Lisa
I can see why many would love this book, but it was to sprawling for me. I would have rather seen a series. I would have rather seen more development of eras over three books.
I think there's something wrong with me... great concept, high reviews, but for me? Nope.
3.5
I have mixed feeling on this one. I loved some of the ideas and characters but at certain points I felt like too much was being tossed in plot wise. Sometimes less is more and I think this book could have used less plot lines or more depth in the development of certain characters. Would have loved more of the mom with the 4 blind sons- very interesting villains
3.5 for laugh out loud moments, but it started to fall apart for me about 75% through.
5.0 stars for the fact that thanks to this book I randomly walk in the room and say, “What's up, Kittentits?” to my husband.
Well, If you have been impacted by suicide / attempts at suicide, this can be a very tough read. I don't know how long it will take for this topic to quit feeling too soon for me, but I'm not there yet.
That being said, this novel was so well written and the audio book narrated by JK Simmons was perfection. Ove is a character straight out of my family, set in his ways, dedicated, hard working , thoughtful, no filter, gruff and loving all at the same time. You know, the Swedes.
This novel is about love, loss, integrity and being a self made man. It's about marriage and the loss of the love of your life. It's about neighbors and chosen family. It's about humility and letting go of being right. It's hilarious, touching and heartbreaking.
Do you know about Libby? Perfect library app to listen to for bedtime story fun. I know I saw this movie, but didn't remember anything other than Sandy B being mean to her kids and wondering why she didn't name them anything other than Boy and Girl. Apparently they need to fear you to do what you say. All said and done, totally acceptable bed time story via audiobook.
I think it is very hard to create a fresh take on the Fahrenheit 451 / authoritarianism concept. Books like the Slynx (Tatiana Tolstoya) and The Memory Police (Yoko Ogawa) actually do this very well. That being said, the characters / dialogue were well written and the book moved at a decent pace.
This book is beautifully written so it tempers the brutal scenes. I will definitely be looking at the author's other books for my next read.
Drawn in initially by book reviews and captured just enough by prose and boredom to finish it off. Some aspects of this novel were compelling, but a few weak characters and unexplored plot lines keep it worthless to recommended to others.
Read it years ago after finding it by chance in Half Price. Picked it up again while home sick with the flu. Excellent storytelling....great read!
This one had some great moments they kept me reading in hopes of more, but overall unremarkable.
While never a fan of the short story, these were sublime and lingered long after I closed the cover for the last time.
This book started off so well and then sadly very quickly went south for me. Less than 100 pages in and two male characters are completely and ridiculously sexist along with poorly written and I'm our.
Final straw you ask?
‘In a nutshell: this one hasn't a single bone of obedient-little wife material in her heavenly body”.
I'm just not here for it.
Delicious, challenging and fun. Exquisite characters wrapped in glorious rivalries.
I'd love to see this translated to film by Terry Gilliam.
Took 2 days to read, compelling enough to keep me reading, but story felt rushed. She could have spent more time developing characters along the way. The twist at the end with the Swiss was pretty stupid.
I kept thinking this would make an interesting screenplay as reading. I've never read Winter's Bone, but could see how this novel could be similarly excellent if adapted.
Solid read for mindless fun. The author is nothing less than consistent and adds new touches - characters, locations, while trying back to earlier novels in the series. While you could read this as a standalone, having context for the development of the recurring characters was a plus.
