This book made me a bit angry. Not sure why exactly. It's your relatively typical sad, tragic story about a nerd who can't catch a break right? I don'This book made me a bit angry. Not sure why exactly. It's your relatively typical sad, tragic story about a nerd who can't catch a break right? I don't feel good about this book or anything, and a part of me wonders why I read it. Oscar really makes me quite sad. I feel drained.
Oh so you might be thinking, 'well then why did you give it 4 stars then dodo'? Well my curious friend, truth is this was good writing. 'Enough for 4 stars?' Mhm. Yes. Yep. And yas. It wasn't the all time BEST or anything (although I could see that being the case if you like less 'traditional' writing styles) but Díaz definitely has a remarkably unique voice. Probably could tell it was him from a mile away and I've only read one of his books (not sure if I will read more but that's for later to tell). Characterization was on point and the back stories were bomb. That's part of the reason why this book makes me so sad because I really got attached to Oscar and (view spoiler)[ well he died. got killed, actually. you knew the former, don't play (hide spoiler)] . At first I wasn't quite sure what to make of Yunior's point of view. The first time I tried to read this, I stopped at Yunior's part because I was just like what the hell is this? But now...well now I'm very glad that it is from Yunior's POV and not from some random third or Oscar himself.
And to tell you the truth this book really wasn't about Oscar. Not entirely anyway. If anything this is an ensemble cast, which I'm really starting to like more and more. I do think that the historical details were the best part of the book. If only because I learned so much about people I literally never of before reading this. One thing that bothered me about this book is not the quite frequent use of the N-word (mostly in narration) but the fact that while anti-blackness was mentioned a lot, nothing in the book really went into depth with it. Before reading this book, I knew and understood surface level things about the DR's relationship with Haiti, Haitians and blackness (particularly their own). And while the book reflected a lot this is, I was really disappointed that none of the footnotes seemed to address the root cause(s) of all this turmoil. I thought that this made it a little hard to accept the use of the N-word consistently (as well as Negro), even though it didn't seem like any of the characters were denying themselves that they had black ancestry. I mean, unless I missed something which is possible. To be honest, I skipped over some of the Spanish because mine isn't the sharpest.
Anyway, I liked the writing and the characters. They're definitely memorable. Characters that stick in such a way that you're not sure they weren't real. In hindsight I'm glad I read this but it was definitely not a leisure book. ...more
This book has left me speechless. Well not speechless enough to stop me from writing this review but I'm not sure if I can adequately write how staggeThis book has left me speechless. Well not speechless enough to stop me from writing this review but I'm not sure if I can adequately write how staggered I am right now.
Everything I Never Told You is everything: racial commentary, a coming of age story, secrets, lies, scandal, critique on marriage and above all else, example of extraordinary writing. I've never read a book quite like this before.
On its surface, it doesn't seem like much. The daughter has died. She has secrets. Someone has to figure them out. Blah blah. Sounds like a typical pseudo mystery. But this is so much more. To write about it is to reduce it to a simple plot and to erase all the majesty this book's nuance managed to create in less than 300 pages. The way Ng characterizes these characters is breathtaking. You don't realize it at first that she's even doing it but when you read on and discover what it all means...
I know i'm babbling but my hands are actually shaking because this book left me so shocked. I'm not sure if it was the writing or the plot or the tragedy of it all. Highly recommended to anyone. There's really no class to this book. Simply put, it is an extraordinary work about a girl and the tragedy that befalls her and her family. Will amend soon. Wow. ...more
All throughout this book, I had it in my mind that I was going to give this book about only three stars. It has all the characteristics of a first novAll throughout this book, I had it in my mind that I was going to give this book about only three stars. It has all the characteristics of a first novel (or rather, a first unpublished novel): it has only shadows of the author's voice, the characters are awkward shadows of themselves and the dialogue is quite winded, to the point of redundant. But for all of these faults, this is actually quite an extraordinary gem, if only because it complicates the white savior narrative of Atticus in To Kill a Mockingbird and is an interesting reconciliation of racism and what it means to disagree with it.
This is by no means as outrightly a political novel as TKAMB. There are no long and drawn out court scenes, nor is Atticus particularly active in the novel. There isn't even really an explicit plot. The novel only lasts, at most a week, and it is all centered around one event: the dismantling of Atticus as Scout's hero.
New characters are introduced and old characters are lost. Dill and Jem are not present in the novel but are mentioned briefly. This is actually not as much of a loss as you would think, as the character of Henry (not in TKAMB makes up for them both). Uncle Jack is also quite fun in this book. I think I should recant what I said about the characters. GSAW does not make shadows out of the characters but rather, exposes them in very raw and quite awkward ways that TKAMB does not. Atticus is the same Atticus only different and I think that this is what unsettles so many about this book: Scout is no longer cute little scout and Atticus is no longer a hero. It's all complicated now, kind of like growing up. It is actually quite brilliant (perhaps of her agent, because it is possible that Lee never wanted this published in the first place).
