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emily_britton's reviews
835 reviews

Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin

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emotional sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

Dead Souls by Nikolai Gogol

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funny slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

I found myself chuckling over the absurdity of this story and its characters at multiple points; however, I cannot recommend it wholeheartedly for two reasons: 1) Gogol left this incomplete (this edition included a reconstruction of the second volume, which Gogol tried to burn before his untimely death, which was somewhat helpful but still left much to be desired) and 2) as with many novels of this era, it does get a bit florid at times. I will say that, at least in this translation, Gogol was a masterful writer, and I enjoyed his style most of the time, but it may not be for everyone.

Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus

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challenging funny inspiring fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.75

Content Warnings

Ballad of the Whiskey Robber: A True Story of Bank Heists, Ice Hockey, Transylvanian Pelt Smuggling, Moonlighting Detectives, and Broken Hearts by Julian Rubinstein

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adventurous funny medium-paced

3.5

An interesting story, but written in a style that is much more journalistic than I like.

Content Warnings

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll

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adventurous funny lighthearted fast-paced

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

3.0

I had forgotten just how silly this book is. Lovely pictures in this edition, though.

Faust: A Tragedy, Part One by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

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adventurous dark medium-paced

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

3.0

This may be an interesting story, but I didn't enjoy reading it as much as I should have, according to its fame. Maybe it hasn't aged well.

Infinite Country by Patricia Engel

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adventurous emotional informative sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.25

There were some really good elements in this novel, but it didn't quite sing. Instead, it got a little too preachy at times -- like the author had to incorporate every immigration horror story imagineable in order to press home her point that we need immigration reform in this country. I don't disagree, but it certainly wasn't very subtle.

Content Warnings