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kerrin_h's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
getinkshedtears's review
3.0
It's not a bad book. I didn't hate it. I wanted to like it. Ostensibly it has a lot of the things I enjoy in a book. But once I realized it's just Oedipus (there may be indications earlier, but for me it was the first mention of a limp), thoughts of OH I SEE WHAT YOU DID THERE overwhelmed my reading experience ... also the writeups and the book itself really oversell the whole "they speak their own made-up language" thing, which I was hoping would be deeper. This is not incomprehensible twinspeak; this is a handful of made-up words that rises a level or two above what a lot of families and really anybody who spends too much time together ends up with.
Ultimately I wasn't thrilled by the mythic but well-trod twists and turns, and I'm left wanting to know how the narrator went from uneducated, unsocialized, abandoned teenager with presumably no official record of her existence to cottage-owning lexicographer, something that I assume requires at least a college-level degree. Unless you can walk into the dictionary office and floor everyone by saying "harpiedoodle."
Ultimately I wasn't thrilled by the mythic but well-trod twists and turns, and I'm left wanting to know how the narrator went from uneducated, unsocialized, abandoned teenager with presumably no official record of her existence to cottage-owning lexicographer, something that I assume requires at least a college-level degree. Unless you can walk into the dictionary office and floor everyone by saying "harpiedoodle."
angelamichelle's review
4.0
Good, but not my favorite.
[woman searching for mother who abandoned her on river, Oedipus story]
[woman searching for mother who abandoned her on river, Oedipus story]
absolute_bookery's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Interesting but feel like it lost its way a couple of times because of how many little things were going on!
arinaski's review
2.0
I'm disappointed with this one. I really wanted to care for the characters but couldn't. I felt nothing. Just boredom. And all of that for a simple story that is not that interesting either...
morguemann's review
dark
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
rdlevitt's review
3.0
Interesting, not bad but not great. The pacing was very start-and-stop. Normally I like the idea of jumping around to different viewpoints and points in time, but in some instances it totally broke down the momentum of the storytelling. It's a modern retelling of Oedipus, and you know that the "big reveal" of the prophecy is coming. But when it is finally spoken out loud, I found it somewhat anticlimactic? All in all, an impressive and creative book but I felt more compelled to finish it rather than eager to finish it.
kara7e's review
4.0
Well, I read this book having not actually recalled the story of oedipus, and well this is a retelling of that myth. So, ah well it was definitely interesting to read, and though I can’t say I enjoyed it per say it’s a decent enough book, and well written imo.
dutchcrunch's review
5.0
I’m blown away, it’s like I’ve been hit in the gut with a secret and a certain unknowing dread.