Kate
Fabulous, cutting, and painfully true. Sittenfeld often tells rather than shows, but you don't mind at all, because what she's telling you is fascinating, in the character's voice, and incredibly wise. I need to read everything Sittenfeld has written.
Weird Christianity analogy, which I didn't realize until the book was almost over, but it explains why the “Jesus” character was so boring.
It was engrossing, but the plot seems to have stretched into the upcoming books. I really wanted to read about the warrior version of Tobin, but that's not here at all.
really enjoyed it! Great character and there was astute observation and philosophy sprinkled in. I wanted more of an ending though.
I didn't like it as much as the first series, and I would definitely not suggest reading it if you haven't already been introduced to the characters. Still, it's well written and worth the read, but more as an extra feature for fans
This was actually pretty good, but there's little characterization outside the protagonist. enjoyable, and free though!
A scary read if you're someone with chronic, unexplained health problems, but it was fascinating and wonderful that they figured out how to cure her.
I really enjoyed this, but there are plot holes galore (or at least, lots of things in this world that don't make sense with what we know so far), and it reads like R-rated YA.
Read it if you liked the Hunger Games, Divergent, and the love triangle between Kate, Sawyer, and the annoying guy in Lost.
4.5 stars for comparison to the rest of the genre, 3 stars for it as a book.
I got 20 pages in and wasn't feeling it. The writing was avoidably dull. For instance, we are told a water tower is important because it provides a landmark in an otherwise monotonous Amazon forest. That's just not very interesting, and it could easily be interesting.
I want to hear about how the tower looms above you. I want to hear about how the jungle feels. I want to hear who worked on the tower, and how they felt about building it. Did anyone fall off it? Who designed it and did they ever see it in person? did it work? when was it abandoned?
Maybe I'll try reading this again later. But as opposed to, say, The Power Broker, this book lacks storytelling.
This book wasn't half bad until I got the part when the powerful Rowan just happens to meet a ‘sexy' man with the same powers she has, and defeats invading aliens in like 2 pages of drama. The sexy man's family and friends have just been killed, but apparently this is the perfect time for getting it on! The dialogue sounds like something you'd hear from an old man at a dive bar who's on his 8th beer, but apparently this is appealing: “Of course you are, sweetheart — just push that nice little package out my way. Or is it too much for you?”
Fantastic glimpse inside SNL and what it would be like to be a female writer. Cute, well written story.
A black author in the 1970s finds herself sent to the time of slavery, with her fate tied to that of a young slave owner. The book was powerful because of the subject matter, but I didn't find it especially gripping in terms of storyline or character development.
Oof, this was brutal. I'm not sure I would recommend reading it, but it was extremely well written. Jennette limits the perspective of her narration to her thoughts at the particular time in her childhood to incredible effect - it feels like you, the reader, are experiencing it too, and are feeling what she is feeling.
So tired of romance characters who have to unravel a big lie. Big snore, more like it. Dnf
A very smart book, written by a smart author. I didn't particularly like the love interests but that's ok.
Aughhh! The long awaited sequel!
I really wanted to love this, but it seemed a bit thrown together. We didn't get much characterization of anyone, and there was too much time spent running around to different locations. I was very emotionally detached from this one.
Terrible. insta-love, no one's actions make any sense, and the card poems were annoying.
I downloaded this as an audiobook for my long drive on my way to an equally long hike. I liked the Art of Fiction, so I was excited to dive in. So far so good!
The road cuts through the pine trees and I start to hear things that don't sound quite right. (Quotes are from memory and may not be exactly accurate for that reason.)
“like a fat woman holding a plate of hamburgers”
well, I think, that's just an unfortunate phrase. Surely he cares about other people, people who include fat women.
“like the disgusting XYY”
Oh, he appears to be talking about intersex people and using them as an example of things gone very wrong. That's pretty gross.
“(bad) stories about blacks and women”
I was beginning to suspect that Gardner would dislike a story just because he, presumably a white man, might be the villain. It didn't sound like he had any concept that he might not “get” these stories enough to appreciate them.
I kept listening for a bit but Gardner comes across as a hateful, unvirtuous person. I found I did not want to hear any of his ideas about morality, because he seemed to be awful. I felt sorry for his students (the ones who weren't white men), who must have been getting the same garbage in their ears day after day.
I had noticed him being judgmental in The Art of Fiction but thought of it then as a positive – how refreshing to be clear and direct and to know your own thoughts. But now I can see that was the tip of the iceberg, and the hateful thoughts were swirling underneath.
Lots to think about.
I liked the main character, but this was mostly just a bunch of sick stuff strung together.
Loved every minute of this. Especially the audiobook, where the voices were exquisite.