One of the things that I didn't like so much is how long the dialogue dragged on. It was certainly interesting, but it was pretty stilted at times and I didn't enjoy how didactic it got. It screamed first writer mistakes; that is, detailing every single part of a real life dialogue, which wasn't so bad in audio form but would have been worse had I read it. Some parts were more enjoyable than others but I got the sense that the book was almost deconstruction of Scout and Atticus and less a novel in itself. It was about Scout discovering that her childhood was not what she thought it was (which is okay). I liked that because I think it's true to life and truly, if Scout and Atticus really existed outside of Lee's memories (most likely of herself and her own hometown) then I am sure they would have faced similar dilemmas. So I am in the minority of people who liked GSAW. Shoot me. ...more
I think what was most awful about this book is that it smacked of white saviorism. Perhaps Cleave wanted to resist the temptation to make the secondarI think what was most awful about this book is that it smacked of white saviorism. Perhaps Cleave wanted to resist the temptation to make the secondary character of Sarah as a white savior but he did it anyway and I'm not really surprised which I guess is why this was disappointing.
Little Bee was really a cool main character but Cleave wrote her in a way that made her seem inhuman. Which I think just goes along with society's way of portraying POC as wise, older-than-they-are supernatural individuals, as if things like the murder of their family or staying in an immigration detention center wouldn't break any normal human being (for the record, Cleave did try to make Little Bee a little less than invincible at certain parts, but it annoyed me that she was always forced to put on a good face around Sarah and Charlie. Her inner monologue was truly better than what she actually said).
I actually quite enjoyed Sarah if only because it was entertaining to see Cleave struggle to write her as a non-white savior. He eventually did it but after that point, it was almost comical to see how the story angled towards Sarah in terms of sympathy. I was made to feel more sorry for Sarah (view spoiler)[ Poor Sarah, she lost her finger and eventually her husband because she's an abashed cheater, meanwhile Little Bee practically died and her sister was raped right before her eyes...and then she died. And while we're on the subject, I abhorred how Cleave depicted the men who pillaged the village. They're cannibals, really? (hide spoiler)].
I think by the end, although I didn't agree with a great deal of the ideology within the book, Cleave did manage to write this book exceptionally well. It wasn't funny though. ...more
My first Baldwin and it is one of the most heartbreaking stories I've read in quite a while. Baldwin writes the hopelessness of the characters so wellMy first Baldwin and it is one of the most heartbreaking stories I've read in quite a while. Baldwin writes the hopelessness of the characters so well...it's like you can feel it in your bones. This is quite a simple story and like real people, none of the characters are really what they seem. They are completely complex and in a short-ish story like this, it leaves the reader so many questions. I hate the ending. I am furious with the system and everything that led to the end of the story but it was truly amazing how Baldwin managed to catch my attention like that. I also enjoyed the romantic element to this. I wasn't really expecting that for some reason. It has a Native Son aspect to it with romance, which in some way makes that whole aspect more human. I really loved this one and I look forward to reading more Baldwin in the future. ...more
2022 update: I will simply never get over this book.
Majestic as it is tragic, Sula offers both everything and nothing of what I was expecting. While 2022 update: I will simply never get over this book.
Majestic as it is tragic, Sula offers both everything and nothing of what I was expecting. While I knew about the relationship between Sula and Nel, I did not know and could not predict the tragedy of their friendship nor the tragedy of the world around them. Perhaps tragedy is not quite the right word -- realistic perhaps, morbid, surreally real. Tragedy/tragic just seem like words that reduce this novel into something other than a masterpiece. Not that tragedies cannot be masterpieces but it feels pithy and this novel is not pithy...
Nel and Sula are two outsiders, specifically two Black girls outsiders. They are outsiders for similar reasons although ultimately the differences between them determine their paths. Their lives are a testament to what the world does, an anti-Black, misogynistic world, does to Black women who are not only Black girls but outsiders and oh so very alone. Most Black girls are very alone. Together, Sula and Nel attempt to forge a path in their aloneness but the world does not want that either. They also live in the Bottom, which metaphorically sits on a hill and for the longest is all-Black and segregated from the valley, where white people live. There are very few white people in this novel even though this does not mean that whiteness is not felt in the novel. As I mentioned before, the novel is "tragic" for lack of a better word and it seems to be a meditation on tragedy and sorrow. Morrison deftly handles both girlhood and tragedy not as a fetish per se but moreso as a challenge to the author. Yes, some people and families have it this way...in fact, many have it this way. And why should we be surprised at all? Why should we wonder at this when of course we live in a very awful world (that does not have to be awful but I digress). I appreciated that Morrison did not shy away from the depths of sorrow experienced by the characters...almost none of them receive any relief from it and I have to say that while this still puzzles me in some way (these characters don't deserve this, mind you), it actually makes sense. The death that is a key component of this novel, almost as much a character as Nel or Sula, is quiet and mysterious but ultimately not menacing. It slips in and out of almost every chapter.
