In general, I am not a big fan of a mystery genre. However, after insistent nudging from my mom I finally read this book.
Surprisingly, it was a very pleasant and engaging read. I could hardly tear myself from it. Beautifully set in an old Quebec village (with the whole Quebecois English-French conflict for drama), cutesy patootsie with some art world drama mixed in. You can picture this story wrapped with a red ribbon and placed under a Christmas tree. However, some of the characters were too shallowly depicted and made to fit a stereotype too precisely for my liking (ex. Nichol, Yolande - incarnations of self absobed pride and ostentation respectibly). A bit too "black and white". A fairy tale (if that can be applied to a murder mystery novel).
Surprisingly, it was a very pleasant and engaging read. I could hardly tear myself from it. Beautifully set in an old Quebec village (with the whole Quebecois English-French conflict for drama), cutesy patootsie with some art world drama mixed in. You can picture this story wrapped with a red ribbon and placed under a Christmas tree. However, some of the characters were too shallowly depicted and made to fit a stereotype too precisely for my liking (ex. Nichol, Yolande - incarnations of self absobed pride and ostentation respectibly). A bit too "black and white". A fairy tale (if that can be applied to a murder mystery novel).
In general, I am not a big fan of a mystery genre. However, after insistent nudging from my mom I finally read this book.
Surprisingly, it was a very pleasant and engaging read. I could hardly tear myself from it. Beautifully set in an old Quebec village (with the whole Quebecois English-French conflict for drama), cutesy patootsie with some art world drama mixed in. You can picture this story wrapped with a red ribbon and placed under a Christmas tree. However, some of the characters were too shallowly depicted and made to fit a stereotype too precisely for my liking (ex. Nichol, Yolande - incarnations of self absobed pride and ostentation respectibly). A bit too "black and white". A fairy tale (if that can be applied to a murder mystery novel).
Surprisingly, it was a very pleasant and engaging read. I could hardly tear myself from it. Beautifully set in an old Quebec village (with the whole Quebecois English-French conflict for drama), cutesy patootsie with some art world drama mixed in. You can picture this story wrapped with a red ribbon and placed under a Christmas tree. However, some of the characters were too shallowly depicted and made to fit a stereotype too precisely for my liking (ex. Nichol, Yolande - incarnations of self absobed pride and ostentation respectibly). A bit too "black and white". A fairy tale (if that can be applied to a murder mystery novel).
In general, I am not a big fan of a mystery genre. However, after insistent nudging from my mom I finally read this book.
Surprisingly, it was a very pleasant and engaging read. I could hardly tear myself from it. Beautifully set in an old Quebec village (with the whole Quebecois English-French conflict for drama), cutesy patootsie with some art world drama mixed in. You can picture this story wrapped with a red ribbon and placed under a Christmas tree. However, some of the characters were too shallowly depicted and made to fit a stereotype too precisely for my liking (ex. Nichol, Yolande - incarnations of self absobed pride and ostentation respectibly). A bit too "black and white". A fairy tale (if that can be applied to a murder mystery novel).
Surprisingly, it was a very pleasant and engaging read. I could hardly tear myself from it. Beautifully set in an old Quebec village (with the whole Quebecois English-French conflict for drama), cutesy patootsie with some art world drama mixed in. You can picture this story wrapped with a red ribbon and placed under a Christmas tree. However, some of the characters were too shallowly depicted and made to fit a stereotype too precisely for my liking (ex. Nichol, Yolande - incarnations of self absobed pride and ostentation respectibly). A bit too "black and white". A fairy tale (if that can be applied to a murder mystery novel).
In general, I am not a big fan of a mystery genre. However, after insistent nudging from my mom I finally read this book.
Surprisingly, it was a very pleasant and engaging read. I could hardly tear myself from it. Beautifully set in an old Quebec village (with the whole Quebecois English-French conflict for drama), cutesy patootsie with some art world drama mixed in. You can picture this story wrapped with a red ribbon and placed under a Christmas tree. However, some of the characters were too shallowly depicted and made to fit a stereotype too precisely for my liking (ex. Nichol, Yolande - incarnations of self absobed pride and ostentation respectibly). A bit too "black and white". A fairy tale (if that can be applied to a murder mystery novel).
Surprisingly, it was a very pleasant and engaging read. I could hardly tear myself from it. Beautifully set in an old Quebec village (with the whole Quebecois English-French conflict for drama), cutesy patootsie with some art world drama mixed in. You can picture this story wrapped with a red ribbon and placed under a Christmas tree. However, some of the characters were too shallowly depicted and made to fit a stereotype too precisely for my liking (ex. Nichol, Yolande - incarnations of self absobed pride and ostentation respectibly). A bit too "black and white". A fairy tale (if that can be applied to a murder mystery novel).
