Are you looking for The Handmaid's Tale with a wider world and none of Margaret Attwood's problematic feminism? WELL HOLD ON TO YOUA new favorite!!!!!
Are you looking for The Handmaid's Tale with a wider world and none of Margaret Attwood's problematic feminism? WELL HOLD ON TO YOUR HATS, BECAUSE I HAVE THE BOOK FOR YOU.
I loved this book. ADORED it. And I'm particularly happy about that because I once met Meg Elison at a book event and she was just lovely. It's always wonderful when a person you liked writes a fucking phenomenal book.
So, what did I like? Beyond a generic EVERYTHING? Let's discuss.
The world: I love that this book feels simultaneously very wide and very intimate. It's a bit of a road novel (our protagonist, the titular unnamed midwife, travels from SF to Utah), but the moments of quiet domesticity counter the vast bleakness of the world. I love that we get glimpses of the world outside of the midwife's point of view--it makes sense that different cultures would react differently to a plague that kills off most people, but especially women and children. Those little snippets make the world seem wider, make the apocalypse seem more realistic.
The character of the midwife was just SO BRILLIANT. First of all, I loved that the diary sections truly read like someone is journaling--it's full of fragments, shorthand, swearing, random ALL CAPS (truly relatable, for me). Layer on the fact that Elison chose to use these diary portions sparingly, and you have perfection. I don't know that I would have enjoyed an entire story in that format. Because it's switched up between journaling and traditional narrative prose, it never feels like a gimmick. The diary entries are also a brilliant lesson in empathy. They fee raw, and I DARE you to not connect to them deeply. I also loved the fact that she is unnamed. Elison toes the line perfectly between using the unnamed midwife as a stand-in archetype and crafting a genuine, authentic character. It's brilliant.
I could go on and on forever about how brilliant this book is, but I'm going to end by saying JUST READ IT ALREADY....more
First of all, it was just so refreshing to have an epic fantasy book set in the modern (ish) world. Even though everything in this is made up--setting, history, the magic system, etc.--the world had planes, TV, radio, and more. There's no reason epic fantasy NEEDS to be set in a medieval/Renaissance equivalent world!
I adored all the characters in this. So many of them could be cliches or standard archetypes, but Lee plays around with subversions quite a bit. This means that all of her characters feel dynamic, and that they feel fully realized.
The magic system in this was super cool, and unlike anything I've read. I LOVED diving into how Jade worked, how you could use it, and I especially loved that Lee really digs into how Jade effects the world at large.
This is an absolutely phenomenal book--more fantasy lovers need to start talking about it!!...more
I enjoyed a lot of this book, but at the end of the day I felt like I was forcing myself to finish it. I felt like the three stories were too disparatI enjoyed a lot of this book, but at the end of the day I felt like I was forcing myself to finish it. I felt like the three stories were too disparate, and that the author was really stretching when she tied them all together in the final part of the book. By the time we get there, we had already spent two thirds of the book with totally new characters, so the first story falls to the back of your mind.
Because each story ends on a cliffhanger, the resolutions felt a bit slap-shod. I understand that this is a children's book with a happy ending, but because of the format that happy ending felt forced.
I also discovered that I just don't like harmonica music that much. I listened to this on audiobook, and there were some very cool musical elements. However, there was a WHOLE LOT of harmonica--too much for me. By the time I was halfway through the book, I was actively skipping all of the harmonica parts because they got on my nerves so much....more
We follow Justyce, a character that feels fully formed despite the books length (211 pages according to my KinThis is a powerful, and very fast, read.
We follow Justyce, a character that feels fully formed despite the books length (211 pages according to my Kindle). An instance in which a police officer arrests Justyce and holds him in handcuffs for hours, despite the fact that Justyce was not doing anything wrong and even complied with the officer's orders, leads Justyce to turn to the teachers of MLK, Jr. to find something to help him make sense of the world again.
Stone has talked about how this book was designed specifically for reluctant readers, and I think she really succeeds in that regard. The book clips along at a steady pace. The variety of formats--sometimes traditional narrative prose, sometimes dialogue like a play, sometimes letters to Dr. King--gives the book an always fresh feel. And despite the book's brevity, it doesn't feel like Stone every sacrifices neither complexity and nuance in themes she examines nor character development. She's looking at very weighty topics through the lens of our MC Justyce--racism, police brutality, cultural capital and otherness, mass incarceration. Given the book's length, I was a bit nervous that Dear Martin would only take fleeting looks at those things. Stone proved me VERY wrong, and I couldn't be happier about it.
