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oatmilktea's reviews
118 reviews
Tehanu by Ursula K. Le Guin
But I want to end on a positive note, so here's a line I liked, from chapter 5. I don't think it takes anything away because it's just a beautifully worded description, but to be safe, I'll mark it as a spoiler:"When she spoke the dragon's name again it spoke itself, shaping her mouth to its shape and sound, making her breath soft fire."
dark
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
2.5
As someone else on here wrote: “I find myself admiring her writing more than I actually like it.”
Once again (as with The Farthest Shore), I gleaned more from the afterword than the actual story. And again, I feel like I might just not get Le Guin. So maybe that’s on me. I understand what Le Guin wanted to accomplish with Tehanu; I understand why others love and value this book. But reading Tehanu, to me, was tedious, I simply did not enjoy a large portion of it. It took me 101 days in total from beginning to end. It was put on hold for most of that time because I was simply not interested, and not because Tenar was at the centre of it (I really liked The Tombs of Atuan, and I like Tenar).
There were too many side characters I didn’t care about and to me, so many of them were interchangeable. I couldn’t tell you anything about who they were except for their names, and even those I’ve already forgot despite finishing the book 15 minutes ago. And unfortunately, I couldn’t connect to Therru and her plot line at all. She was just suddenly there and made me feel little, even though I usually empathise with such characters.
The Earthsea books are well-written but overall too slow for me. I start to lose interest if little to nothing happens for a while. The beginning and end of Tehanu were its strong suit, whereas the middle bored me immensely. That’s where I got stuck in my reading process.
Perhaps I’ll have to reread Tehanu some day. Perhaps I’ll be able to appreciate it more then. But for now, I am just relieved to take it off my “currently reading” stack. I am in no hurry to pick up Tales of Earthsea.
But I want to end on a positive note, so here's a line I liked, from chapter 5. I don't think it takes anything away because it's just a beautifully worded description, but to be safe, I'll mark it as a spoiler:
Content Warnings
Moderate: Misogyny and Violence
Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus
Did not finish book. Stopped at 29%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 29%.
For the life of me I cannot understand why others describe this book as "light-hearted". According to a review on the cover it "sparks joy with every page". Except that as soon as on page 18, there is an explicit description of sexual assault. I kept reading because I liked the writing, in general, and I thought that this had to be going somewhere.
One third in, this book still hasn't sparked joy for me. Maybe I shouldn't have heeded those short blurb-reviews and instead looked up the TWs first (I'm new on StoryGraph, so it didn't occur to me).
Now that I've decided to DNF it, I looked up some critical reviews (from people who gave it 2-3 stars), and feel affirmed in my decision.
One third in, this book still hasn't sparked joy for me. Maybe I shouldn't have heeded those short blurb-reviews and instead looked up the TWs first (I'm new on StoryGraph, so it didn't occur to me).
Now that I've decided to DNF it, I looked up some critical reviews (from people who gave it 2-3 stars), and feel affirmed in my decision.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Rape, Sexual assault, Car accident, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Sexism and Pregnancy
Minor: Suicide and Vomit
Circe by Madeline Miller
adventurous
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-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? Yes
5.0
Captivating and very well-written. I picked it up because I loved The Song of Achilles and was not disappointed. This won't be the last feminist retelling I'll read!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual violence and Murder
Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen
emotional
lighthearted
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Where Marianne represents Sense, Elinor represents Sensibility. However in the end, they each marry for the respective opposite reason . So witty and beautifully written. While a bit difficult to follow in places and not quite as engrossing as other stories, it's certainly an exquisite tale.
The Darkness Outside Us by Eliot Schrefer
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.75
A compelling sci-fi novel about what it means to be human, with a fantastic twist to boot. In my opinion, the cover and blurb don't do the story justice. This is not the “enemies to lovers in space"/"Finnpoe"-romance that it sounds and looks like! It goes deeper than that, and the romance is not the main focus.
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
slow-paced
2.75
A reviewer on Goodreads put it well: This is a gorgeous wedding cake. But there's barely any filling and it tastes like fondant. I struggled to keep up with the fractured timeline, I cared about none of the characters (maybe a little about Herr Thiessen but that's it), there weren't any real stakes, the rules were never properly explained, the ending was unsatisfactory. Far too long for the little plot there was. The redeeming quality was the setting of the circus but even that one became boring eventually.
Dschinns by Fatma Aydemir
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Richtig gut. Man kann gar nicht aufhören zu lesen, so fesselnd sind die Geschichten der Familie Yılmaz. Sowohl die Gesellschaftskritik als auch die Problematiken innerhalb des Systems der Familie werden sprachlich hervorragend rübergebracht, und durch die verschiedenen Erzähler*innen werden verschiedene Perspektiven beleuchtet; nichts hier ist eine “single story”.
Rückblickend frage ich mich: will das Buch zu viel? Ab welchem Punkt werden die vielen Schicksalsschläge unglaubwürdig? Hiermit meine ich nicht die Diskriminierungserfahrungen, die ich in keinster Weise anzweifle, sondern eher die persönlichen Schicksale, wie z. B. bei Peri. Beim Lesen hatte ich jedenfalls nicht das Gefühl, die Geschichte sei unrealistisch. Vielleicht will die Autorin u.a. auch vermitteln, dass wir alle unsere eigenen Päckchen zu tragen haben, aber uns oft nicht bewusst machen, dass es so vielen anderen ähnlich oder auch so geht. Wir alle sind Protagonist*in in unserer eigenen Geschichte, so wie Aydemirs Charaktere in ihren Kapiteln jeweils die Protagonist*innen sind.
Ein unheimlich wertvolles Buch.
The Midnight Library by Matt Haig
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
3.75