frances_frances's reviews
286 reviews

We Used to Live Here by Marcus Kliewer

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

Victim by Andrew Boryga

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funny reflective tense 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? Yes

3.75

This book was entertaining and the prose had me from the start. The increasingly delusional choices made by Javier make for a tense yet funny read. Interesting concept, made me think of Yellowface a bit.

What I didn't love about this book was the ending and the relatively flat character that Javier is. I saw a review from another reader that pointed out how Boryga could have made an even bigger impact by taking the time to let Javier's real, actual trauma be explored. Javier's entire story and personality is his white-guilt-trauma-porn grift and as the book goes on, he becomes increasingly flat as a character. A lot more could've been achieved by contrasting the made up stories with the actual trauma/difficulties Javier faced but seems to care little about (witnessing his dad's murder, struggling to keep up with the rigors of college, etc). I almost feel like Gio is more fully fleshed out than Javier. 
The ending was too after school special for me. Javier has his come to Jesus moment and gains deep, valuable insights about his bad choices and what he's learned from his experience. The book wraps up so quickly and cleanly that it was a a bit of a letdown. 

All that being said, the writing is sharp and engaging and there's some interesting commentary. I found this book to be entertaining and say it's worth the read.

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William by Mason Coile

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dark mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.75

Just got sillier as it went on. Kinda entertaining but so goofy while taking itself way too seriously.
Understanding the Human Being: The Importance of the First Three Years of Life by Silvana Q. Montanaro

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informative inspiring reflective fast-paced

3.75

I read this book as part of my Infant/Toddler Montessori teaching training. This book has its pros and cons but overall is very useful for parents, teachers, and anyone who spends time with babies and/or young children. 

PROS:
- Upholds Montessori's view of the child as inherently good and worthy of genuine respect from adults (takes small persons seriously, sees them as legitimate human beings)
- Points out many ways we unintentionally impede the development of infants and young children in a nonjudgmental way (seeks to educate, not blame)
- Advocates for inexpensive, simple, and practical materials rather than manufactured toys or high end equipment 

CONS
- Sometimes contradicts itself, further clarification needed on some subjects 
- Dated language/perspective around gender and intimate relationships (puts hetero, married parents as the default and ignores a lot of lived experience and variation in how children are conceived, born, and raised)
- Positions breast/bodyfeeding as the only good way to feed a baby (ignores the vast number of parents and caregivers who are, for what ever reason, unable to feed in this way)
Diavola by Jennifer Marie Thorne

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

Lots of interesting elements but I'm not sure about the final product.
Open Throat by Henry Hoke

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challenging reflective tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

Took a weird turn that I don't totally get but really enjoyed it overall.
Poor Deer by Claire Oshetsky

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emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

I loved this book. It reminded me a bit of Claire Keegan's Foster in its ability to capture the way children experience the world: being scolded for not already knowing social etiquette, overhearing adults and trying to make sense of their world, being talked about as though you're not in the room, getting glimpses of pain and mortality and becoming even more confused because of the roundabout ways adults talk about such taboo subjects. Poor Deer hurt my heart but made me feel seen.

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Eileen by Ottessa Moshfegh

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challenging dark reflective tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

I can very much understand why people either love or hate Moshfegh's work. Eileen, like her other novels, is an uncomfortable read that managed to pull me in right from the start.

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Perfectly Nice Neighbors by Kia Abdullah

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emotional mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.5

Ehh...it was fine 
Cuckoo by Gretchen Felker-Martin

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challenging dark emotional tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

I'm still processing this book. I love Felker-Martin's prose and character development. The story itself, less so. Worth the read.

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