka

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dark emotional funny fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

t'was a confusing read. i would have liked a much more critical feminist analysis towards valentina but it fell extremely short because while the protagonist considered herself a feminist it was clear that she isnt. instead i would have loved a deeper exploration of the relationship between her and vera. if the whole book would have been like the last few chapters i mightve loved it! at times it felt like her father was the only three dimensional character which made him really interesting but sadly because he was a horrible person... im not sure how to feel about this book yet- it explained a lot of ukranian history to me (and a lot of unnecessary fun facts about tractors but alas here we are)

A Single Man by Christopher Isherwood

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emotional reflective fast-paced