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saarustin's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
slow-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
4.0
atgerstner's review
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- 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
3.25
scytmo's review
5.0
This is a beautiful and lyrical book. The plot is that of a sci-fi eco mystery thriller - but I was captivated by the poetic use of language and the journey of Lumi as a healer. I am surprised that I enjoyed this book as much as I did: I would normally be put off by such lyrical use of language, or by time spent on description rather than character or plot. But in the The Monday Letters, I was transported by the descriptive quality of the writing, and the poetic style gave the book a serenity and pace that allowed me to immerse myself deeply into the world.
The main narrative vehicle - Lumi writing in notebooks for Sol on the assumption that he will one day read them - is interspersed with other first person perspective and flashbacks. Other reviewers have criticised this inconsistency, but I found the switch between perspectives to be natural and helpful - and provided some variation where I think a complete reliance on the “notebook” form may have become contrived or tiring.
The plot is intriguing, and ultimately satisfying, although the continued absence of Sol felt contrived once or twice - but this is nit-picking. The development of Lumi as a healer shows a glimpse into a spiritual world that could easily be the basis of other books (other books I would be interested in reading) - and it is this aspect of the book that I was most drawn to and found most rewarding.
I now have that bitter sweet feeling of loss that I get at the end of a particularly immersive book - knowing that I can’t continue to explore the world that Emmi Itäranta has created.
The main narrative vehicle - Lumi writing in notebooks for Sol on the assumption that he will one day read them - is interspersed with other first person perspective and flashbacks. Other reviewers have criticised this inconsistency, but I found the switch between perspectives to be natural and helpful - and provided some variation where I think a complete reliance on the “notebook” form may have become contrived or tiring.
The plot is intriguing, and ultimately satisfying, although the continued absence of Sol felt contrived once or twice - but this is nit-picking. The development of Lumi as a healer shows a glimpse into a spiritual world that could easily be the basis of other books (other books I would be interested in reading) - and it is this aspect of the book that I was most drawn to and found most rewarding.
I now have that bitter sweet feeling of loss that I get at the end of a particularly immersive book - knowing that I can’t continue to explore the world that Emmi Itäranta has created.
anni_swanilda's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Terminal illness, Xenophobia, Drug use, Animal death, and Grief
Moderate: Blood and Mental illness
Minor: Alcohol
lintsi's review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
hyperion77's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
mebius's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
annettebooksofhopeanddreams's review
4.0
At the start of this month I noticed I had a few too many pre-orders to keep them all. I had to go through them, had to ask myself the question "do I really want and need this book?" and had to cancel quite a few of them. But no matter how often I tried I couldn't bring myself to cancel this book-order. Because it's sci-fi and I don't read as much sci-fi as I'd like to because it's hard to find the non-space-war ones; and because it's a collection of letters. And so last week it arrived!
Like with all sci-fi novels it took me a few chapters to really get into the story. That's mostly because the universe as it is is a normal situation for our heroine. She uses words I didn't understand right away, she described places I couldn't locate right away and she talked about technical gadgets that are not invented yet. However, the more I read, the more the universe in this book started to feel familiar and realistic to me.
I have to admit that I'm not entirely sure if the letterform of the novel really feels like a letterform. The letters were too long, the descriptions too detailed. It aren't really letters to begin with. The heroine of the story is filling notebooks with everything that has happened to her so her spouse can read them whenever they see each other after some time apart. I envy them both: Her for having the time to write all this and them for having the time to read all this.
However, although the story is absolutely not action-packed, I really enjoyed the unique blend of magic, sci-fi, mystery and romance. I grew incredibly curious about what was happening and what was going on and I really enjoyed all those moments our heroine almost met her spouse and missed them by a few seconds. I have to admit that the final conclusion wasn't the amazing moment I had thought it would be, but the journey was quite intriguing and pleasant!
Like with all sci-fi novels it took me a few chapters to really get into the story. That's mostly because the universe as it is is a normal situation for our heroine. She uses words I didn't understand right away, she described places I couldn't locate right away and she talked about technical gadgets that are not invented yet. However, the more I read, the more the universe in this book started to feel familiar and realistic to me.
I have to admit that I'm not entirely sure if the letterform of the novel really feels like a letterform. The letters were too long, the descriptions too detailed. It aren't really letters to begin with. The heroine of the story is filling notebooks with everything that has happened to her so her spouse can read them whenever they see each other after some time apart. I envy them both: Her for having the time to write all this and them for having the time to read all this.
However, although the story is absolutely not action-packed, I really enjoyed the unique blend of magic, sci-fi, mystery and romance. I grew incredibly curious about what was happening and what was going on and I really enjoyed all those moments our heroine almost met her spouse and missed them by a few seconds. I have to admit that the final conclusion wasn't the amazing moment I had thought it would be, but the journey was quite intriguing and pleasant!
pandoozled14's review
4.0
I really liked most of the book but the woo woo healer stuff took a (half)star off for me.