The shortness of it is made up by the fact that there are so many themes, layered upon each other until they all seem the same by the very end. I believe that this is a book I will read again and I know that it will stay with me for a very long time. It is haunting and perhaps some of the best writing I've seen from Morrison yet besides maybe Beloved. I want a better understanding of Nel and Sula's relationship especially, during my next read and I want to better understand Nel too who, despite the fact that she technically has more page time, is more or less defined by Sula. Tremendous read and I will return to it....more
All in all, I have an attitude. This is not to say that I did not enjoy this book -I did- but in a way I feel almost tricked by Murakami. Honestly, I All in all, I have an attitude. This is not to say that I did not enjoy this book -I did- but in a way I feel almost tricked by Murakami. Honestly, I think the way I feel can be attributed to things being lost in translation. It was so often in this book that I didn't understand the characters and their feelings until bad things started happening. They just happened almost with no warning and so I feel a little tricked...
Toru is a nice guy and all but he really is quite an annoying protagonist. You start out with him, hurt over his best friend's mysterious suicide. And his best friend's girlfriend, Naoko is all hurt too and so they hurt together. And then Naoko can't take the hurt well (nor can she seem to deal with having sex with Toru) so she drops out of school and goes to a mental health center in the middle of nowhere Japan. And apparently (I say that sarcastically) the two of them love each other although I'm pretty sure nothing of that kind was mentioned AT ALL before she went away. Toru writes her letters and in the mean time he meets a classmate named Midori who has a dying father and too many other dead relatives to mention. Midori is alive and Naoko, well, is living in the past and she's depressed.
Everyone and everything besides Midori are depressing in this story really. At certain times i couldn't help but wonder what the point was of so many depressing elements in the story (view spoiler)[ Especially the deaths of Naoko and Nagasawa's girlfriend later. I felt like Naoko's suicide seemed to defeat the purpose of the story...whatever that is . It's like anyone who wasn't immediately mentioned again killed themselves. It was really quite terrible. (hide spoiler)]
There was wonderful prose in this although at times the prose seemed to be a space filler in otherwise unneeded pages. The end leaves something to be desired but I guess that's the point. I'm not sure how I feel about Murakami in general after reading this story. This is his most popular one and it's so beautifully vague I'm not sure I can handle another one....more
If anyone tells you that this book is about Ava Lavender, then tell them to shut their filthy mouth.
LOL because it's not.
While Ava narrates it, this iIf anyone tells you that this book is about Ava Lavender, then tell them to shut their filthy mouth.
LOL because it's not.
While Ava narrates it, this is certainly not about her in the traditional way a book is supposed to be centered around its protagonist. Ava is rather a secondary character and this is okay with me because the primary characters and their stories were riveting.
The story begins with the immigration of Emmelinne and her family to the United States. From there, her life is all but cursed and she finds herself in Washington State. Her life is further cursed and she puts much of her time and effort into a bakery, in which she raises a daughter, Vivane. Vivane is similarly cursed and she has a daughter, whom is Ava. I am extremely paraphrasing although it's a little unnecessary. This story is not really plot driven, so giving away key details wouldn't ruin any anticipation. It is solely the beautiful writing that holds this story together. While Ava and her wings was fascinating, it wasn't really why I'm giving it ****. Again, Walton wrote her butt off in this book and despite the rather non plot and non ending, it was a story I was surprised I liked so much. ...more
The four star rating is based on entertainment value alone. I thought most of the book was complete and utter BS.
I'm not sure if I can say why.
If it'The four star rating is based on entertainment value alone. I thought most of the book was complete and utter BS.
I'm not sure if I can say why.
If it's any consolation, Juliette stopped doing that whole strike out thing. And there's been way less crazy metaphors in this book.
Ignite Me promises to be exciting and it was. I couldn't really stop reading once I started and it was hard not to be immediately drawn into the plot. Even if the plot was BS
In case you read the strikeout, what I mean about the plot and the overall book being BS is, Mafi essentially negated what occurred in the first book to fit her purposes. Any feelings Juliette had for Adam? Oh those were just feelings bred in desperation. All the crap that Warner pulled? That was just because he loved her and wanted to understand her and "it was just your imagination, love"
Poor little Juliette. She was as fooled as I was because I totally believed that Warner was a monster this entire time. Oh wait, he is.
I know that Mafi felt the need to do a 180 with the character of Juliette. I know that, to satisfy the whole love triangle thing, she had to make Warner look fallible, sweet and kind and loving and the thing is, while you're reading it, it's really hard to not believe all this because all the reasons that I hated Warner (and Juliette did) were completely disarmed one by one. Like a "10 reasons why you should love Warner more than Adam Q&A session". I mean seriously. And the reasons you should hate Adam were listed just as clearly as the former. It was really quite obvious what she was doing and i hated it the whole time but I couldn't really stop reading it.
Another thing I'd like to know is why in the world is Juliette so attractive? She must be quite something (I mean, besides her little superpowers) if all of three guys apparently are interested in her. It's almost sickening how much Kenji refers to how hot she was and "if i wasn't your friend..." and all that stuff. And obviously she is enough for Adam and Warner to fight over (oops is that a spoiler). I just don't buy all that "I'm so obliviously beautiful and everyone wants to be with me" protagonists. Ew. It's obnoxious and unrealistic.
I'll admit that Juliette did improve in the finale of this trilogy and overall I think that Mafi did a good job on this trilogy as a whole.
Started re-reading this because it is one of those novels I read as a young adult that I can barely remember. And now I remember why I loved it 10 yeaStarted re-reading this because it is one of those novels I read as a young adult that I can barely remember. And now I remember why I loved it 10 years ago (!!!)
