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eren_reads's reviews
428 reviews
The Employees: A Workplace Novel of the 22nd Century by Olga Ravn
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
What a strange little exploration of the question, what makes a human?
Ex-Wife by Ursula Parrott
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
I think the primary source of enjoyment for me personally when it comes to this book is understanding the differences between how divorce was seen back then and how it is seen now. For instance, divorce has become more normalised now and marriage is being sort out later yet it is still seen as a defining moment in someone’s life. A key milestone everyone should seek out.
Hood Feminism: Notes from the Women That a Movement Forgot by Mikki Kendall
informative
medium-paced
4.0
If you are a white woman who considers themselves a feminist then you should read this. It covers some key issues that white feminism oftentimes ignores as those who are the figureheads of that movement have not encountered them. This book is a good example of why we must have an intersectional feminism that acknowledges how each woman is impacted by their intersecting identities, whether that be because they are trans or black or any other minority.
My one minor gripe was this was very clearly written from an American perspective though the majority of the topics were applicable to my country as well, England.
My one minor gripe was this was very clearly written from an American perspective though the majority of the topics were applicable to my country as well, England.
This Mournable Body by Tsitsi Dangarembga
Did not finish book. Stopped at 43%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 43%.
I just did not find myself particularly interested in this book nor it's writing style.
Directed by Desire: The Collected Poems by Adrienne Rich, Sara Miles, June Jordan, Jan Heller Levi
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
4.0
These poems
they are things that I do
in the dark
reaching for you
whoever you are
and are you ready?
These words
they are stones in the water
running away
These skeletal lines
they are desperate arms for my longing and
love.
I am a stranger
learning to worship the strangers
around me
whoever you are
whoever I may become.
-These Poems
This is such a beautiful, and massive, collection of poem which touches on a variety of themes and ideas: race, racism and love to name a few.
This is such a beautiful, and massive, collection of poem which touches on a variety of themes and ideas: race, racism and love to name a few.
The Possession by Annie Ernaux
What more can I say about this book? It's written by Annie Ernaux so it is poignant and beautifully written.
reflective
medium-paced
4.5
all of this autofiction anticipating the pleasures of a normal life was supplanted by the images that were rushing in from the outside to stab me in the chest. I was no longer free in my daydreams. I was no longer the subject even of my own fantasies. I was being inhabited by a woman I had never seen. Or, to borrow the word of a Senegalese man who once told me he was being possessed by an enemy, I was 'maraboutee.'
What more can I say about this book? It's written by Annie Ernaux so it is poignant and beautifully written.
Undiscovered by Gabriela Wiener
At the very beginning of this book I was so convinced that I would give this a 5 stars. The first few chapters were so beautifully written and the first chapter, in particular, provided some really poignant reflections on museums and how they are filled with stolen artifacts from other countries.
However, as the book continued, I found my enthusiasm waning. When the author was writing about colonialism and the experience of living with a dual identity, the nationality of the colonised and the coloniser, it was so beautiful. Despite that, I can't give it above a 3.5 because there was such a large focus on the characters/authors sex life and I didn't really understand what the point was in having it be such a large focus.
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
The strangest thing about being alone here in Paris, in an anthropology museum gallery more or less beneath the Eiffel Tower, is the thought that all these statuettes that look like me were wrenched from my country by a man whose last name I inherited.
At the very beginning of this book I was so convinced that I would give this a 5 stars. The first few chapters were so beautifully written and the first chapter, in particular, provided some really poignant reflections on museums and how they are filled with stolen artifacts from other countries.
However, as the book continued, I found my enthusiasm waning. When the author was writing about colonialism and the experience of living with a dual identity, the nationality of the colonised and the coloniser, it was so beautiful. Despite that, I can't give it above a 3.5 because there was such a large focus on the characters/authors sex life and I didn't really understand what the point was in having it be such a large focus.
Happening by Annie Ernaux
I will read anything and everything that Annie Ernaux chooses to write. This book is a beautifully written meditation on her experience getting an abortion whilst it was still illegal in France. She does not shy away from describing her experiences which I think makes this book all the more impactful.
Additionally, I enjoyed Annie Ernaux's writing on her experience actually writing this book and her musing's on why she was writing this and particular choices she made in this book.
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
I began this story one week ago, not knowing whether I would go through with it... Obeying this impulse seemed a terrifying prospect... One night I dreamed I was holding a book I had published about my abortion: it was unavailable from bookstores and didn't feature in any catalogue. On the bottom of the cover, in huge letters, were the words: OUT OF PRINT. I couldn't decide whether the dream meant that I should write the book, or that there would be no point in doing so.
I will read anything and everything that Annie Ernaux chooses to write. This book is a beautifully written meditation on her experience getting an abortion whilst it was still illegal in France. She does not shy away from describing her experiences which I think makes this book all the more impactful.
Additionally, I enjoyed Annie Ernaux's writing on her experience actually writing this book and her musing's on why she was writing this and particular choices she made in this book.
Kallocain by Karin Boye
challenging
dark
medium-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
4.0
This is a classic dystopia that touches on the fears of the time in which it was written and are still present in the modern day. That being the fear of not only the state having complete authoritarian control over individuals lives but also gaining access to our thoughts via a truth serum. That was one of the things I thought was so good about this book, that it is still topical.
Another aspect that I thought was really effective was the choice of narrative voice, someone who is not only not the 'good guy' but also someone who aligns themselves with the regime they live under. The reason I thought this was so effective was that it is particularly unnerving to have someone state horrific ideas, like the state accessing individuals thoughts, in such a nonchalant and accepting way.
The only thing that is holding me back from rating this higher is that I found the writing to be just fine throughout. It wasn't bad just not amazing, like some others that I have read in this genre.
Another aspect that I thought was really effective was the choice of narrative voice, someone who is not only not the 'good guy' but also someone who aligns themselves with the regime they live under. The reason I thought this was so effective was that it is particularly unnerving to have someone state horrific ideas, like the state accessing individuals thoughts, in such a nonchalant and accepting way.
The only thing that is holding me back from rating this higher is that I found the writing to be just fine throughout. It wasn't bad just not amazing, like some others that I have read in this genre.
Wednesday's Child: Stories by Yiyun Li
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
I really wanted to enjoy this collection of short stories. A collection that focuses on topics like motherhood and ageing and womanhood is right up my ally. However, I felt that I just couldn't really connect with these stories except for the titular one, Wednesday's Child, and didn't find the way the author delved into these topics particularly interesting. Additionally, the writing style was very hit or miss with me. At times I thought it was effective and at other times it didn't really work for me.