sarahxify's reviews
688 reviews

I enjoyed this at first but it really stagnated. The writing and characters were so boring.
It’s largely about Nell, an artist living in an Irish island who is commissioned by this group of solitary nuns. There is definitely more that meets the eye , and Nell also has some extra stuff going on with some local men. But all in all just fkn boring 

A good story, but I found this to be quite drawn out and boring for what was actually in it. 

This is a really compelling and cleverly done short story collection. Most of the stories are intertwined, with one major story running through the book, about Lionel, Charles, and Sophie, three professional dancers at the same studio. Charles and Sophie are in an open relationship, and Lionel and Charles have started sleeping together.

Their story is interrupted by other stories, each of which is deeply tragic. You get dropped into different people's lives who are struggling immensely, and then move back to Lionel's story.

The standout elements of this book are the writing and characterisation. I would really a full novel about any of these characters. They are well-formed and deeply drawn, and have extremely complex and detailed relationships with everyone else in their story. The way this is written really pulls you into each story as well - it's almost a bit jarring to go to the next.

There are elements of Real Life in this, particularly the dynamics between Lionel and Charles reminded me of Wallace and (? Miller?). But truly excellent - makes me want to read another Brandon Taylor ASAP. 

Murgia takes the reader through many aspects of artifical intelligence, always focusing on the human and equality side of things. Experiences of different individuals across a really wide range of counrties are discussed in a very nuanced and sensitive manner, balancing some of the benefits of AI (such as aiding diagnostic decisions in areas with very minimal medical personnel available), to some of the darker sides. Murgia described how humans in developing countries work incredibly hard to train AI algorithms and considers important aspects of exploitation and inequality, as well as discussing the issue of biased algorithms, focussing on case studies where AI has been used to identify 'likely' criminals.

This is well-written and quite accessible, keeping away from in-depth technical discussion of AI. Its focus on the human element keeps it engaging and informative - highly recommend. 

Interesting story but it was quite boringly told imo

Mostly high quality essays discussing various aspects of Trump's presidency. Interesting although highly depressing, as you might expecting. Particularly found his use of the media interesting. 
Already starting to feel outdated since he's about to start a second term, and makes that whole thing feel far more trepidatious. 

I always wish Clare Keegan's novels were a bit longer, but really enjoy these quiet, understated stories