Reading this made me realize what is so amazing about Toni’s writing — she is a master of metaphor and analogy. No one does it better. And even as she seemingly explains itself, the language can be peeled back and double and triple fold to reveal something new. When I first read this, I read it strictly as a romance between two who shouldn’t be together. I read it now as that but also a meditation on class, wealth, race, color, gender. And, as always, Toni weaves in her attuned insight to ensure that all of this comes together brilliantly. ———————-
It's a bit awkward for me to write a good review for anything Toni Morrison has written, if only because, after I read Beloved, I condemned her. But Tar Baby was far different than anything I suffered through in her most popular novel. In fact, almost everything I hated about Beloved was almost nonexistent in this book.
To compare the two novels doesn't make sense because while Beloved is set in Reconstruction America, Tar Baby is mostly set in circa 1970s Caribbean with a few sprinkles of the Deep South and Manhattan. And there aren't really any slaves running around thank god. No, this is the story of a young woman named Jade/Jadine. She's a model and has been featured in international magazines. Her aunt and uncle work for a white couple, Valerian and Margaret, and when the book begins the latter four are in the Caribbean. Margaret is far younger than her husband and his second wife. They have a son that basically never comes home despite his mother's affections for him (in Valerian's opinion, too much affection). Jadine goes down to Haiti to see her folks and the white family that has treated her so kindly. Shortly after, Margaret finds a young black man hiding in her closet, apparently just hungry and a fugitive. Valerian decides to make him comfortable in the home and Jadine reluctantly falls in love with Son.
I really liked this story because of its emphasis on a few things: interpersonal relationships, race relations and feminism. Jadine was a strong female protagonist and even though was Margaret was off her rocker, she was pretty strong willed in her own right. Ondine and Sydney, the aunt and uncle, were used for the race relations pieces but they were interesting as symbols of bourgeois African Americans in the 20th century.
The only thing I really wish is that the romance between Son and Jadine wasn't so rushed. I know that in reality their romance was really in the background, even if is advertised as a romance, but I'd like it better if the majority of it hadn't been just highlighted in merely a few pages.
Nice read for Morrison and I think I might give her another try....more
As much as i hate where this plot went, I must rate this book based on pure intrigue. I don't really like Juliette (almost, at all). But she was interAs much as i hate where this plot went, I must rate this book based on pure intrigue. I don't really like Juliette (almost, at all). But she was interesting to read about. That may be why I have such mixed feelings about this. While there was for sure, incredible writing in here (it seems the excessive figurative writing has been, at the least, polished) I just...
So we find Juliette only a few weeks after the end of the first book. She's housed at Omega Pointe, ran and founded by Castle. His mission is to help and protect (and ultimately mobilize) those special creatures like Juliette from and against the Reestablishment. Juliette cannot quite adjust to life with *gasp* people and the only one she really clings to, initially, is Adam (view spoiler)[ As you can imagine in a couple STEAMY scenes, alright? (hide spoiler)] But eventually, Castle orders silly little Juliette to get up and train her power, since she so obviously knows very little about it. Remember Kenji? Yeah, he begins to help integrate her into the Omega Pointe society and hone her skills.
Somewhere in between all that, Juliette finds out something tragic: (view spoiler)[ Adam, her love, who is one of the only ones who can touch her, must fight to even do so. To be with Juliette, proves exhausting. (hide spoiler)] Juliette pretends to be selfless and then comes along little Warner and God knows how I feel about THAT thing.
The problem with this book, is not its dialogue (sometimes, though), not its plot, not its execution, its Mafi's tolerance of this weird love thang between Warner and Juliette. I don't know why she capitulated to that whole Team Warner mess, or if that was her plan from the start (view spoiler)[ And I don't know why Warner and Adam must be brothers (hide spoiler)] but it didn't even seem feasible. I don't care about how cute this guy looks like with a dog, or if his father beat him or his father is a mean person or whatever excuse Mafi made for him. Adam had problems. Juliette had problems. Do you see them attacking and killing innocent people on purpose? Well, maybe. But will Mafi give them the benefit of the doubt? No. But when it comes to Warner, it's all "well maybe he's not so bad" and i just feel like this attitude is entirely too convenient and Mafi has just been feeding into the Warner fandom.
I do not support.
I do not like Warner. And I don't care about how nice he is. (view spoiler)[I admit that the little scene with him and Juliette was steamy but I don't care BECAUSE I WANTED IT TO BE WITH ADAM (hide spoiler)]
Another thing that I can totally leave is Juliette. Oh wait, she's the protagonist. I mean, she was always crying about something and no sooner than she set the resolve not to cry anymore, she was doing it again a chapter later. Jeez, give me a break.
I'm gonna read the next book. I promise. But it might take a long time for to swallow all that Warner crying mess. Bye. ...more
The Things They Carried is a really weird book to like. I mean, to like it too much is to be almost a bit sardonic. I mean, who seriously enjoys booksThe Things They Carried is a really weird book to like. I mean, to like it too much is to be almost a bit sardonic. I mean, who seriously enjoys books about young soldiers sent into needless war, dying their heads off? Maybe someone out there does. While this contained excellent prose and writing, I have a difficult time calling such a story excellent or anything of the kind.
