patlo's reviews
1292 reviews

This allegory of the fall of British rule in Ireland's War of Independance in the 19-teens was an odd, engaging, frustrating book. It has echoes The Master and Margrita in its "literature-ness", dark humor, absurdism, and historical touch points. There's a lot happening that I knew *means* something, but I'm not sure what - not knowing nuances of the Irish revolution post-1916. I'll have to go read a deep dive on this book now. But as "literature", it's an interesting, weird, slow, yet engaging story.

This book is really hard to review. I think I just wasn’t in the mood for it. It’s witty, provocative. It’s also rambling and disjointed. 

I think this reflects more my experience reading it than the writer, but I found myself skimming a lot, looking for something to latch onto. 

So at the same time, it’s well written and unique, as well as something I didn’t enjoy reading that much.

I’m going to put my copy in the closest little free library and I imagine the next person that finds and reads this will be thrilled. 

3.5 stars. A good memoir by one of the leading voices in discovering the interconnectedness of trees and forests. This book is a bit slow and ponderous, but it’s a good tale, well told.

This is a stunning memoir about being an adoptee of mixed race, not knowing your birth mother or father, family secrets, and the complexity of love and family.  As an adoptive dad, I loved and was pierced by Ito's story. I'll remember this one for a long, long time.

A worthy read for my "Read a book from each of the 32 counties in Ireland" (Kildare).  The characters are well written, complex enough, and witty. There are at least three layers to the story, and the story surprises and turns into something else at least twice. Big mysteries aren't fully answered, so if that's something you need in a book.. this may not be for you.  It's an engaging and fast read. I really enjoyed this world and the tricks the author uses to invite us into it.

Not a bad book, interesting 
 
storyline
 
and
 
characters
. I just didn’t find myself wanting to find out anymore 
 
 
happening
.
 
Probably
 
just
 
the
 
mood
 I’m in.

An illuminating, eye opening, challenging collection of essays and poetry written by a community of authors with varied experiences of disability, and across multiple perspectives of sexual and non sexual intimacy. Some of these chapters are more impactful than others, but this is well written and well edited. 

I am especially appreciative of the chapter by the Redwoods, a plurality of persons in one body (sometimes known as Dissociative Identity Disorder, previously Multiple Personality Disorder). Theirs was a group of perspectives that I had never considered and will think and feel about for a long time.

3.5 stars. The content is good, helpful and thought provoking. The delivery is a bit sloppy, rambling, and needed a tighter edit. Its a worthwhile read but could have been great.