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erinbrenner's reviews
507 reviews
Whose Names Are Unknown by Sanora Babb
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
A powerful, thoughtful story of what it was like to watch your farm literally blow away, move to California to start again, starve, be looked down on, be cheated, and still find a way to survive.
Babb's novel is an intimate, personal look at these events and her characters are so real, I want to look them up and see how they survived after the last page.
This should have been published in 1939 and Random House was set to do so until Steinbeck's "Grapes of Wrath" became so popular. The world "didn't need" two books on the Dust Bowl and Depression. I call BS. They didn't want a woman upstaging a successful man. Otherwise why wait 40+ years to publish?
But go read this book and decide for yourself.
Babb's novel is an intimate, personal look at these events and her characters are so real, I want to look them up and see how they survived after the last page.
This should have been published in 1939 and Random House was set to do so until Steinbeck's "Grapes of Wrath" became so popular. The world "didn't need" two books on the Dust Bowl and Depression. I call BS. They didn't want a woman upstaging a successful man. Otherwise why wait 40+ years to publish?
But go read this book and decide for yourself.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Miscarriage and Classism
Moderate: Pregnancy
Minor: Death, Misogyny, Racism, and Antisemitism
Amsterdam by Ian McEwan
dark
reflective
fast-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
4.0
File under "Horrible people behaving horribly" and "Overprivileged people getting what they deserve." The characters are, almost to a person, self-centered, selfish, unkind, and unethical. Yet the writing is beautiful and it was satisfying to see 3 of the 4 main characters get what they deserved.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Death, Rape, and Transphobia
Minor: Alcoholism, Misogyny, Murder, Gaslighting, and Classism
The Winter Sea by Susanna Kearsley
adventurous
emotional
relaxing
medium-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
4.0
North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell
emotional
reflective
slow-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
4.5
The Death of King Arthur: A New Verse Translation by
adventurous
dark
fast-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
4.0
A Prayer for the Crown-Shy by Becky Chambers
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers
adventurous
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
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? Yes
5.0
The Warden: Discovering a Dark Secret by Anthony Trollope
reflective
relaxing
slow-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
5.0
Twelve Patients: Life and Death at Bellevue Hospital by Eric Manheimer
Did not finish book.
Did not finish book.
I wanted to read this book to see how the TV show "New Amsterdam" was trying from it. The two barely have anything in common. The first few chapters were well written and had strong structures. But deeper into the book the chapters devolved into paragraphs of retelling complex medical histories. The dialogue given to patients didn't sound genuine, making them sound more like medical professionals then ordinary people. I finally just lost interest.
Now All We Need Is a Title: Famous Book Titles and How They Got That Way by André Bernard
informative
lighthearted
fast-paced
3.75