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hollyway's reviews
524 reviews
The Passion by Jeanette Winterson
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
My second Winterson book and man I just love her writing so much. Unique, confident and wonderfully balanced between complexity and simplicity.
Maurice by E.M. Forster
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Dude!!!!! I could not put this down. Fascinating as a time capsule of queer history but also just an impeccable character study. This novel planted a bittersweet ache in my chest that won't soon fade.
The Penelopiad by Margaret Atwood
dark
funny
medium-paced
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Really interesting and surprisingly easy to read. More thought-provoking than emotional, and infused with Atwood's ironic wit.
Brideshead Revisited: The Sacred and Profane Memories of Captain Charles Ryder by Evelyn Waugh
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Didn't live up to my expectations unfortunately. This novel has moments of greatness but it seemed intent on mostly following the paths that interested me the least. I was most interested in the relationship between Charles and Sebastian and the surrounding familial complications, but Sebastian was quickly written off and mostly forgotten and the story just sort of meandered from there.
The Jane Austen Remedy by Ruth Wilson
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
slow-paced
4.0
A wonderful ode to the magic of reading.
Incidental Inventions by Elena Ferrante
reflective
4.0
A lovely little essay collection. Very easy to read but also thought-provoking.
Delta of Venus by Anaïs Nin
challenging
dark
reflective
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Vulgar, insightful, nauseating, brutal, tender... Anaïs Nin has long fascinated me as a person but this is my first time engaging properly with her work. It is both brash and enigmatic, and I feel lured by the siren call of her other works so that I might better understand her while also feeling repulsed and exhausted by the confronting aspects of these stories. All in all, a reading experience I cannot define (or give a star rating lol) and won't soon forget.
See What You Made Me Do: Power, Control and Domestic Abuse by Jess Hill
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
sad
slow-paced
5.0
This is one of the most harrowing books I have ever read. I'm no novice to this topic (it's one I'm very passionate about) but still the reality of the horror so many are living through as portrayed by Hill is absolutely staggering. Every time l picked this up I cried, felt sick and outraged. Everyone should read this and yet I know most won't, exactly because of how visceral it is. But domestic abuse isn't a problem that can be addressed with a shallow understanding or discussed in polite euphemisms. The myths surrounding this issue are so pervasive and damaging and the only way to undo them is to educate the masses about the ugly truth. Domestic abuse is ALL of our problem and I for one do not plan on shutting up about it.
Huge respect for Jess Hill trudging through shit for years to put this together, and also for all the women and children who bravely told their stories. ❤️
Huge respect for Jess Hill trudging through shit for years to put this together, and also for all the women and children who bravely told their stories. ❤️
Sociopath by Patric Gagne
4.0
Another flu book 🫠 so I'm having trouble forming a solid opinion but it was definitely interesting