In general, I am not a big fan of a mystery genre. However, after insistent nudging from my mom I finally read this book.
Surprisingly, it was a very pleasant and engaging read. I could hardly tear myself from it. Beautifully set in an old Quebec village (with the whole Quebecois English-French conflict for drama), cutesy patootsie with some art world drama mixed in. You can picture this story wrapped with a red ribbon and placed under a Christmas tree. However, some of the characters were too shallowly depicted and made to fit a stereotype too precisely for my liking (ex. Nichol, Yolande - incarnations of self absobed pride and ostentation respectibly). A bit too "black and white". A fairy tale (if that can be applied to a murder mystery novel).
Surprisingly, it was a very pleasant and engaging read. I could hardly tear myself from it. Beautifully set in an old Quebec village (with the whole Quebecois English-French conflict for drama), cutesy patootsie with some art world drama mixed in. You can picture this story wrapped with a red ribbon and placed under a Christmas tree. However, some of the characters were too shallowly depicted and made to fit a stereotype too precisely for my liking (ex. Nichol, Yolande - incarnations of self absobed pride and ostentation respectibly). A bit too "black and white". A fairy tale (if that can be applied to a murder mystery novel).
In general, I am not a big fan of a mystery genre. However, after insistent nudging from my mom I finally read this book.
Surprisingly, it was a very pleasant and engaging read. I could hardly tear myself from it. Beautifully set in an old Quebec village (with the whole Quebecois English-French conflict for drama), cutesy patootsie with some art world drama mixed in. You can picture this story wrapped with a red ribbon and placed under a Christmas tree. However, some of the characters were too shallowly depicted and made to fit a stereotype too precisely for my liking (ex. Nichol, Yolande - incarnations of self absobed pride and ostentation respectibly). A bit too "black and white". A fairy tale (if that can be applied to a murder mystery novel).
Surprisingly, it was a very pleasant and engaging read. I could hardly tear myself from it. Beautifully set in an old Quebec village (with the whole Quebecois English-French conflict for drama), cutesy patootsie with some art world drama mixed in. You can picture this story wrapped with a red ribbon and placed under a Christmas tree. However, some of the characters were too shallowly depicted and made to fit a stereotype too precisely for my liking (ex. Nichol, Yolande - incarnations of self absobed pride and ostentation respectibly). A bit too "black and white". A fairy tale (if that can be applied to a murder mystery novel).
I had very high expectations for this book and that was the beginning of it's downfall. I have heard from several people how amazing it was, but alas, it felt short of all the praise by quite a distance.
Don't get me wrong, it's not a bad book. It has a lot of redeeming qualities as far as fantasy books go. It has a unique universe with it's own bestiary and magic system (quite involved and well described). It had a good plot, it was easy to read, and the author is good at setting an atmosphere and his language use is artistically decorous.
Unfortunately, the book also suffered from a few major defects that were hard to ignore. Firstly, it suffered from a heavy dollop of political correctness. It's good to respect women and I do consider myself a feminist, but you can't transplant modern thoughts and concepts into a medieval universe. It looks contrived and pretentious and does not achieve anything besides eye-rolls. Denna! Having the main female character think/act rationally and act according to the book logic would have achieved so much more in terms of fostering respect for women than all the modern day feminist utterings that were crammed into her medieval mouth.
Another thing that is undermining smooth narration flow is the author being too clever for his own good. He keeps using the same tricks over and over again. The whole "in a story, things would usually go this way, but since it's real life, that's what happened" trick only works once, maybe twice, but show more definitely not ten times.
Nevertheless, it's not the worst book ever written and if initial expectations aren't too high it can be quite enjoyable. show less
Don't get me wrong, it's not a bad book. It has a lot of redeeming qualities as far as fantasy books go. It has a unique universe with it's own bestiary and magic system (quite involved and well described). It had a good plot, it was easy to read, and the author is good at setting an atmosphere and his language use is artistically decorous.
Unfortunately, the book also suffered from a few major defects that were hard to ignore. Firstly, it suffered from a heavy dollop of political correctness. It's good to respect women and I do consider myself a feminist, but you can't transplant modern thoughts and concepts into a medieval universe. It looks contrived and pretentious and does not achieve anything besides eye-rolls. Denna! Having the main female character think/act rationally and act according to the book logic would have achieved so much more in terms of fostering respect for women than all the modern day feminist utterings that were crammed into her medieval mouth.
Another thing that is undermining smooth narration flow is the author being too clever for his own good. He keeps using the same tricks over and over again. The whole "in a story, things would usually go this way, but since it's real life, that's what happened" trick only works once, maybe twice, but show more definitely not ten times.