On the other hand, to say it's a bad books seems a bit rude too. I mean, it's depressing and it makes me lose faith in humanity and all that jazz but these stories...they are more or less real. And to discredit this book entirely feels a bit douchebaggy.
So. Without doing any of the above, I'm in this weird gray area. I have mixed feelings about this book in general.
I knew this wouldn't be a fun book from the moment I started it as a high school war unit book. No sir. I, by definition, hate war. But, with historical pretexts and all, I decided that this would be a pretty interesting read if nothing else (and it's not like I had much choice in the matter, as it was assigned reading).
I read about what these Vietnam war soldiers carried. Narrated by the author, Tim OBrien, it chronicles his time in Vietnam in nowhere near chronological order. There are many flashbacks to the past and forwards to the future. There is death amongst a rather tight knit unit which includes Jimmy Cross, Rat Kiley, Norman Bowker, Curt, Azar, Ted Lavender, Mitchell...you know...
Kiowa. Darn it.
These soldiers all carry something from home or what they believe will protect them in a war they didn't even choose to be in. There is death and heartbreak and oBrien illustrates somewhat, what these soldiers carried back home with them (at least, those that lived).
My teacher told us that this is semi-autobiographical or...roman-a-chef which was nice, as OBrien actually served in the war and it came off as realistic and grounded in reality. There was no semblance to the valor and glory of war and it was often disheartening to read how helpless most of the soldiers were during their battles in Vietnam.
Again, it is difficult to rate this on any level of enjoyment. There were parts that made me really sad which, from a literary standpoint, make this story a good one. However, I wouldn't necessarily want to read this again, and I'd only recommend it to someone who has delusions about how great war is. War really sucks. Not the soldiers who fight in them. But war itself is a racket. That's the basic summary of what I took from The Things They Carried....more
I'm a bit torn, see, because I should absolutely love this book. I'm a (wannabe) hippie. I meditate. I (kinda) do yoga. I'm idealistic in the weiWell.
I'm a bit torn, see, because I should absolutely love this book. I'm a (wannabe) hippie. I meditate. I (kinda) do yoga. I'm idealistic in the weird pessimistic but hopeful way. I'm a vegetarian. I'm a bleeding heart liberal for goodness sake!
So...why didn't I just jump for joy about this book?
Ew.
Parts of this book make me want to barf and parts of this book make me think. I mean, it's a very interesting story/ self help book.
Oh. Did you think this was a cute little short story?
Um no.
Oh yeah yeah this is a 'story' about a 'boy' named Santiago. He's Spanish, guys and he herds sheep. Anyway, he went against his father's wishes to be a priest and instead decided to be a herder so that he could travel. Okay. So Santiago...I mean 'the boy' is a really good herder and sometimes he goes into town. He's met a girl there who's the daughter of the merchant he sells to and he's kinda got a thing for her. But then Santiago keeps having these dreams and he goes to a gypsy to interpret them. The gypsy tells him that the dream means he has to go the Pyramids to find a treasure. This would mean giving up his sheep and his girl for Africa. After he meets this omniscient guy who convinces him he should take the leap, he goes to Africa and goes on this journey to find his treasure.
This is an allegory.
The first forty pages were pretty cool. You know, Santiago goes up and down some hills on his journey and you know...he's pretty cool. But then. But then Coelho starts getting really metaphorical and mystic and it gets really barf worthy. On one page alone, the word 'heart' is said seventeen times. SEVENTEEN!
'My heart doesn't know what to do' said the boy 'Just listen to what the heart tells you' said the Alchemist 'But what if my heart leads me astray?' said the boy 'You must simply let your heart lead you. Your heart knows the Language of the World and it will guide you so that the Universe can Conspire to lead you in the Right Direction' 'Okay,' said the boy. 'I will listen to my heart.'
Yeah, that's a total paraphrase.
But you get the point. I was pretty much done with this little story when Santiago started looking up at hawks and finding signs and talking to the wind and Everything Started Getting Capitalized. It was really nasty. (The only good part at the end was maybe Fatima. And that's mostly because she has a nice name).
And I get it. Coelho is telling everyone that when you go after your Dreams, you can Achieve. You miss 100% of the shots you don't make. Life is a marathon, not a sprint. It's not the arrival it's the journey. The Universe has a plan. Blah blah blah.
I get it.
And I won't say that I won't get anything out of it. I liked the Four Obstacles and maybe the ending. But I didn't like the aforementioned and I didn't like the awkward writing which I am assuming comes from translation into English.
I don't think I do very well with self help, motivational books. They're just not my thang....more
But guess how long I put up with this sad excuse for a conclusion...?
Like, three weeks.
I have never been so ups [image] This was extremely obnoxious.
But guess how long I put up with this sad excuse for a conclusion...?
Like, three weeks.
I have never been so upset about an Armageddon book before and I never thought I could be and yet...here we are.
I guess I should explain but I hardly want to because...
Okay okay I'll explain.
