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theshiftyshadow's reviews
329 reviews
My Dear, I Wanted To Tell You by Louisa Young
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
There's so many books about WW1 that it's really hard to make something stand out. There's a really interesting idea at the heart of this, the pioneering work of plastic surgery to help soldiers with facial injuries, but unfortunately there seemed to be just too much else going on around that. I liked the main characters that we're first introduced to, but as the war starts and more are introduced, again, it felt like there was too much going on, and the way all the threads are brought together felt a little too convenient.
The juxtaposing of Julia's vain and misguided attempts to retain her youthful beauty with Riley's horrific life altering facial injuries didn't really work for me either, nor did the way Julia's struggles were portrayed as her fighting her own war. Again I feel like there was the root of something really interesting there but the story didn't explore it in enough depth to make it interesting, or to really say anything.
The juxtaposing of Julia's vain and misguided attempts to retain her youthful beauty with Riley's horrific life altering facial injuries didn't really work for me either, nor did the way Julia's struggles were portrayed as her fighting her own war. Again I feel like there was the root of something really interesting there but the story didn't explore it in enough depth to make it interesting, or to really say anything.
A Pale View of Hills by Kazuo Ishiguro
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
I really liked the writing style in this, and every time I picked it up I was immediately engrossed in it. However, the plot is pretty thin.
I can appreciate it's looking at grief through the lens of someone who lived through a very specific event in the past, but at the same time it just feels like a series of loosely connected memories that don't really add up to much.
It feels like the kind of book that I could probably read an essay on and have my mind blown by how clever it really is. But until I find such an essay, it just fell a bit flat for me.
Really loved the writing though, and will certainly be giving Ishiguro another shot.
I can appreciate it's looking at grief through the lens of someone who lived through a very specific event in the past, but at the same time it just feels like a series of loosely connected memories that don't really add up to much.
It feels like the kind of book that I could probably read an essay on and have my mind blown by how clever it really is. But until I find such an essay, it just fell a bit flat for me.
Really loved the writing though, and will certainly be giving Ishiguro another shot.
The Road by Cormac McCarthy
dark
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
Maybe it's because this genre has been done to death at this point, but this felt very flat and kind of pointless.
Now obviously that might be the point, that in a situation like this, what is the point in anything? But I just felt absolutely nothing for either character and although the writing made it a very quick and easy read, I was ready to move onto the next book before I'd even finished it.
Maybe it's down to the fact we're basically hurtling towards this kind of world that it doesn't seem that shocking or hard to imagine.
Now obviously that might be the point, that in a situation like this, what is the point in anything? But I just felt absolutely nothing for either character and although the writing made it a very quick and easy read, I was ready to move onto the next book before I'd even finished it.
Maybe it's down to the fact we're basically hurtling towards this kind of world that it doesn't seem that shocking or hard to imagine.
Island Home: A landscape memoir by Tim Winton
informative
reflective
slow-paced
4.0
Feels different from Winton's previous memoir style book, Lands Edge, in that it feels like there's a clear point being made. While Land's Edge felt more like it was just a series of memories and an exploration of one man's relationship with the sea, Island Home seems to be structured around the issue of human led destruction that's blighted Australia since invasion.
There's still stories from his youth, and the writing style is still recognisably Winton, and I suppose it is through his relationship with the land that he's come to care so much about its conservation. Still, it feels like something aimed very squarely at Australians. Even so, the idea of belonging to the land rather than the land belonging to us is a universal philosophy that more people should subscribe to.
There's still stories from his youth, and the writing style is still recognisably Winton, and I suppose it is through his relationship with the land that he's come to care so much about its conservation. Still, it feels like something aimed very squarely at Australians. Even so, the idea of belonging to the land rather than the land belonging to us is a universal philosophy that more people should subscribe to.
Land's Edge by Tim Winton
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
I know it's a bit of a cliche but honestly Tim Winton could write a shopping list and I'd read it and rate it 5 stars.
There's just something about his writing that has me immediately immersed in it. This little book is really just a collection of memories that explore his relationship to the sea, and touches on some bigger ideas about Australia, or Western Australia specifically. But it's a pleasure to read every single word of it.
It's been a while since I read some of his books, but I'm sure I could see little sparks in here that I recognised from his fiction books. And more than anything this really made me want to go back and reread all of them, aswell as tracking down the few I haven't read yet.
There's just something about his writing that has me immediately immersed in it. This little book is really just a collection of memories that explore his relationship to the sea, and touches on some bigger ideas about Australia, or Western Australia specifically. But it's a pleasure to read every single word of it.
It's been a while since I read some of his books, but I'm sure I could see little sparks in here that I recognised from his fiction books. And more than anything this really made me want to go back and reread all of them, aswell as tracking down the few I haven't read yet.
Home Stretch by Graham Norton
emotional
hopeful
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? It's complicated
3.75
The structure of this book, multiple time lines, multiple POVs, makes it a little hard to get into it early on. But there came a point when everything just clicked and I was completely absorbed by the characters and the slow reveal of the truth. I got a little misty eyed at the end.
The Fair Fight by Anna Freeman
adventurous
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
2.5
It took me a long time to get through the first half of this book, and then I finished the second half in about 2 days. It's not bad at the start, it's just kind of slow, and we're following the same events from different points of view, so it takes a while for the characters to actually overlap with each other. Once they do though, it really picks up.
Matrix by Lauren Groff
Did not finish book. Stopped at 58%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 58%.
It started out fine but it flies through time so much, years at a time, that I just couldn't get attached to anyone or anything that was happening. I struggled on for probably 60 or 70 pages more than I should have, to be honest. Just not for me.
The Deathless Girls by Kiran Millwood Hargrave
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
I read Kiran Milwood Hargrave's adult fiction book, The Mercies, last year, and really enjoyed it. Someone told me she had written a YA book about the "Bride's of Dracula" that was also really good, and despite YA really not being my thing, I saw it in the library and thought why not.
It is a great idea, and it is really well written, but like all the YA I've read, it just left me wanting so much more. Obviously I'm not the target audience, so I'm not going to criticise it too much, but everything felt very surface level, nothing went too deep, and while I was invested in the characters, it just didn't make me feel anything. Which again, I find happens with 99% of the very few YA books I have read. I can completely understand the higher ratings this gets from others, and it's not a huge surprise that the author went on to write a really very good adult book after this. I would actually really love to read this story again, but as an adult fiction. As it is, it's a solid 3 for me, would definitely recommend to anyone who does read and enjoy YA.
It is a great idea, and it is really well written, but like all the YA I've read, it just left me wanting so much more. Obviously I'm not the target audience, so I'm not going to criticise it too much, but everything felt very surface level, nothing went too deep, and while I was invested in the characters, it just didn't make me feel anything. Which again, I find happens with 99% of the very few YA books I have read. I can completely understand the higher ratings this gets from others, and it's not a huge surprise that the author went on to write a really very good adult book after this. I would actually really love to read this story again, but as an adult fiction. As it is, it's a solid 3 for me, would definitely recommend to anyone who does read and enjoy YA.