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goldripred's reviews
128 reviews
Apology by Plato
reflective
sad
medium-paced
4.25
Good and short book. I liked the argumentation and the tricky leading questions were fun. It reminded me of Lysias when he was going after one of the Thirty who had killed his brother in using questions that are designed to make it so that the opponent invariably falls into your trap.
A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway
dark
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? It's complicated
4.0
Pierre and Jean by Guy de Maupassant
dark
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Really sad although good stylistically. Just tragic material and you leave the book with a sense of melancholy. How one thing can ruin a family.
The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
dark
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Catch and Kill: Lies, Spies, and a Conspiracy to Protect Predators by Ronan Farrow
adventurous
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
5.0
Inspiring how all these women came forward to stop this predator. Also frightening the system in place to support and protect predators, but also was hopeful that one man can make a difference. Ronan Farrow just had little to lose, less than any other journalist would have and he was insulated from any consequence hence he could finally take the steps to find victims and get their stories. Highly engaging and extremely contemporary.
One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez
Did not finish book.
Did not finish book.
Had odd sections with incest that I found off putting
Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro
sad
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? It's complicated
4.0
Very sad at the end. But also makes you think about what makes life worth living. Can we distill life down to base components? And can a short life still be filled with meaning if artificially time bound. Interesting ethical questions raised by the book.
Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
I found the book really eye opening and it explored an entirely new culture. I didn’t love how the main character was so flippant about killing and murder which made him hard to relate to. I couldn’t find myself rooting for him which I suppose is real life. Still this is fiction so it doesn’t have to be real life. Is not the point to show Africans not as savages? So why include the father killing his slave in the woods. Or him killing his wayward son.