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readingwithasha's reviews
107 reviews
Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I literally just closed the final page of Daphne Du Maurier's masterpiece, Rebecca, and I am at a complete loss for words. I wish I could give this book more than 5 stars because it is captivating, beautiful, and simply brilliant.
Du Maurier's choice to leave the narrator nameless allows the reader to stand in her place. Everyone knows what it feels like to be young and naïve, daydreaming about the life we want. It is extremely satisfying to discover the mystery of Rebecca's death through the narrator.
I also love how du Maurier plays with perception versus reality. We toggle between what's actually happening and fantasies/daydreams of the narrator, leaving us to wonder what's real and what isn't. And that's the whole thing! Nothing is the way it seems, and the endless twists and turns make this an unequivocal page-turner.
Du Maurier's choice to leave the narrator nameless allows the reader to stand in her place. Everyone knows what it feels like to be young and naïve, daydreaming about the life we want. It is extremely satisfying to discover the mystery of Rebecca's death through the narrator.
I also love how du Maurier plays with perception versus reality. We toggle between what's actually happening and fantasies/daydreams of the narrator, leaving us to wonder what's real and what isn't. And that's the whole thing! Nothing is the way it seems, and the endless twists and turns make this an unequivocal page-turner.
A River Enchanted by Rebecca Ross
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
I am not a huge fantasy person, so this book was certainly a departure from what I usually like to read. It took me awhile to get into it and to understand the world-building, but once I got into it, I enjoyed it!
I particularly enjoyed the middle of the book, which does a nice job of illustrating the intricacies of the landscape and the magic that happens there.
I am giving this book a 3.75 because I really disliked the ending!
It felt like the last 50 pages were forced and resolved all of the tension so quickly! I felt like the Adaira-is-actually-from-the-West plotline came out of nowhere, and it felt like the author wanted to TELL the reader rather than SHOW the reader. I also thought it was strange that Adaira leaves without Jack. I felt like we lost a lot of the beautiful, unspoken parts at the end.
I particularly enjoyed the middle of the book, which does a nice job of illustrating the intricacies of the landscape and the magic that happens there.
I am giving this book a 3.75 because I really disliked the ending!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism, Violence, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Stalking, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail
The House of Mirth: Introduction by Pamela Knights by Edith Wharton
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
4.25
I absolutely love this book, but it is really hard to compare to the absolute beauty and majesty of age of innocence. I felt like this book had the same punch, but because it is much longer, it did lose me a little bit in the middle. I think this is a stunning portrait of Class, Love, and what marriage ought to be. The gender politics in this book are just far beyond their time. I was surprised by how funny and lighthearted and silly many parts of this book were! It almost feels gossipy! In fact, it really is all gossip! But the end has a beautiful poetic quality to it, that I wish Was the end of a tighter story.
The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
"What does it profit a man if he gain the whole world and lose...his own soul?"
This is the fundamental question explored in Oscar Wilde's magnum opus, The Picture of Dorian Gray. In only 270 pages, Wilde creates a compelling story with enough background that the foreground is that much more electric. The characters are complicated, elusive, and perhaps most importantly, flawed.
The ending, in particular,reminded me so much of Black Swan! The Aronofsky HAS to be inspired by this story. The constant pursuit of beauty, youth, and perfection ultimately leading to their demise. And of course at the end, when Nina thinks she's stabbing the Black Swan, she's actually stabbing herself.
The interplay between love, violence, lust, and greed is extraordinarily compelling.
This is the fundamental question explored in Oscar Wilde's magnum opus, The Picture of Dorian Gray. In only 270 pages, Wilde creates a compelling story with enough background that the foreground is that much more electric. The characters are complicated, elusive, and perhaps most importantly, flawed.
The ending, in particular,
The interplay between love, violence, lust, and greed is extraordinarily compelling.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Violence, and Murder
Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This book is a masterpiece.
I don't know how Brontë did it, but she managed to make the characters profoundly unlikeable and awful while still allowing space for you to root for them. It is a stunning and powerful portrait of trauma, abuse, and loss–themes that seem far ahead of its time!
The structure of the novel–told as a story through the housekeeper Ellen "Nelly" Dean is a compelling rhetorical device because we as the reader, Lockwood as the listener, and even Nelly herself are all on the outside looking in. And yet there is an intimacy and a depth that can only be ascertained through this device.
