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nataliestorozhenko's reviews
169 reviews
The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas by Ursula K. Le Guin
4.0
«The trouble is that we have a bad habit, encouraged by pedants and sophisticates, of considering happiness as something rather stupid. Only pain is intellectual, only evil interesting. This is the treason of the artist: a refusal to admit the banality of evil and the terrible boredom of pain.»
«Happiness is based on a just discrimination of what is necessary, what is neither necessary nor destructive, and what is destructive.»
«Happiness is based on a just discrimination of what is necessary, what is neither necessary nor destructive, and what is destructive.»
The Drowning Faith by R.F. Kuang
5.0
«He loves her.
Of this he’s certain.»
«She’s the only divine thing he’s ever believed in. The only creature in this vast, cruel land who could kill him. And sometimes, in his loveliest dreams, he imagines she does.»
Of this he’s certain.»
«She’s the only divine thing he’s ever believed in. The only creature in this vast, cruel land who could kill him. And sometimes, in his loveliest dreams, he imagines she does.»
Draco Malfoy and the Mortifying Ordeal of Being in Love by isthisselfcare
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Lord of the Flies by William Golding
4.0
“Maybe," he said hesitantly, "maybe there is a beast." [...] "What I mean is, maybe it's only us.”
This is my second reread of this book. After reading and watching Naoki Urasawa's "Monster" it felt right to immerse myself in this story about the true ugliness and blackness of human nature. And it delivers. It delivers well.
“We did everything adults would do. What went wrong?” - nothing went wrong, it turned out exactly what adults do, just on a smaller scale. When Ralph asks for a sign from adults, William Golding himself says that the sign is already there - the long history "of blood and intolerance, of ignorance and prejudice, the thing which is dead, but won't lie down." The whole history of humankind.
“People don't help much." He wanted to explain how people were never quite what you thought they were.” Amazing character portrayals here and the way the author is fluent in children's thoughts.
“Ralph wept for the end of innocence, the darkness of man's heart, and the fall through the air of the true, wise friend called Piggy.” This book makes me weep, the morale of the fable, and the heart-breaking plot. The way the characters were deeply presented although the narration is from the child's point of view. My poor babies Simon and Piggy. It's always the best of us...
This book is too precious but also very hard for me to talk about. How do you talk about something that reflects on human nature, society, politics, and religion simultaneously? So it's not much of a review, but just scraps that I constantly think about.
This is my second reread of this book. After reading and watching Naoki Urasawa's "Monster" it felt right to immerse myself in this story about the true ugliness and blackness of human nature. And it delivers. It delivers well.
“We did everything adults would do. What went wrong?” - nothing went wrong, it turned out exactly what adults do, just on a smaller scale. When Ralph asks for a sign from adults, William Golding himself says that the sign is already there - the long history "of blood and intolerance, of ignorance and prejudice, the thing which is dead, but won't lie down." The whole history of humankind.
“People don't help much." He wanted to explain how people were never quite what you thought they were.” Amazing character portrayals here and the way the author is fluent in children's thoughts.
“Ralph wept for the end of innocence, the darkness of man's heart, and the fall through the air of the true, wise friend called Piggy.” This book makes me weep, the morale of the fable, and the heart-breaking plot. The way the characters were deeply presented although the narration is from the child's point of view. My poor babies Simon and Piggy. It's always the best of us...
This book is too precious but also very hard for me to talk about. How do you talk about something that reflects on human nature, society, politics, and religion simultaneously? So it's not much of a review, but just scraps that I constantly think about.
Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
3.0
“But I don't want comfort. I want God, I want poetry, I want real danger, I want freedom, I want goodness. I want sin.”
Going through this book was quite difficult for me. The writing was challenging to consume, and the described utopia with a sense that "everyone should be happy" and "everyone belongs to everyone" was deeply unsettling for me. Even with the most advanced techniques and science, people are still sorted into classes, although conditioned to be "happy," which I found quite realistic. It made me reflect on what my ideal utopia might look like.
The book's concept makes you think about various things concerning future and current political and social constructions. However, the writing could have been better. The only moment I enjoyed in regards to writing was in chapter three, where the scenes shift between three premises in almost every sentence. It felt like watching a nice cinematic effect with scenes shifting each time with shorter intervals coming to a climax. Nonetheless, for me, this book doesn't measure up to Orwell's and Atwood's far superior works which I certainly enjoy more. Still, it was quite a curious read and I would recommend it just for a general sense of classical dystopian literature.
Going through this book was quite difficult for me. The writing was challenging to consume, and the described utopia with a sense that "everyone should be happy" and "everyone belongs to everyone" was deeply unsettling for me. Even with the most advanced techniques and science, people are still sorted into classes, although conditioned to be "happy," which I found quite realistic. It made me reflect on what my ideal utopia might look like.
The book's concept makes you think about various things concerning future and current political and social constructions. However, the writing could have been better. The only moment I enjoyed in regards to writing was in chapter three, where the scenes shift between three premises in almost every sentence. It felt like watching a nice cinematic effect with scenes shifting each time with shorter intervals coming to a climax. Nonetheless, for me, this book doesn't measure up to Orwell's and Atwood's far superior works which I certainly enjoy more. Still, it was quite a curious read and I would recommend it just for a general sense of classical dystopian literature.