I also liked that she didn't sensor the book at all, like QUITE A LOT of contemporary young adult books out there. Teens swear in real life, and so they swear in Stone's book. Their voices feel authentic, not like the "adult trying to sound young" voice you sometimes get in contemporaries.
This was very cute and very sweet, but ultimately the narrative voice was just too young for me. I don't mind middle grade that skews older, but I'm fThis was very cute and very sweet, but ultimately the narrative voice was just too young for me. I don't mind middle grade that skews older, but I'm finding that middle grade that skews younger just doesn't work for me.
THAT SAID this is 1000000% a book that I would recommend to younger readers. I didn't love it, but it's not FOR me! I think younger readers would really enjoy this, and the content is generally delightful. The family dynamics, the emphasis on friendship, and oh my goodness the cooking and magic! All lovely.
If you're looking for a good read for a younger reader, this is definitely it. ...more
So I enjoyed Emma, but I didn't LOVE it. For the most part, I found Emma to be a compelling character--she's just this side of unlikable. However, somSo I enjoyed Emma, but I didn't LOVE it. For the most part, I found Emma to be a compelling character--she's just this side of unlikable. However, sometimes she tipped over that edge and I couldn't help but roll my eyes. I also think it's significant that the MC of this Austen book is of a significantly higher social standing than Lizzie Bennett, so the classism of the world feels significantly more prominent and significantly more off-putting.
I also think Emma leaned a little too hard into the absurdist characters. I hate to compare it to P&P again, but that's my frame of reference for judging this book so I WON'T BE STOPPED! I thought Mr. and Mrs. Bennett were the perfect amount of silly--they entertained without ever truly annoying the reader. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case with the majority of side characters in Emma. Miss Bates, Mr. Woodhouse, Mrs. Knightley, Mrs. Elton, and Frank Churchill were all insufferable. The fact that there were FOUR characters that were so ridiculous felt like overkill. I skim read anytime one of them would start ranting, which took me out of the book.
In the end, I did still enjoy myself. I found Emma, herself, to be a character I enjoyed reading about for the most part. I REALLY loved Mr. Knightley. And after all, I still found myself always reaching for this....more
This is some FABULOUS science fiction. If you want sci-fi with substance, look no further.
Solomon uses the setup of the HSS Matilda to examin4.5 stars
This is some FABULOUS science fiction. If you want sci-fi with substance, look no further.
Solomon uses the setup of the HSS Matilda to examine collective trauma. We see through the main character Aster, as well as other characters, the implications big and small of the active oppression of people of color. I also really liked that Solomon really dives deep into the ways in which white supremacy and hyper-strict gender roles (particularly in regards to masculinity) go hand in hand.
I adored Aster. She is intersex, queer, and neurodivergent. I haven't seen it confirmed anywhere, but based on the text it seems like Aster is someone with Asperger's--she has issues interpreting body language, tone of voice, and is extremely literal.
This took a lot of traditional sci-fi elements and made them feel fresh and new again. Can't recommend it enough!...more
The world is incredibly inventive, and the world building in general was one of the strongest aspects of this I enjoyed this, but I wasn't blown away.
The world is incredibly inventive, and the world building in general was one of the strongest aspects of this book. This is set in a quasi-steampunk fantasy version of the Tower of Babel. Each "ring" of the Tower is a kingdom unto itself. I LOVED the setting.
I had difficulty pinpointing why I struggled with this book at times (particularly in the first half), but I think it boils down to the main character Senlin. His relationship with his new wife Marya (who is missing for the majority of the book) is woefully underdeveloped--I'll concede that it gets a bit better as the book goes on--and so "rescue Marya" feels flat as an underlying motivator for all of Senlin's actions.
Then there's also the fact that early Senlin is a sanctimonious coward. We do get an interesting character arc as he climbs the Tower and learns more about this new world, and about himself. Was putting up with shithead Senlin worth it to get that arc? I'm not sure.
