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opheliapo's reviews
345 reviews
Beach Read by Emily Henry
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Solid.
No Longer Human by Osamu Dazai
challenging
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
The first part was a very accurate insight into what it feels like to grow up autistic. The rest felt like being trapped in a room with the stupid younger brother of Camus’ Stranger.
Book Lovers by Emily Henry
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Happy Place by Emily Henry
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Awh what, this was actually v cute :-0
Dorfler by Jeremy Baum
3.0
I really wanted to love this, because certain aspects intrigued me to an extent that only really good graphic novels can. But every upside had an equally frustrating downside. Baum's art style is unique but underdeveloped, his dialogue is descriptive, but too pretentious and wordy. Where he excels in creating an interweaving, dream-like chain of events, his characters are too flat not to create unneeded confusion.
I am intrigued to see what heights Baum will take his style to within the next 5-6 years, but until then, I don't think I will be able to read any more of his works without noticing their juvenile qualities.
I am intrigued to see what heights Baum will take his style to within the next 5-6 years, but until then, I don't think I will be able to read any more of his works without noticing their juvenile qualities.
Sophie Scholl and the White Rose by Annette Dumbach, Jud Newborn
2.0
Sophie Scholl and the White Rose frustrated me from beginning to end. Not because of the facts collected within, which were fascinating in themselves, but because the format and style of the novel was so juvenile and convoluted that I was unable to concentrate on the story itself.
By right I feel that I have been neglected as a reader, and deprived of the emotional reaction I should have had to such a climactic story.
The book cannot seem to make up its mind whether it is a biography, a history book, or a novel, and ends up reading like a patronising, convoluted, but very well researched pile of mish-mashed sentences.
The narrative is stiff and unyielding, and often judders when tenses, points of view, and scenes are changed, seemingly at random. On top of that, the book has little personality and uses an unnecessarily oversimplified vocabulary.
It felt like a poorly formed fanfiction about Sophie Scholl, the enduring visionary and Mary-Sue, a warped version of a real human being. Once again, I repeat that the effort and time taken to research this book is not the problem, but these stories are retold so poorly that I still question Dumbach and Newborn's competence.
I felt as though I were reading a high school English essay, and am sure that the wasted potential of this book could have easily been remedied if Dumbach and Newborn had just hired someone who knew how to craft a fucking sentence.
By right I feel that I have been neglected as a reader, and deprived of the emotional reaction I should have had to such a climactic story.
The book cannot seem to make up its mind whether it is a biography, a history book, or a novel, and ends up reading like a patronising, convoluted, but very well researched pile of mish-mashed sentences.
The narrative is stiff and unyielding, and often judders when tenses, points of view, and scenes are changed, seemingly at random. On top of that, the book has little personality and uses an unnecessarily oversimplified vocabulary.
It felt like a poorly formed fanfiction about Sophie Scholl, the enduring visionary and Mary-Sue, a warped version of a real human being. Once again, I repeat that the effort and time taken to research this book is not the problem, but these stories are retold so poorly that I still question Dumbach and Newborn's competence.
I felt as though I were reading a high school English essay, and am sure that the wasted potential of this book could have easily been remedied if Dumbach and Newborn had just hired someone who knew how to craft a fucking sentence.
The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran
4.0
This book was a pleasant and important reminder.
Even though some of the true and significant concepts written in The Prophet I had never heard of nor considered, I felt not as though I were learning, but as though I were being reminded of something I already knew, but had forgotten.
The Prophet is moral and empathetic, and I would highly recommend it to anyone, particularly those who are looking to hold a mirror to themselves and their own actions.
Even though some of the true and significant concepts written in The Prophet I had never heard of nor considered, I felt not as though I were learning, but as though I were being reminded of something I already knew, but had forgotten.
The Prophet is moral and empathetic, and I would highly recommend it to anyone, particularly those who are looking to hold a mirror to themselves and their own actions.
The Tales of Beedle the Bard by J.K. Rowling
5.0
I have come back to this collection of stories several times since its publication, and each time I am reminded of just how charming it is. Short children's stories set in the Harry Potter universe give J.K. Rowling the ability to be at her most playful, especially when writing through the voice of her own beloved character, Albus Dumbledore.
I do not think the merits of this book end with the Harry Potter fanbase, although the tidbits of information relating to the original series do act as a friendly wink. Rather, the stories themselves are cleverly formed, memorable and repeatable, and the commentary is amusing, whether or not you are interested in the lore.
I do not think the merits of this book end with the Harry Potter fanbase, although the tidbits of information relating to the original series do act as a friendly wink. Rather, the stories themselves are cleverly formed, memorable and repeatable, and the commentary is amusing, whether or not you are interested in the lore.
Private Peaceful by Michael Morpurgo
4.0
Private Peaceful was exactly what I had expected it would be, from all the people who had recommended it to me. It was simply written, which is a merit, not a flaw, for I believe that the addition of any complex or poetic narrative would have detracted from the credibility of the character voices. It was clearly well researched, each character having the morality and sense of people at that time, in peace and war. The plot was so sound that every time Morpurgo let slip a hint about the futures of Charlie and Tommo I said 'oh no' to myself, knowing that I would be in tears by the time those events came to pass. But most notably, the story of Private Peaceful was enduringly honest, demonstrating the forfeiture, the brutality and, most importantly, the naivety of war.
A World of Difference: An Anthology of Short Stories from Five Continents by Lynda Prescott
3.0
Oh, woe is me, I do principally despise the short story collection, where the five-star tale meets the barely-scraping-two.
A few of these stories were so profound and perceptive that they blew me away, but others were more of a pleasant breeze, and more still were a vacuum that sucked away at my time with no intention of rewarding the commitment.
A few of these stories were so profound and perceptive that they blew me away, but others were more of a pleasant breeze, and more still were a vacuum that sucked away at my time with no intention of rewarding the commitment.