Vanshika

What else is there to do but re read HP for the 8th time when you're stuck in a rut. Reading these books to me is a little bit like time-travel. I have read the same scenes so many times that re reading is now about me getting sentimental over my 16 yr old self and her reactions to things unfolding the first time or the 20 yr old me realizing i would never get tired of this series even if i know every single sentence by heart or 23 year old me buying collector's editions because i saved up for them and then ending up reading all 8 without planning to because i can't put these books down once i pick them.

The main USP of this book for me is the fact that i can't really think of another thriller story quite like this. The themes that this book explores are entirely it's own. Now sometimes a good premise is all a novel has and the author fails to deliver on a brilliant idea and i am so glad this was not the case here. The journey that this book takes you on, it's worth exploring for yourself. Also, This book mixes together a variety of genres (sci-fi, mystery, thriller, romance) and does so very seamlessly.
Secondly, The plot of this book is so fast paced and relentless, Even if you aren't fully invested you will want to keep reading because its so fun to read. The action never stops, and the intensity just builds and builds. I loved my time with this book.

Today is a good day for I have found another art form that I can geek out about. The artwork is damn fine. The plot is great too and
I. Can. Not. Put. These. Down.

I mean what can i add meaningfully to the discourse about this book? So many people have written so intelligently about the wonderfulness of this book and I am sure I can have nothing better to add. Even though the old English language challenged my comprehension a bit, I never wished for this book to end. It gave me literal butterflies.
This book was honestly a dream.
End of Ramble.

4.5
An amazing tale with a lot of intriguing details and captivating world building. The only thing lacking was a golden trio(

This was a perfect introduction to Dostoyevsky. I was touched by how bittersweet and tender White Nights is. This beautiful but heartbreaking story will hold a special place in my heart.
It's extraordinary the way Dostoyevsky could make me feel so much identification with his characters even when they are a century and a half away.
So many people in the world can totally relate to the Dreamer character... And the way Nastenka treats him, well, it mirrors what happens in real life too... Fairy tale endings don't exist.
Also, Dostoevsky's solitary, unattached dreamer willfully retreated from engagement with others and the world, while Nastenka is literally “pinned” to her grandmother's skirt and strict guardianship. Her narrative is one of development and action.
Even the narrator's final words were
“As if I would recall my resentment, Nastenka! Or would cast a dark cloud across your bright untroubled happiness, or would inflict misery on your heart with my bitter reproaches, stinging it with hidden pangs, making it beat anxiously in your moment of bliss? That I would crush even one of those tender blossoms which you wove into your dark curls as you approached the altar with him . . . oh, never, never! May your sky always be bright, and your sweet smile always be radiant and serene, yes, and may you be blessed for the moment of bliss and happiness you gave to another lonely, grateful heart! My God! One whole moment of bliss! Is that not sufficient for a man's entire life?”
 
 

so my guy jorge is saying chances of getting anywhere in our quest to ‘read' and understand the world is or is very close to, zero. cool cool cool no doubt no doubt no doubt. The discussion on the concept of futilty of human effort as we have an endless amount of stuff to decipher is daunting to say the least.

Second re-read. A Thousand Splendid Suns was so eye-opening to me the first time that I read it and it is such a rich and beautiful book. It made me think of the women in Afghanistan and all that they endured because of not only war but because of the brutal and restrictive regime of the Taliban. Even in the present, it is so devastating to think of all the women under the Taliban. I don't think I could do justice in words to how tragic these events are. A very abrupt ending because i truly am at a loss of words for how tragic it is

Eh. It wasn't what i expected going into a tale of greek classics. I was really disillusioned by the tonal clashing in this book. There is this mixture of very flowery romantic prose combined with classical greek themes. The myths are so streamlined in the entire book in the favour of the romance that it feels like Achilles and Patroclus are mere names and not the legends that people have reading about for millenias. I really wanted the richness of the story not just the romance. Even Patroclus's love and devotion for Achilles which is sublime works against the narrative in the second half because the destruction that Achille's actions cause are even more devastating as we have only been seeing him through that lens. There is something just a tiny bit wrong with the authorial choices in this book. Even judging it as a solo existence book, it does not live up to the hype.

Currently rereading and rewatching a bunch of things i loved as a teen. Even though i am v. familiar with all the ideas that are discussed in this book (which some people find pretentious). They still hold up okay so despite internet discourse It wasn't embarassing that i liked this book a lot when i was 17. I started reading it on a whim today ( good old procrastination) and i practically inhaled it. It made me feel too many feelings all at once just like the first time i read it. It has some phenomenal scenes that still got to me.
Most well done aspect of the book-
Hazel and Augustus'smixture of weakness and strength that was one of the things that made these characters in the book so likeable and instantly lovable.

3.5/5
This is going to be a somewhat confusing review. In some aspects TWMF was a bit of letdown. It still was a book that I couldn't putdown and that is because rothfuss writes about Kvothe with such narrative mastery that you're willing to forget your complaints.
This book doesn't get to the meat of the matter at all. It meanders so much that you want to leave the tangents that the author is on and move to a more interesting part. The existence of these parts is fine but why they took up so much of the books is not.
This book was really thick in the parts that I didn't care about and thin in the parts that I actually did.
I don't want to be too harsh on my valid complaints. I still found the book endearing. I still enjoyed it. The quality of writing and world building is still there. The pacing and some story decisions are odd but I suspect book 3 is supposed to explain that (if it ever comes out) .