aserra's reviews
31 reviews

A solid, fun, swashbuckling tale. It feels as though Stevenson simply wanted to indulge in a love for pirates and adventure, and did so shamelessly. It's a simple, straightforward read which left me content and sated by the end.

If you've seen the film adaptation "Treasure Planet" and are wondering how the book holds up: as one can infer from the different titles, the film takes many creative ways in a way I find brilliant, innovative, and positive. The book gave me a deeper appreciation for the film, and the creators' years-long fight to get it greenlit at Disney. They refreshed the classic while maintaining the integrity, keeping it appealing to modern audiences. The only, minor thing I wish had been retained in the film: the bit about Benjamin Gunn and his quest for toasted cheese! That would've fit in well in a children's film.

Foremost, a disclaimer: as an admirer of Margaret Atwood's wielding of language from poetry to prose, most, if not all, of her books are likely to receive a rating of 3-stars or above from me, because I'm the kind of reader who derives great pleasure from glittering writing.

In my experience of reading, Surfacing manages to juggle a nuanced diachronic nature. The pacing of events are slow, while the prose constructs a quick highway for reading. Atwood's roots as a poet really shine through, I think, while establishing her as a tour de force in fiction (this was her second book of fiction published, if I'm not mistaken).

The characters are realistically, wonderfully, and often infuriatingly as layered and jagged as everyday people. With her expert crafting of character, Atwood paves a smooth road into the utter suspension of disbelief.

The story leaves the reader with much to dwell on, and I found myself frequently flipping back to early pages in the novel to connect the dots. A mysterious, intellectual read. Is is Atwood's best novel? I don't think so, but great nonetheless. As I continue to unpack and attempt to draw more connections, the rating of this may change (likely to increase).

Surprisingly, this self-help book from the 80s holds up, I think. The writing is not eloquent, but it is accessible and conversational, which matters more for its particular subject. The structure is intuitive, and coping mechanisms it includes are relevant yet. As a child of an alcoholic, what Beattie describes was very familiar and accurate.

One understandable side effect of reading this book is that you may spot codependency in everyone around you. I believe Beattie iterates this at least once, but to iterate it again: everyone displays some codependent traits from time to time. This doesn't mean everyone is pathologically codependent.

With this being a book from the 80s, there is a glaring lack of observation of intersectionality in all manifestations of codependency. Perhaps there is a more contemporary text that addresses codependency with comparable astuteness to Beattie and incorporates intersectional factors into the elucidation.

What the book could've done without, with no excuses for the time of its genesis, is less Christianity shoved down the reader's throat. Turning to God and having faith in God are legitimate coping mechanisms listed alongside the rest. Not having faith in God is listed as a symptom of codependency. Faith can be helpful, it can be a cathartic tool, but faith does not look the same for everyone. Christianity is not everyone's faith, and should not be embedded into a book that aims to be a professional, objective guiding tool. The consistent emphasis on this one religion throughout the text undermines Beattie's credibility, which is a shame, because she has useful things to say.

Disclaimer: this is my first Agatha Christie novel ever

Simply: a very solid, compelling mystery! I only put it down due to exhaustion, then finished it the next day. It was immensely satisfying to deduce for myself who I thought the culprit was. Christie gives you all the information--you can solve the mystery after being introduced to the characters properly, if you want.

It should be acknowledged: this book was originally published under an extremely racist title.

An incredibly important, thorough, riveting book. Farrow displays a high standard for journalism that I think is not observed often anymore. Engaging writing style. Strong morals--Farrow doesn't just say that he wants the focus to be on exposing this horror in the interest of stopping it, he shows it.

What keeps the book from a solid 5, for me, is a layout choice; it could have been very helpful, I think, to have a list/glossary of the people in the book somewhere, perhaps before or after the bibliography. There's a lot of names, and I, personally, struggled to keep track of everyone (which also augments the repugnance of what is uncovered--so many people impacted, so many people complicit).

A brilliant book from one of the most brilliant poets of the 21st century thus far. The quality of their poetry is comparable to Elizabeth Bishop, Mina Loy, Frank O'Hara--dare I say even Audre Lorde? Price's metaphors and language soar into a realm of distinction set aside from anything else (which I mean in the most positive way). The organization of the book, with the soundtrack, the rituals, the definitions, is glorious.

Price is a necessary, unapologetic voice bellowing their survivor stories, middle fingers up to those who try to censor and marginalize them. The book's description alerts you to the difficult content with which this deals. Don't say you weren't warned. If you can read the book safely, you absolutely should, and should absolutely not punish it for the productive discomfort it may cause.

Written with love and admiration from a fellow survivor xx

The story of Elton John is magnificent, and not at all the reason for the rating. What brings this memoir down is the quality of the writing. I would be very interested to read an Elton John memoir ghostwritten by someone else (most certainly someone who does not write for The Guardian). What should be an inspiring, poignant, humorous tale is instead a slog through the life of a wonderful person.

The pictures are wonderful, though. I will retain my copy for those alone.

This could've been an average 3-star read were it written better. From a technical standpoint I'm appalled at what the editors and the publisher allowed in the final manuscript. POV is a sloppy mess, switching often from paragraph to paragraph with no indication (e.g. one paragraph is in third person limited, the next is third person omniscient, the next third person limited for a different character). The pages are littered with sentence fragments posing as complete sentences. "Breaking the rules" can be effective, are often effective, but this occurs so often it's distracting, confounding, which the POV issues exacerbate.

(To be clear: I have no doubt as to the Delia Owen's intelligence and mastery; she is a smart, smart and introspective person and I do not mean to insinuate she is anything less than)

Beyond the technical aspects, the content simply does not shine. Unnatural dialogue (even considering the time period) dulls the story and characters. There are many descriptions of the marsh that show what the novel could have been, but isn't.

Additionally, when reading and reflecting on the book, the term "poverty porn" comes to mind. The various forms of poverty in the book all feel sanitized, made palatable and neat for audiences far outside the reality of this socioeconomic positioning.

One note in favor of the novel: I think it is wonderful that a book wherein

a survivor of attempted SA exacts her own justice outside of a system that would undoubtedly fail and villainize her

transcended into the mainstream. In that way, I hope Where the Crawdads Sing is a stepping stone in a very necessary path of progress.

It's a book on the iconic RBG, so automatic points there. However, the writing is simply grossly subpar. I appreciated the annotated excerpts from some of RBG's written decisions and the fun presentation. I could not get over the poor writing, though. There must be a better biography of RBG out there.

Shocked that this book has above a 4-star rating on here. Admittedly, I did enjoy Lisbeth taking more of the spotlight because, frankly, I find Blomkvist boring and tedious. But is Lisbeth compelling enough to salvage a plot that is the equivalent to a Swedish telenovela? Is Lisbeth compelling enough to overlook the increasing hostility towards the queer community in the narrative (to be clear: I don't know if the author or the translator were homophobic, and I don't have any speculations on the matter; there is, however, undoubtedly homophobic and sexist material in tbe novel)? I don't think so. Plop Lisbeth Salander in a plot and cast of characters that can match her caliber, and I'll read that book. I will not be back for any installments in this series, however.