Nevertheless, it's not the worst book ever written and if initial expectations aren't too high it can be quite enjoyable. show less
Chick lit of the 60s. Maybe not the best prose I have ever encountered and somewhat predictable but easy to read and highly engaging. However, what I find most fascinating about this book is a depiction of societal attitudes and changes in social norms that were going on at that time (sexism, female roles in society, measures of success, mental illness etc.). That's what Funny Girl by Nick Hornby tried to do but failed miserably. Despite being a better written book language/character-wise the sixties setting felt contrived. I guess that's why it's hard to find a good historical fiction book: even a low quality piece written at the time described would almost always be better at relaying the feel of an era.
It started out slow and boring, but picked up by the middle. The most intriguing aspect was revealed by a conversation between Maria's cousins somewhere in the second half of the book. Hunter discussed writing a novel that would be a satire on detective/crime fiction, whereas the main character uses deductive/inductive method in real life and becomes the modern Don Quixote (just as clumsy and awkward). Recast as such a novel, The Tunnel is a fascinating read.
Reading Russian literature discussion by Argentinian intelligentsia was another unexpected bonus.
Reading Russian literature discussion by Argentinian intelligentsia was another unexpected bonus.
I did not have a straightforward relationship with this book. I really liked the premise of the novel (the effects of Korean Japanese war on Korea, Korean immigration to Japan, Christianity in Asia something I knew little about) and was super excited to read it. However, almost right from the beginning "but"s kept popping up. I found it to be slightly too syrupy and the religious angle pushed a bit too strongly (although an argument can be made that religion played a much bigger role in a lot of people's lives in the past and in some people's lives nowadays). The characters were a bit undeveloped. There were no really bad characters per se, even the "evil" ones had some redeeming qualities and the "benevolent yakuza" angle seemed to overstep the boundaries of plausibility. Narration jumped around in time a bit too much, preventing me from getting too involved with the story.
Nevertheless, the novel also has a lot of redeeming qualities. It is extremely well researched and I did learn a lot. Moreover, being a Korean immigrant herself (although to US, not Japan), Min Jin Lee did manage to make the novel feel emotionally authentic (even if a bit dry).
Overall, it was an interesting and pleasant read, although not as good as I was expecting.
Nevertheless, the novel also has a lot of redeeming qualities. It is extremely well researched and I did learn a lot. Moreover, being a Korean immigrant herself (although to US, not Japan), Min Jin Lee did manage to make the novel feel emotionally authentic (even if a bit dry).
Overall, it was an interesting and pleasant read, although not as good as I was expecting.
This book reads more like a poem than a novel. Evocative, fragile, nuanced, ephemeral moments of family life set in a gorgeous landscape. It would make a beautiful arthouse movie with long scenes filled with stark seascapes and little action.
This book has been recommended to me by a friend and was sitting on my to read list for years. When I saw that most of its reviews are either 5 star or 1 star I was intrigued. The book did not disappoint. Beautiful, evocative, mesmerizing, horrifying, revolting, it describes an abyss of a human soul. A story within a story, narrator's description sets the stage and his story takes you away into then disappearing and now non-existent primal world thus forcing you to see the events through his lenses.
Fantastic read. A blend of ancient myth and reality, not sure which one is stranger. Just the fact that it was written long before Medieval times is mind boggling
Neil Gaiman builds a fascinating world. However, as much as I want to like him, I just can't get into his stories. I guess his storytelling ways just aren't a good match with me. Not sure what it is exactly. Too straightforward? Too many teenage thoughts and feelings in adults? (The fact that super heroes are not my cup of tea to say the least is not helping either)
Not sure why I liked this book so much. I shouldn't have. I tend no to like books written in letters, books on "hot topics" or books that contain public trials. But this one... Here the format, the "hot topic" and the trials weren't the main point. What the book was... it was Real. Disturbing. Mesmerizing.
I really liked this book despite the unlikability of the main characters (or maybe because of it). It's neat to get into someone's head, especially if it's a head you've never been in. I wouldn't say that the book was very funny, but despite all the futuristic fluff, the emotions (love, one's place in the world, fear of death) felt true and, probably that's what got me hooked.
As for the setting, the changing of tables, whereas US became a third world country at mercy of higher powers was a neat concept, but all the apparati/fashion stuff was a bit too gimmicky.
Overall, an unexpectedly great read.
As for the setting, the changing of tables, whereas US became a third world country at mercy of higher powers was a neat concept, but all the apparati/fashion stuff was a bit too gimmicky.
Overall, an unexpectedly great read.
A random book I picked up from the city library based on its name. Now what I was thinking, but unexpectedly good. An enchanting story about seclusion, betrayal, art, life. Very real. I could not tear myself away.
