Miranda
This was such a difficult read. At times I found myself very annoyed with how coy and naive Vanessa was, along with how awful and irritating she was PB (post-browick (idk how you spell it)) It made me so angry to see how absolutely wrong and relentlessly pitiful she was. But it really isn't her fault. It's what she went through that made her this way.
I think it's safe to say I didn't like Strane, duh. Who did? At the beginning, imagining yourself as a young high school student with a super hot teacher, it's like scandalous and fun, until moves are made and then it's scandalous, terrifying, and incredibly illegal.
I think it's the fact that I cannot relate to almost any of this that makes me so irritated at nearly every point in this story. I am seeing it all from an outsider perspective, and it makes me want to pick up the entire story and throw it out a window. I wanted to scream, “How could you be so stupid?!” or “She's fucking 15! What do you mean!?” or “Yes that's fucking rape! Are you blind?” but she was. She was blind, in a way. Life and mind completely altered. Seeing everything through Strane-colored lenses, something I have the privilege of not dealing with.
I also hated every cliche younger Vanessa portrayed. It made me want to gouge my eyes out with a barbecue skewer.
But that doesn't mean you shouldn't read it. It deals with very important topics, and a very important perspective to things a lot of people slide under the rug.
This book is difficult to stomach, and could be triggering to some. Proceed with caution. 4/5
I cannot rightfully describe how much I love this book. Preface: I listened to this as an audiobook.
For starters, Kristina Gorcheva-Newberry is an incredible writer. Each time I pressed play I felt like I was right there with the characters. Everything felt so tangible and real, it was beautiful. The way the characters are composed and put together are just as good. I fell in love with each of them, as if they were friends of my own. As a 20 year old American, I know absolutely nothing about Europe, yet alone Soviet Russia. History classes were poorly taught, and often acted as nap time for students like me who could skid by high school with A's and B's. I feel like, although a piece of fiction, I have learned more reading (well, I guess listening?) to this book than I have all history classes I've sat through. I never knew the Soviet Union was more than just Russia. I never knew it was happening during the 80's. I had never known what anyone had went through during those times, young or old.
Not only did I get to learn a lot in this book, but it felt all the more sentimental and genuine coming from someone who was there. I made sure to stay for the Author's Note, as other reviews had suggested, and by god was it worth it. I hope Kristina knows just how much I love and appreciate this piece of work. I will be reading, and maybe even watching, The Cherry Orchard someday, and I will be telling all my friends about this book. It tugged on my heart strings, had me gasping in the car, and googling all sorts of places and people during this time period. I will be thinking about Anya, Milka, Trifonov, and Lopatin for the next few weeks, and I will be thinking of Kristina, who had went through it all herself too.
TLDR: This book is awesome please read it rn if you love historical fiction and coming of age 5/5 stars
TW: rape, abuse
lol i never wrote a review for this. i listened to this as an audiobook and it was fantastic. the writing is impeccable and i loved and hated listening. loved because it was great, but hated because of the gruesome detail. made me cringe but in the best way. there is cannibalism and also incest and some rly descriptive sexual assault so beware
I was really hoping this book was going to be as big as everyone made it out to be. I hadn't realized how short it was, which I honestly didn't really mind. I was hoping for more but I had hopes that more would be accomplished in a such a short period of time.
But no. I feel like nothing and everything happened in the 100 or so pages this book has to offer. After hearing what everyone had to say about this book, I was hoping to be shivering in my bed with a trash can full of vomit at my side. Instead I sat staring at my screen, constantly thinking “Well, that was weird,” and finished before I even realized it. I kept saying to myself “Okay, when's the big thing happening?” You know, the thing everyone was raving about that I was so excited to read after anticipating the book to be sent to my device after having it on hold for weeks.
Although it wasn't the worst thing. I enjoyed the idea of this story. I wish this would be the prologue to something much more grand, more disgusting. To see that this was all the story had to offer left me wishing for more.
‘uuuggghhhhhhhhh' is all I have to say. a wonderful story, I loved every minute; I was hooked. I just kinda wish, oh I don't know, that there was more than this?
Besides that, I genuinely enjoyed the story, and every twist and turn it held. Interesting characters as well, and riveting stories told within. I would recommend it to those who enjoy sci-fi like books, and a good mind-blower.
I gave this a 4 star rating but I never reviewed it. 5 years later I'll write my review now LMAO
possible spoilers head, read with care
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I read this book as a sophomore in high school, but there's a lot of backstory to it. To make it short, I read the Iliad and became hyperfixated, like full swing. I read fanfic after fanfic and found one that really resonated with me. Turns out, it was a fanmade version of this book from the perspective of Patroclus. When I saw that, I was like “omg if this is a fanfic, imagine how good the book is!”
boy was i wrong
this book is by no means BAD. there's little parts that i cringed at and was like “yeah, this is so aimed for preteens looking for another m/m to fetishize and romance over,” not to mention the use of “spurt.” that really set me off. like why? what??
because of my insanely overwhelming obsession with the iliad (it is still my favorite book to this day) i was so highly critical of every. little. detail. you can imagine my frustration seeing patroclus portrayed as a measley little manwife, tending to wounds and holding onto his big strong hero. like, did we skip the part that he posed as achilles in war and no one realized it wasn't achilles? homie caused absolute devastation and was a powerhouse of a human and all i gathered from Miller's rendition of the story was “he stayed in the tent and helped heal wounds :)))” like girl what???
besides all my critiques, no matter how trivial, this was a well written book loved by MANY. there were many heartfelt moments that made me sit and stare at my wall for a few minutes pondering my existence. but, knowing how the iliad itself ended, and how i basically knew every detail of the epic down to each individual characters non-existent social security number, i was really disappointed.
pushing all of my useless, useless rage aside, it's a good book. no hate to madeline miller, she clearly made a banger of a novel that is loved and treasured by many. i'm happy for the success of TSOA, it just was not for me. perhaps my mind will change after a reread of it, which I may do someday :)
goodreads suggested this to me bc i read an abridged version of the iliad............... ok.......
i read this senior year of high school and i remember being very bored but interested in the individuals lives
If Alex Michaelides has one hater, it's me. If Alex Michaelides has no haters, I'm dead.
Y'all ready for another book where the plot is thin and you get to see Michaelides flex on his knowledge of Psychology and Greece?
I don't even think I'm gonna give this book a shot. After reading The Maidens and The Silent Patient, I cannot stand the way he writes women and thinks he knows sooo much about psychology and greek history. Please get a new hobby, thanks.
i like horror, i do. i don't mind gore either. i don't mind violence. the DETAILS in which the author goes into animal genitalia? unacceptable and unnecessary. what does this add? the random blurbs that feel so out of place, what does it add? i couldn't finish the book, it turned me off so much. i really wanted to like this, but it just felt like oh no mommy and daddy are werewolf people? and we all have a birthmark???? oooooh so scary. i wanted to cringe reading because of how horrific the content is, not because of how unnecessary and disturbing-but-not-in-a-good-way it was. DNF!