I was so excited when I heard there was going to be a fourth book in the Last Survivors...quartet? Granted, I was about two months late, but I managed to obtain this book as soon as I'd heard. I was even more excited when I realized that the book looked nice from afar and it wouldn't be about some random people like some authors like to do. It would be about Jon. Jon hmm...isn't that Miranda's brother? The little one? Yeah, okay. That shouldn't be that bad. Different POV but you know...hakuna matata.
[image] Yeah so we have Jon five years after the end of the third novel. So that makes Jon 17, Miranda and Alex like...22 or something and everyone else is pretty much really old or dead or some other crap. Five years into the future: an entire new world has formed now that the moon has been so near the Earth for a little while now. Apparently, people have gotten it into their heads to create a society where there are 'clavers' amd 'grubs'. As you can maybe figure out, grubs are the lowest in this newly, out of the blue society. They do the cleaning, the working and all the other nasty jobs that somehow, they must do for some weird reason relating to if they had passes into the enclaves. (It's ridiculous). Ahem. Anyway, the clavers are the higher ranked people that live in the nicer neighborhoods, the better houses, attend better schools and basically get held to higher standards than their cohorts. Lol.
So Jon, a 'slip' managed to 'slip' in on his dead buddy Julie's pass, while the rest of his family is forced to live in the nearby grub community. Jon, along with basically everyone else in the entire world, has apparently forgotten that everyone is a human being and begins to see himself as better than his mother, sister and her new hubby, Alex (also, Miranda is pregnant, surprise!) As he lives with his step mom and her kid, he even stoops down low enough to be a SNOB enough to look down on his maid service who happen to be grubs. Um what.
Okay.
Jon is a total douche. Let's get that clear. It starts off that he has reason for his douchebaggery but eventually that all dwindles down to excuses and...it was just gross.
Sarah, this girl that Jon supposedly loves so goshdarn much is a total square and I can't stand her. She comes off as a saint or whatever, a foil for Jon or some mess, but there are often times when I can't tell her or him apart because she's just docile with him anyway. Ew.
The whole lame society was a complete disaster. THE MOON HAS MOVED CLOSER TO THE EARTH! WHO HAS TIME TO SEPARATE THEMSELVES INTO FACTIONS?????????????????????????????????????????
NOBODY.
Okay.
So there are earthquakes and theoretically there is a whole lot of other crap going on in the world and people are dying and everything sucks (although we don't hear much about this. Trucks are mentioned but where did they get the gas for this? Where are the lights and electricity coming from if everything has collapsed?) More over, if everything is so not peachy keen, who in the world has the balls enough to demand maid service? In a world that's DYING? Maybe servants are not exactly at the top of the list as far as priority goes.
[image]Back to Jon being a douche.
I don't remember him that way in the last stories but then Pfeffer just added all this mess about him and Miranda that just totally retroactively messed up the third book and I just...
Jon is a douche and any girl *cough* Sarah that could possibly want to be with him after all that mess is like...you know, Sarah.
I also despised the writing in this. Perhaps it's been a long time but the writing didn't seem so basic in the first three books. I remember it being weak in the second book, which was also third person, so maybe that's just not her forte. It was bad. All of the dialogue was smashed together so the characters would speak nonstop without any pause or narration. It was terrible. No pauses. The words were wooden and no one spoke like a normal person would. Everyone was one dimensional and half of what anyway said was robotic or incomprehensible.
In addition to this being poorly written, badly narrated and having a bad plot, I also wasted three weeks of my reading time of which I could have devoted to my philosophical readings. Thanks Pfeffer.
What can I say about this that hasn't already been said by the hundreds (or is it thousands?) of others who have already reviewed this? Should I mentiWhat can I say about this that hasn't already been said by the hundreds (or is it thousands?) of others who have already reviewed this? Should I mention that this is a book about incest, and it doesn't pretend to be anything less or more than that? Should I mention that this is just really depressing and because of this, it's not particularly easy on the eyes (IMO)?
I have to give Ms. Suzuma credit for combating such a taboo topic. I mean, a brother and a sister in a romantic & sexual relationship consensually is not usually something an author wants to write about. At least not with any comfort. But Suzuma managed to tackle this more or less with grace and she made the characters Understand what Lochie and Maya were going through with their Feelings.
But I'm getting ahead of myself.
Lochie and Maya are brother and sister in London. Because their mother is a drunk and their father abandoned them for Aussie years ago, the two teenagers (Maya, 16. Lochie 17-18) are forced to care for their three younger siblings basically by themselves. While Maya has friends, Lochie is extremely, disarmingly shy and as a result, he hates school (even though he's really smart) and he never speaks to anyone if he can help it. And if he can't, then he gets really nervous. The only time he feels normal is when he's playing house with Maya and helping the kids in the afternoon and evening. They all look up to him and Maya thinks of him higher than perhaps anyone else. So...they realize they have feelings for each other. In That Way. And despite how wrong they know it is to be together in That Way, neither of them can get enough. Their lives become dependent on the life of the other. This obviously poses some problems and they must keep their forbidden love a secret for an indefinite amount of time.
This might sound really...gross if you read the summary. But once you get into the book, it's like all you can do is sympathize with Maya and Lochie. The author makes their feelings realistic and desperate.