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
5.0
“Life, although it may only be an accumulation of anguish, is dear to me, and I will defend it.”
Mary Shelley's Frankenstein is a remarkable piece of gothic literature, which is often considered to be the original science fiction and a perfectly written horror story. What's even more astounding is that Mary Shelley was a teenager when she wrote it.
The novel delves into many themes, but the primary focus is on the fear of industrialization and scientific progress. During Mary Shelley's time, machinery started to replace human labor, which is a prevalent concern in the book.
“Learn from me, if not by my precepts, at least by my example, how dangerous is the acquirement of knowledge, and how much happier that man is who believes his native town to be his world, than he who aspires to become greater than his nature will allow.”
The monster's abandonment and anguish mirror Mary's own suffering and lack of maternal presence in her life. Her father's constant disapproval also influenced the book's tone, making the monster's anguish feel more authentic and relatable. All this parallels with the theme of "unwanted child" too.
"I have love in me the likes of which you can scarcely imagine and rage the likes of which you would not believe. If I cannot satisfy the one, I will indulge the other."
The book's writing is impeccable, with an interesting structure of a story within a story. The narrative starts with Captain Walton writing in an epistolary style to his sister, followed by Victor Frankenstein's story as he recounts his life to the captain. During Victor's narrative, we hear the monster's perspective as he confronts his creator.
Victor's comparison to Prometheus is a fascinating aspect of the book, which sets the tone for the primary plot. Although he is at fault for unleashing the monster upon this world, the way he's stripped of all that's dear to him hurts very badly, and I deeply empathized with him. I am not sure if it's an unpopular opinion, but I liked Victor's character a lot. I know he's a morally grey, superior bastard who decided to play god and then basically left his failed experiment to its own devices without taking responsibility. But he is for sure a fascinating and complicated character that you love and hate at the same time, but towards the end, you just hope that he finds some peace and mourn the loss of all the great potential.
The monster's narrative is truly heartbreaking - starting with his description of how he loves the scenery, how he enjoys the sound of birds, and how beautiful he finds people. But it's evident how human cruelty, abandonment, and loneliness can create a monster. Basically, the monster was not created by Dr. Frankenstein right away, it was just cemented by a cruel circumstance of human shallow nature.
“My heart was fashioned to be susceptible of love and sympathy, and when wrenched by misery to vice and hatred, it did not endure the violence of the change without torture such as you cannot even imagine.”
Overall, this is exactly the kind of gothic horror story that I like. It's not a spooky kind of horror when you jump at loud noises or flinch because of shadows. It is a kind of horror that brings you real sadness and real fears that sit deeply inside of every human being. The fear of loneliness, of loss, of grief. It combines elements of science fiction and has amazing character development (or regression? or both?). I absolutely loved it.
Mary Shelley's Frankenstein is a remarkable piece of gothic literature, which is often considered to be the original science fiction and a perfectly written horror story. What's even more astounding is that Mary Shelley was a teenager when she wrote it.
The novel delves into many themes, but the primary focus is on the fear of industrialization and scientific progress. During Mary Shelley's time, machinery started to replace human labor, which is a prevalent concern in the book.
“Learn from me, if not by my precepts, at least by my example, how dangerous is the acquirement of knowledge, and how much happier that man is who believes his native town to be his world, than he who aspires to become greater than his nature will allow.”
The monster's abandonment and anguish mirror Mary's own suffering and lack of maternal presence in her life. Her father's constant disapproval also influenced the book's tone, making the monster's anguish feel more authentic and relatable. All this parallels with the theme of "unwanted child" too.
"I have love in me the likes of which you can scarcely imagine and rage the likes of which you would not believe. If I cannot satisfy the one, I will indulge the other."
The book's writing is impeccable, with an interesting structure of a story within a story. The narrative starts with Captain Walton writing in an epistolary style to his sister, followed by Victor Frankenstein's story as he recounts his life to the captain. During Victor's narrative, we hear the monster's perspective as he confronts his creator.
Victor's comparison to Prometheus is a fascinating aspect of the book, which sets the tone for the primary plot. Although he is at fault for unleashing the monster upon this world, the way he's stripped of all that's dear to him hurts very badly, and I deeply empathized with him. I am not sure if it's an unpopular opinion, but I liked Victor's character a lot. I know he's a morally grey, superior bastard who decided to play god and then basically left his failed experiment to its own devices without taking responsibility. But he is for sure a fascinating and complicated character that you love and hate at the same time, but towards the end, you just hope that he finds some peace and mourn the loss of all the great potential.
The monster's narrative is truly heartbreaking - starting with his description of how he loves the scenery, how he enjoys the sound of birds, and how beautiful he finds people. But it's evident how human cruelty, abandonment, and loneliness can create a monster. Basically, the monster was not created by Dr. Frankenstein right away, it was just cemented by a cruel circumstance of human shallow nature.
“My heart was fashioned to be susceptible of love and sympathy, and when wrenched by misery to vice and hatred, it did not endure the violence of the change without torture such as you cannot even imagine.”
Overall, this is exactly the kind of gothic horror story that I like. It's not a spooky kind of horror when you jump at loud noises or flinch because of shadows. It is a kind of horror that brings you real sadness and real fears that sit deeply inside of every human being. The fear of loneliness, of loss, of grief. It combines elements of science fiction and has amazing character development (or regression? or both?). I absolutely loved it.