I am completely floored by this novel, everyone should read it.
I don't know how Brontë did it, but she managed to make the characters profoundly unlikeable and awful while still allowing space for you to root for them. It is a stunning and powerful portrait of trauma, abuse, and loss–themes that seem far ahead of its time!
The structure of the novel–told as a story through the housekeeper Ellen "Nelly" Dean is a compelling rhetorical device because we as the reader, Lockwood as the listener, and even Nelly herself are all on the outside looking in. And yet there is an intimacy and a depth that can only be ascertained through this device.
I am completely floored by this novel, everyone should read it.
Unmasking Autism: Discovering the New Faces of Neurodiversity by Devon Price
informative
inspiring
fast-paced
4.0
An extremely helpful book for those who have always felt different but didn't know why. I highly recommend this book to neurodivergent folks and their families. It helps give context and build empathy!
I found the audiobook somewhat hard to follow because a lot of the stories are somewhat repetitive, so I didn't know where I was. Overall a great primer.
I found the audiobook somewhat hard to follow because a lot of the stories are somewhat repetitive, so I didn't know where I was. Overall a great primer.
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Perhaps the greatest downfall of my education was not having read Jane Eyre in school.
Usually when I love a book I speed through it, unable to put it down, but with Jane Eyre, I wanted to savor every word, every page, every second of it. You only get to read Jane Eyre for the first time once. It might be the only book that when I finished it, I immediately wanted to start it over again.
This is the perfect novel.
From top to bottom, it is engaging, interesting, progressive, and exciting!
The entire story is absolutely brilliant in its discussion of agency, class, gender, and place. Jane is an extremely complicated, well-developed character whose life is both tragic and incredible. Every person should be inspired by her tenacity, her strength of conviction, and her willingness to fight for herself.
I somehow managed to avoid knowing anything about the plot before reading, and if you're able to live under the same rock I did, it's totally worth it! There are so many twists!! Books just aren't like this anymore. The way the twists happen are completely masterful and have the payoff you crave in a good story. It's unexpected without being overdone or ridiculous.
Usually when I love a book I speed through it, unable to put it down, but with Jane Eyre, I wanted to savor every word, every page, every second of it. You only get to read Jane Eyre for the first time once. It might be the only book that when I finished it, I immediately wanted to start it over again.
This is the perfect novel.
From top to bottom, it is engaging, interesting, progressive, and exciting!
The entire story is absolutely brilliant in its discussion of agency, class, gender, and place. Jane is an extremely complicated, well-developed character whose life is both tragic and incredible. Every person should be inspired by her tenacity, her strength of conviction, and her willingness to fight for herself.
I somehow managed to avoid knowing anything about the plot before reading, and if you're able to live under the same rock I did, it's totally worth it! There are so many twists!! Books just aren't like this anymore. The way the twists happen are completely masterful and have the payoff you crave in a good story. It's unexpected without being overdone or ridiculous.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Sexism, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
The Portrait of a Lady by Henry James
challenging
emotional
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
What an ending!
This book is magnificent but sadly falls short of 5 stars for me because I felt like the first 3/4 of the book dragged too much for me.
The Portrait of a Lady really is just that–an incredible portrait of a bright young woman who finds herself entangled in European politics. Henry James is brilliant in his use of light and shadow to draw out the characters. You don't know what people's motivations are, how they know each other, or what they're really thinking. The somewhat fantastical biographical nature of this book allows us hear character's thoughts while still feeling like an observer. It's absolutely brilliant.
The most remarkable part is what he did with the character of Madame Merle. She goes from intriguing, to "wicked," to unbelievably sympathetic. I did not see that twist coming!
This book is magnificent but sadly falls short of 5 stars for me because I felt like the first 3/4 of the book dragged too much for me.
The Portrait of a Lady really is just that–an incredible portrait of a bright young woman who finds herself entangled in European politics. Henry James is brilliant in his use of light and shadow to draw out the characters. You don't know what people's motivations are, how they know each other, or what they're really thinking. The somewhat fantastical biographical nature of this book allows us hear character's thoughts while still feeling like an observer. It's absolutely brilliant.
Indifference: On the Praxis of Interspecies Being by Naisargi N. Davé
dark
informative
reflective
tense
slow-paced
4.25
Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals by Oliver Burkeman
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
4.5