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sophronisba's reviews
2470 reviews
The Five Wounds by Kirstin Valdez Quade
emotional
informative
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This won the First Novel prize in 2021 and you can definitely see why. It's very engaging, filled with rootable (even if frustrating) characters. The characters have real problems and there are a couple of heart-stopping moments -- even if you realize that nothing _truly_ terrible is going to happen because it isn't really that kind of book. The ending is redemptive but still clear-eyed and realistic (with the possible exception of one character introduced near the end, who accommodates herself a little too quickly to a surprise twist in her own life).
Art Lover: A Biography of Peggy Guggenheim by Anton Gill
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
I always enjoy reading about the art scene in 1920s and 1930s Europe so this was exactly my jam. Guggenheim's life was fascinating, although you get the sense she was _a lot_, and Gill respects her eye for art and passion for collecting even as he documents some of her more sordid exploits. As Lawrence Salander said of Guggenheim: "Don't dismiss her as a rich fool just because she wasn't too sure of herself and lived a flamboyant life in defiance of her straitlaced upbringing. . . . If I achieved half as much I'd consider my life nourishingly creative."
Exhibit by R.O. Kwon
challenging
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
The prose is really strong, more like poetry in some places. But taken as a whole this book is a lot, and neither of the main characters really worked for me.
Fugitive Pieces by Anne Michaels
challenging
dark
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
I am curious to see the film of this because I don't quite see how it could be done -- the book reads like an elegant tone poem, which is at times a divine experience and at times extremely frustrating, and it's hard for me to see how a film would capture it.
Caledonian Road by Andrew O'Hagan
challenging
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
It should be no surprise that I loved this, because there are few things I love more than a big fat Victorian novel and this is, in fact, a big fat Victorian novel (think Trollope, not Dickens) that just happens to have been written in the twenty-first century. It does share some of the flaws of the big fat Victorian novel -- e.g., a certain bagginess and a collection of underbaked female characters -- but I am forgiving because this kind of social novel seems so rare these days.
This Strange Eventful History by Claire Messud
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
This novel is beautifully written but lacks structure. I think the material might have worked better as a memoir.
Better Faster Farther: How Running Changed Everything We Know About Women by Maggie Mertens
informative
fast-paced
4.0
Near-perfect Olympics reading, and a great follow-up to Swimming Pretty, the new history of synchornized swimming. Highly recommended for anyone interested in the history of sports or women's history, and particularly if you're interested in the way these two subjects intersect.
The Incredible Events in Women's Cell Number 3 by Kira Yarmysh, Кира Ярмыш
challenging
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Disturbing account of nine days in a women's detention cell in Russia. It reminded me forcibly of The Yellow Wallpaper in some ways. Not entirely successful -- I think it might have worked better if the author hadn't included flashbacks to Anya's life outside the prison.
Sandwich by Catherine Newman
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This book was basically engineered in a lab for me, specifically: the themes of being in the sandwich generation, watching your parents _and_ your kids getting older, and reflecting on your own past all resonated. "Life is a seesaw," Newman writes, "and I am standing dead center, still and balanced: living kids on one side, living parents on the other. Nicky here with me at the fulcrum. Don’t move a muscle, I think. But I will, of course. You have to."
Queen Anne by Edward Gregg
informative
slow-paced
4.0
More focused on Anne's actual reign and less focused on her relationships than the more recent biography, but if you squint you can definitely see Olivia Colman's Anne in these pages. Which is to say even the most scholarly, sober biography cannot hide the hot mess.