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tracithomas's Reviews (1.05k)
challenging
dark
informative
sad
tense
medium-paced
People need to read this book. It gets at a super specific and rising trend in homelessness in the USA that we are not talking about enough at all. It is super engaging and reads like a novel because of the narrative structure. I would say sometimes things get confusing as he follows 5 families and I was forgetting who was who a bit here and there. I also think it was a touch too long and repetitive, but overall I was hooked.
funny
lighthearted
medium-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:
Yes
I get the Edith Wharton hype with this one. She is such a sharp and snarky writer. I loved her quick turns of phrase. Undine Spragg is an unlikable woman that I couldn't help but root for. She is dastardly and also a joy to be around. I have no doubt she and Scarlett O'Hara are cut from the same cloth. The book goes on a bit too long and I could've used even more drama, but maybe I'm being greedy.
dark
funny
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I never read Animal Farm in school. I had some idea it was about animals and that it was an allegory of power run amok. I hate to say it, but this novella is good good. Razor sharp. Funny and fucked up. Doing a lot while also going down smooth. I wish I had been taught Animal Farm in school, because I know there is plenty to unpack around mid-century politics, satire, and allegory, and with the right teacher this book must bang hard. I know it wasn’t written for today, but Trump is trying to make Animal Farm great again.
adventurous
dark
reflective
sad
fast-paced
This was a really good reported crime memoir. I loved the tone he struck in investigating his sister's death. It is very straightforward and engaged without being too sentimental or intense. It is a simple book, nothing special, but it does what it sets out to do so well it makes it look easy.
challenging
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-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
Overall I liked this collection a lot. I loved how Peters was challenging gender and how it shows up in much more complicated, messy, and nuanced ways. I loved the way she also was exploring stereotypes and playing with the sinister side of gender politics and performance. Also a lot of play with genre constraints and tropes. Fun. The title novella was a bit long and schiticky for me, but still solid. The 2nd and 4th stories were my standouts.
informative
fast-paced
This was a pretty big let down for me, I wanted to feel inspired and excited by the thinking in this book. Their thesis is very thin and feels more like two guys lecturing the reader on all that is wrong than actually providing a vision for a world of abundance instead of scarcity. Mostly it is a few essays expanded and tacked together, which is a bummer because we could use real rigorous thinking about how to create better futures and systems. The writing is good but the arguments are lacking.
emotional
slow-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
This is a slow moody novel with some messy scenes and bad decisions. The chaos is there but the tempo makes it much more of a character than a plot book. There are some really great scenes that I enjoyed. I was less interested in the quarter life crisis stuff (both around job and relationships), too much thinking/internal monologue for me. The kind of debut that makes me want to read whatever this author does next though, because the book is super solid.
dark
informative
sad
medium-paced
I read this book after finishing LOLITA and I liked it. I think the book really could be an article. I appreciate the author wanted to give more detail but the details of the story are so limited there is a lot more around what actually happened and also about Nabokov. We get so many details (about the police men who received the call etc) that just felt like filler because this was a book length project. I did like the writing and the style but also felt like the author was reaching ti fill this whole thing out.
challenging
dark
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
There is a lot to like (and hate) about LOLITA. This was my first read and mostly the big take aways are, unreliable character at its apex. Stunning how Nabokov gets you to root for Humbert Humbert despite all he does. It drags in places but when Nabokov gives you a scene, get ready!
informative
reflective
fast-paced
This book was fantastic. I loved the way she blended history, current events, and personal reflections and history. The balance was spot on. The pacing was spot on. If you read and liked KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON this book does a similar thing but better and from an indigenous author. Yes!