The plot sounded intriguing: a love triangle, where a brother and a sister are both in love with the same guy, set in the beginning of the last century. Alas, all the excitement was confined to part 1. The other 4 just rehashed the events of the first. The main heroes of the first part kept loosing their importance as more and more characters were introduced in each new part. By the time new tidbits from the past (aka part 1) were disclosed in part 5, all interest was lost. I think the author was trying to show the effects of memory and incomplete sources on retelling history, but I feel it could have been achieved without making this book such a tedious and uninspired read.
Overall, a highly disappointing book. I should have stopped after the first part.
Overall, a highly disappointing book. I should have stopped after the first part.
A very curious reading from a historical perspective. What would life on an uninhabited island in the southern seas look like from a 19th century man's perspective? Apparently it would mostly consist of killing and/or taming any wild beast imaginable from all five continents. On that island the brave Robinson family encounters penguins, lions, walruses, kangaroos, ostriches, lions, elephants, bears, etc. I believe the learned Mr. Wyss felt an immense pressure to be just and not to overlook any creature he may have had a fortune to come across in his studies.
A little spoiler to add drama: some beasts were killed, while riding one of the aforementioned ostriches.
A little spoiler to add drama: some beasts were killed, while riding one of the aforementioned ostriches.
Hipster book. The main irony is that the main characters, who are very literary and love books, would not like this book either. Mr. Fikry has a very specific list of things he dislikes in his readings. This book combines most of them.
The only redeeming quality of this book is the list of short stories the chapters are based on. The author has good taste in books but she should not be writing them.
The only redeeming quality of this book is the list of short stories the chapters are based on. The author has good taste in books but she should not be writing them.
This review is for the whole series. I have no idea why I bothered with these books in the first place. Why did I finish them is the whole other matter that I can't find any logical explanation for. I guess I wanted an easy brainless listen for houseworkgym, there was a lot of fuss about them and I got curious. But that still doesn't explained why I finished them. I am getting a feeling that I may be a masochist...
It started as a bad rip off of Battle Royal but gradually got worse and worse, as it progressed into a tedious drivel of a self-centered annoying brat that for some unfathomable reason got two boys in love with her and can't decide between them. Katniss is a girl of contrasts. She constantly gets pissed of with people for lying to her, even though she does exactly the same thing to everyone she "cares about". She goes out of her way to say that she doesn't care about clothes/appearance, while at least half the book is devoted to description of her outfits. She alternates between states of helpless whining and kicking asses (both deserving and undeserving). All in all, logic does not seem to be her forte, nor that of the author... The narrator of the book may have been of the same mind as me, as her voice became extra whiny every time she went over Katniss's dialogue.
The question remains, why do I do this to myself?
It started as a bad rip off of Battle Royal but gradually got worse and worse, as it progressed into a tedious drivel of a self-centered annoying brat that for some unfathomable reason got two boys in love with her and can't decide between them. Katniss is a girl of contrasts. She constantly gets pissed of with people for lying to her, even though she does exactly the same thing to everyone she "cares about". She goes out of her way to say that she doesn't care about clothes/appearance, while at least half the book is devoted to description of her outfits. She alternates between states of helpless whining and kicking asses (both deserving and undeserving). All in all, logic does not seem to be her forte, nor that of the author... The narrator of the book may have been of the same mind as me, as her voice became extra whiny every time she went over Katniss's dialogue.
The question remains, why do I do this to myself?
A collection of short stories, futuristic communist utopia. Most were somewhat boring, but a couple were real gems (e.g. "The Meeting") making the whole book worth reading.
Interesting viewpoint on the issues of race and gender in the 1950s. Very interesting to read non-sci-fi fiction by PKD. Anticlimatic conclusion, but I guess that was the point. Definitely shows the limited options and other hurdles in women's lives during that time.
Trust, betrayal, loyalty and animal cruelty. A heart wrenching story about the life of dogs during the gold rush from an animal POV. I am not always a fan of such an approach but it worked well here. Highly engaging (worked well for an audiobook) but not black and white, as I could relate even to the most "evil" characters. I guess that's why it's a "classic" (mental note: "Read more classics"=).
Trust, betrayal, loyalty and animal cruelty. A heart wrenching story about the life of dogs during the gold rush from an animal POV. I am not always a fan of such an approach but it worked well here. Highly engaging (worked well for an audiobook) but not black and white, as I could relate even to the most "evil" characters. I guess that's why it's a "classic" (mental note: "Read more classics"=).
Trust, betrayal, loyalty and animal cruelty. A heart wrenching story about the life of dogs during the gold rush from an animal POV. I am not always a fan of such an approach but it worked well here. Highly engaging (worked well for an audiobook) but not black and white, as I could relate even to the most "evil" characters. I guess that's why it's a "classic" (mental note: "Read more classics"=).