The plot feels quite episodic. We have the underlying narrative of "find Marya," but the majority of the book reads like little episodes of Senlin experiencing new trials in new sections of the Tower. It made the book clip along at a nice pace, and it also gives the reader the chance to experience the very cool world of the Tower.
This wasn't spectacular, but I do think I'll continue the series....more
I enjoyed this! Rao's writing is, as usually, simply gorgeous. It's gorgeous in its simplicity. I just want to run around hearing her words i3.5 stars
I enjoyed this! Rao's writing is, as usually, simply gorgeous. It's gorgeous in its simplicity. I just want to run around hearing her words in my head all day because they're so thoughtfully put together, without every feeling pretentious.
I adored the characters. Poornima and Savitha are distinct and wonderful and I love them both. As we watch them face unrelenting horrors, their strength becomes your own.
I did NOT know what this book was about (other than two girls who develop a friendship and are then separated), so the content was very much upsetting. Rao shines a light on the gross mistreatment of women, and so we see abuse, sexual assault, and human trafficking. Never does it feel too grotesque or sensationalized, never does the trauma of these girls seem like a spectacle (I'm looking at you, GoT TV show...). She deals with these issues beautifully, but it's upsetting nonetheless.
I found the last third of this book a little too heavy-handed in it's metaphors. When Rao starts to write explicitly about the "fire" behind the girls eyes, the writing felt just shy of corny. Rao's prose, in general, is so strong that this is still a VERY minor criticism from me, but I do think it's worth noting.
I expect that some people will find the ending less than satisfying because things aren't neatly tied up with a bow, but I loved it. LOVED IT. It was heartbreaking and hopeful at the same time, which is just what this book is....more
So this is a gorgeous book, but I found it hard to read at times.
I loved Jojo's perspective. He is a bit naive, but his fierce protectiveness over hisSo this is a gorgeous book, but I found it hard to read at times.
I loved Jojo's perspective. He is a bit naive, but his fierce protectiveness over his three year old sister shows that he knows something of how cruel the world can be, especially to black boys.
I struggled with Leonie's character. She is deeply flawed, and often quite unsympathetic. She is impeccably crafted, and as readers we really come to know her. We see how trauma, racism, and addiction have shaped her into the person she is--someone who tries to love her children, who often senses her teenage son's distrust and resentment, who sometimes seems to hate her own children for the burden they force her to bear. At the end of the day, this last point is what I struggled with. I feel like I understand Leonie, but at no point in the book did I find it easy or enjoyable to read from her perspective. As a reader, I have a LOT of difficulty sympathizing with a character who continuously puts her romantic relationship before the wellbeing of her children. I can understand the why of it, and I this is just one area in which Ward forces her readers to confront the ugliness of the world. But I really struggled with the chapters from her perspective.
I loved the way Ward plays around with the blurred lines of the living and the dead. Several characters see ghosts, all of them victims of America's bloody racist past. By following characters today, Ward highlights the fact that American's present is also bloody and racist, and that burying the horrors of the past will never free us from them.
The fact that this was a road novel was another great touch. The car, which is stiflingly hot and smells disgusting as three-year-old Kayla becomes sick and vomits, is a metaphorical coffin that takes the main characters not just on a journey across the state of Mississippi, but also a journey into the past.
Overall, this is a haunting book that is at times quite difficult to read. It's worth pushing through those unsettling feelings because it's a read that's both powerful and important. ...more
The word that comes to mind with this book is... underwhelming.
I think I initially thought the concept was interesting and innovative, but once I actuThe word that comes to mind with this book is... underwhelming.
I think I initially thought the concept was interesting and innovative, but once I actually started reading, it felt quite derivative. The characters fell flat. The plot dragged. I found the whole thing pretty tedious.
I think, ultimately, this book was too "big," if that makes sense. There's no room for subtlety when literally the first chapter presents a BIG PHILOSOPHICAL QUESTION: What would you do if you knew your death date?
The metaphors felt so incredibly heavy handed. The siblings range from full-of-life risk takers, to very cautious homebodies. Guess who lives longer? Plus, I don't personally agree with the message that sends. One of the siblings LITERALLY STUDIES WAYS TO INCREASE LONGEVITY. No subtlety in sight.
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