The book is split into two parts, alternating between Maya's POV and Lochie's. Lochie was always very melancholy and he often skirted being emo. He was also quite a pessimist was annoying sometimes even though I know their relationship couldn't last. But his constant depression made things even harder for him and Maya and I didn't like his part until the very end. There were also several elements in the story that never quite capitulated. Maya had a friend that liked Lochie that was never mentioned again after awhile; there were a few people who were mentioned that never quite had any relevance by the end of the story. There were also several parts that I felt were redundant, such as Lochie and Maya's constant 'my loves' and their worries about getting caught. However, this may have contributed to the overall genuiness of the novel.
This is a really sad thing to read and I'm not sure I would read it again, just because it's pretty emotionally taxing (esp. at the end). However, it is well written and it dares to explore things that seem a bit rare in YA (or literature in general) books. So okay. ...more
This book went from unique drama to a boring Nicholas Sparks chick-flik really fast.
So there is a girl named Callie who was kidnapped by hWell okay.
This book went from unique drama to a boring Nicholas Sparks chick-flik really fast.
So there is a girl named Callie who was kidnapped by her bipolar mother when she was five. Ever since, she and her mother have traveled all over the country, supposedly running away from the 'evil' father Callie barely knows. Consequently, Callie has never really gone to school, has never had any real friends and any 'boyfriends' she's ever had only use her for sex. (view spoiler)[ Also, one of her mother's boyfriends molested her when she was eight which is really...sick. (hide spoiler)] Anyway, when Callie is 17, her mother is caught and Callie returns to her father in Florida where he has began a new life with another woman and two sons. At first, Callie is hesitant to remain there or consider her new life -her friends, the Greek community, Alex- as a part of her family and culture. But as the story progresses, Callie -or Callista- realizes that maybe being with her father and not her mother, is what she really wants after all.
Yeah, okay.
So Callie is an interesting protagonist. Her voice is a bit sarcastic at first but then she gets a bit dull. She just reminds me of any number of the female protagonists of the Nicholas Sparks films. She just rolls with the punches. And like any (lame) chik-flik (although I do love them sometimes) there's always these (lame) flashbacks and all this running away and crying and 'oh nos please don't leave mes' and all that crap. And it just go really lame really quickly. Callie was frustrating because while I understand how torn she must have been living in a nice home while her mother is on the run from the law or whatever, every time someone tried to do something nice for her, she'd either run away, scream at them or go off with Alex and you knoww....get it. I didn't mind Alex at first, but then the whole thing with his mom felt really thrown in and unnecessary and to me it never really manifested into something important. I guess it's suppose to be a parallel to Callie's life but...anyway.
I didn't mind the writing, which is one of the only things that saved this book from getting a ** rating from me. It wasn't a bad book, just not a very interesting one. I guess I expected more or something. But at least the cover is pretty!
Oh wait. Hold up!!! Did i mention that the guy she was getting all cuddly with, ALEX, is her freaking step-uncle? Is that not a little creepy to you? Or is that just....
I haven't written an emotional review in awhile so bear with me. Me before Jojo Moyes thought that this would be standard chick-lit kind of stuff. I wI haven't written an emotional review in awhile so bear with me. Me before Jojo Moyes thought that this would be standard chick-lit kind of stuff. I wasn't exactly sure where this plot would be taking me but I was sure that it would resemble something very Sophie Kinsella like.
I won't get more into it.
What I will say is that I really liked the character of Louisa and, despite everything, I really enjoyed Will too. I mean, he's a really tragic character what with his immobility brought on by an unfortunate accident. He can't move or do any of the things he used to do. He's a jerk but it's hard to be angry with him because he's so tragic.
While I appreciated the romance here a bit of it felt a bit rushed. Moyes dropped a few hints throughout but it all seemed to esculate towards the end. I'm not sure even Louisa knew what was happening between her and Will until the end.
I enjoyed this and *tear* I cried a little bit. I think this is an interesting, romantic take on a very relevant issue. I can't say anymore without being a little angry and honestly tearful so.......more
So I have really mixed feelings of which I will try to explain in the next...two minutes or so? Bear with me.
I purchased book for the Kindle back in So I have really mixed feelings of which I will try to explain in the next...two minutes or so? Bear with me.
I purchased book for the Kindle back in like January. No seriously. The thing is I didn't actually get started until this past March which you know...For some reason I couldn't get past the first couple of pages. When I saw this book and subsequently bought it, almost without any knowledge of the synopsis, I thought there would be a whole Eleanor & Park vibe. You know, sweet to the point of syrup blah blah. But it's not. How could it be?
The main characters are Nastya and Josh. The two of them have experienced tragedy and when Nastya arrives as a new student at Josh's high school, they eventually collide. Josh is of course the handyman with a broken past, one of which destroyed all of his family members. He is all alone and therefore the only friend he really has is Drew.
Nastya is (view spoiler)[ not Nastya. She is Emilia and escaping her own broken past. She was brutally attacked three years earlier and died only to come back to life. I'm putting this in spoiler alert because while it is quite obvious to me and hinted at throughout her POV, most of the book hinges on the suspense of this fact so... (hide spoiler)]
Slowly Josh becomes an unspeaking Nastya's sanctuary. And slowly she becomes his. And despite all the secrets between them they fall in love.
