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katieg's reviews
371 reviews
Anthony Trollope: The Complete Shorter Fiction by Julian Thompson, Anthony Trollope
slow-paced
3.5
A long and varied collection, this was my first taste of Trollipe who is better known for his novels and I think that would be the better place to start. The variety of this collection was wide with a number of travel stories set across Europe, the Caribbean and North America, New Zealand and the Middle East. Social norms and a common theme among the more humorous stories as is writing and publishing and marriage.
The hr most fascinating story to me was “The Two Generals” written in 1862 about the American civil war, I felt it had a white reconstructionist view which was fascinating coming from a British author before the war was even over.
The hr most fascinating story to me was “The Two Generals” written in 1862 about the American civil war, I felt it had a white reconstructionist view which was fascinating coming from a British author before the war was even over.
Into the Uncut Grass by Trevor Noah
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Sweet. The illustrations definitely harken to Winnie the Pooh which made this new story feel nostalgic.
Cheek by Jowl by Ursula K. Le Guin
reflective
fast-paced
4.0
Always love Le Guin’s essays and insights, some of these I think I’ve read before at least in part, but the title essay alone makes the collection worth reading.
The Capital of Dreams by Heather O'Neill
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
This is a difficult book to rate because I found parts of it tremendous. The complicated mother-daughter relationship and some of the stark, beautifully drawn tableaus O’Neill painted kept me interested and reading.
Unfortunately I think this book’s plot, and the themes of war and cultural genocide felt flat and unrealized. I think this book’s plot would have been better served as either a committed historical fiction novel or an alternate world fantasy. While the work is trying to comment on the universal patterns of bias and genocide, the vague 20th century setting, unnamed Enemy and capital, instead make it feel disconnected from longstanding issues of xenophobia, racism, nationalism, and antisemitism central to so much modern war and genocide. The fable like qualities of the story would work better in a novel for children, but in a work for adults who understand the real wars and occupations this work is drawing from, many of the themes feel hollow.
Unfortunately I think this book’s plot, and the themes of war and cultural genocide felt flat and unrealized. I think this book’s plot would have been better served as either a committed historical fiction novel or an alternate world fantasy. While the work is trying to comment on the universal patterns of bias and genocide, the vague 20th century setting, unnamed Enemy and capital, instead make it feel disconnected from longstanding issues of xenophobia, racism, nationalism, and antisemitism central to so much modern war and genocide. The fable like qualities of the story would work better in a novel for children, but in a work for adults who understand the real wars and occupations this work is drawing from, many of the themes feel hollow.
Eastbound by Maylis de Kerangal
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Like the train it’s set on this is a fast paced rip of a chance encounter that shapes two lives. While not quite long enough to sink my teeth into or leave a lingering impression, this book’s sharp, gray imagery and tense plot made it an engaging and worthwhile read.
Alias Grace by Margaret Atwood
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
What a great read! Atwood does amazing character work here with Grace’s complexities in particular. She’s understandably cold and stoic in many ways even as she still feels deeply and expresses her fears and sadness and regrets in a way that really endear her to the reader. Yet she’s also at times critical and judgmental in a way that makes the narrative all the more engaging.
The historical setting was also captured with precision. The dialogue never felt anachronistic and the beliefs and attitudes of the characters, particularly in regard to sin and social standard, felt contemporaneous to the times. And even with Grace’s contempt for sex outside of wedlock, Atwood was clearly able to communicate themes of how women in lower classes were always vulnerable to the men around her hem through no fault of their own. Greatly enjoyed.
The historical setting was also captured with precision. The dialogue never felt anachronistic and the beliefs and attitudes of the characters, particularly in regard to sin and social standard, felt contemporaneous to the times. And even with Grace’s contempt for sex outside of wedlock, Atwood was clearly able to communicate themes of how women in lower classes were always vulnerable to the men around her hem through no fault of their own. Greatly enjoyed.
Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Reread for the first time since I was 9 (?). Definitely had a strong sense of nostalgia that is evoked in the writing, the descriptions of flowing water in particular created a sense of bygone times along with the indeterminate (until the very end) time period. The themes of friendship and mourning the loss of childhood even while your still a child remains relevant. While it didn’t evoke the strength of feeling I had reading it as a child, there was still a great depth of feeling and I would still recommend it to young readers.
The Wood at Midwinter by Susanna Clarke
3.5
Great writing and illustrations, but a bit too short to leave a lasting impact.