I liked this story, though at first as it always does, it annoyed me that the author felt the need to hold back Nastya's secret until the very end. I'm not a big fan of that but I suppose I understand why now. The story itself was more or less plot-less. It all depended on the pasts of the characters and in knowing what happened to Nastya/Emilia/Sunshine early on, the book would have lost a large deal of appeal.
I liked Josh more than Emilia by the way. Obviously, the two of them were both whiny but Josh was less so (and no it's not because he's a boy). I just liked him better and his narration was overall better than Nastya's (to me).
The one thing I didn't really get was, of course, the oh so obvious breaking off that every chick-lit has to go through just because you know, why not? (view spoiler)[ Josh and Nastya sleep together but immediately after Nastya realizes that Josh knows she's a virgin, she gets so upset that she makes up a lame reason as to why she slept with him and they stop talking altogether. (hide spoiler)] To be honest, that's where the book fell apart for me. I think the author needed an excuse for the couple not to be together and that's almost okay if it made sense. The spoiler above didn't.
I'd also like to add that the whole Clay, Tierney and even the Drew thing never really seemed to come together for me. All of a sudden Clay and Nastya are such good friends (she doesn't talk to him btw) that he can draw her whenever he wants? And whenever Tierney and Drew were together, Nastya tried to play matchmaker or whatver and it's like...why is this relevant? While I'm on the subject of Drew, still not sure of his rationale of using Nastya as a prop. Who really cares that much about how Drew dates or otherwise interacts with high school girls? That whole part was unnecessary and it felt like the author was trying to force tension between Josh and Drew over *barf* Nastya. And don't even let me get started on the whole Leigh thing (view spoiler)[ pointless (hide spoiler)]
But on a positive note: It's not a typical love story and many times it's not even very sweet but if you can deal with that then you have a relatively good and lengthy read on your hands....more
I knew I would like in the way you look at books sometimes and you just KNOW.
The drama is warranted I'd say, considering that this is one oI LOVED IT
I knew I would like in the way you look at books sometimes and you just KNOW.
The drama is warranted I'd say, considering that this is one of my favorite books of 2013 (books I've read this year, anyway).
I just loved it.
There is Eleanor and there is Park. They are two sixteen year olds. Park is a half Korean outcast who loves punk rock music and Eleanor is this bright red head who is sarcastic and has a rough home life. The two of them meet on Eleanor's first day at Park's high school, when she is getting on the bus. From there, the two of them fall in love and I just...
I have so many feelings right now.
Eleanor's home life is messed up, let me tell you. Her step dad is a perv, her mother is abused and docile and her little siblings are tattle tales and Eleanor can hardly DO anything without being afraid Richie (her step dad) will find out. Park is just amazing and he has this wonderful family and I just...it's too much for my little emotional self.
The writing was simplistic and beautiful and I just loved it (even though it was in third person). I loved the ending and I just...
This book was not a simple read like most YA novels I've read. This here 5th Wave was an Experience. And let me tell you what I mean by thatLong time.
This book was not a simple read like most YA novels I've read. This here 5th Wave was an Experience. And let me tell you what I mean by that. Well first, it has to do with the duration in which I spent reading this. Ah...It's embarrassing. But ah... About 2 months
Ahem. Well. 2. Cassie just takes you back. At least for me. She sat me down and it's so deep (not really in a profound way) but it's just so much to absorb that it is at times hard to swallow.
3. There are multiple parts here and this is one long novel. I mean, this isn't really one of those books that you read on the beach for a couple days. Um no. You have to sit down and read this over several days (and if you're like me, several weeks).
Now, with all that being said, there are also two (3 actually) POVs which is just...eh. I mean, I didn't mind them but it's not really what I signed up for. I mean, I didn't ask to have 2 POV. I thought it would be all about Cassie. But that's okay. My feelings aren't hurt or anything.
So. Cassie, Ben & Evan (kinda...). Three 'teens' that have survived the aftermath of the four alien 'waves' that have swept over planet Earth. Did I mention that these waves came in like Exodus like forms (no locusts, though) and it killed the majority of the human race? But then...this wouldn't be an apocalypse novel, would it? Cassie has made a promise to her younger brother that they will be together indefinitely. This was after a group of soldiers took him to Camp Haven for 'safety' and their father was shot dead by those same soldiers (ooopss SPOLIER)
Ben is just...alone. He was more or less taken up by those same soldiers into that same camp and, like Cassie's little brother, trained to fight against the so called enemy. Ben is of course, Cassie's previous high school crush that didn't know she existed.
Finally, Evan is this mysterious guy who saves a half dying Cassie and brings her to his forested refuge. And he likes her and she likes him but Cassie has trust issues (and rightfully so).
I really did like this. Cassie was hands down one of the best female protagonists of the year (and she's pretty funny too which is cool because her life is really sucky). It will probably grow on me more with time. I'm not sure that it was like...like altering or anything (there is a lot of hype surrounding it this year) but it was pretty good. I know it's pretty terrible to compare a book to any form of film but it reminds me of the series 'Falling Skies' which I actually like quite a bit. Hmm. ...more
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