no
this did not go in the direction I was expecting and honestly I'm relieved
3 stars, I had no idea what was happening after the first 100 pages or so
oh how I miss this book- I got it from a little free library near Earlham, Iowa, took it home, loved it for years then accidentally destroyed it. I keep forgetting to buy a new copy.
genetic chimerism is one of my favorite topics as well
Not quite as good as I remember it being 2 years ago, but still a delight! I think Darby, as a character, needs more personality than being loyal.
ow
I recommend reading up on the Dozier School for Boys. just a note: it is very depressing
Nov 25th, 2022
I stayed up until 1 in the morning for this
April 5th, 2023
Muir is a god of prose. every line is perfect.
I think I was destined to read this. It's got everything - an overly poetic title (titles make up about 60% of my decision to read a book), mental illness, gays, the beach but cold and rocky. The Last True Poets of the Sea perfectly fills the niche that [b:Moominpappa at Sea 79551 Moominpappa at Sea (The Moomins, #8) Tove Jansson https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1386924188l/79551.SY75.jpg 76814] carved out in me when I was in second grade. 11/10, can't wait to reread.
why does everyone forget that suzanne collins has written stuff other than the hunger games?
I read this one as a kid, 5 stars for nostalgia, 3 for my rating now
I read this because my holds at the library weren't ready. it was a lot better than I expected tbh
comments I have recieved whilst reading this:
“that book is bigger than the bible” - my friend
“wooaahh” - fellow violist
“I could finish that in a week, easy” - book club member
silently hands me the Brothers Karamazov - my dad
“shiny, I love it” - classmate
special thanks to my therapist, who let me borrow her copy.
I was on board with this book until I got to the ‘~feminine energy~ of your mother' part. that felt weird. yes, parents absolutely have a large effect on your future relationships, but what the hell? I know I have nonstandard views about gender, but I think most people would agree with my opinion that there is no such thing as ‘feminine/masculine energies' and how parenting affects them. parents do have some effect on gender expression but?? what. I think ‘feminine/masculine energies' falls under pseudoscience.
the genetics part was cool. I found that quite interesting.
April 9th, 2023
Makes a lot more sense the second time round
December 9th, 2022:
From an enjoyment standpoint, the plot is poorly paced and confusing, but from an artistic standpoint, it makes perfect sense. The slow, disjointed feel of the first 60% or so makes the reader understand Harrow's dissociation. All of a sudden it makes sense when certain events that I shan't speak of occur and Harrow is jolted back into a version of sanity.
It's a rather violent book (not my usual taste) but that factor can be ignored when you focus on the genius of everything else.
my actual opinions of this book have been summarized in a far more clear and concise way by other reviewers than I could, so go read other reviews if you like that
on a more personal note, I spent several of my childhood summers visiting my grandparents in Skagit County, taking the ferry to Whidby Island, and eating at my favorite restaurant in Fairhaven... so reading this feels like getting shot in the heart with nostalgia
Read for Fall Reading Challenge: Stories Past and Future
This is the first book I truly fell in love with. I don't fully remember picking it up off of the shelves of my library, but I do remember a little anxiety about my choice - I have an annoying complex about the things I enjoy. I stayed up late that night reading it, feeling awful, glorious, exhausted. The very next day, I went to the book fair at my elementary school. To my delight, Maybe a Fox was there, on the shelf next to the Bluebonnet Awards.* I had just enough money in my little plastic baggie to buy it. I did, and for a few days, I had two copies of Maybe a Fox in my possession.
I wish I could say I was writing this review fresh off of rereading Maybe, but it has been a month. I am in my procrastinating era, if I dare speak like my fellow zoomers.** It would be far easier to make a list of things it made me do than write the review it deserves, so I have chosen to be lazy. Without further ado:
1. The inside of the cover reads, “The property of [REDACTED] and foxes everywhere”, accompanied by a drawing of a fox.
2. I drew many foxes, one of which still hangs above my bed. They were my favorite animal for quite a while.
3. I collect wish rocks. The ones in the book are never noted to have complete, unbroken stripes circling them, but somehow I got it into my head that they did. Oh, the joy of false memories.
4. I vaguely remember making my Animal Jam character a fox. I have no idea what its in-game ID was, but I called it Vienna because that rhymes with Senna.
5. I remarked to my mom that I preferred sad endings to happy ones. I disagree with my former self to some extent; definite endings leave nothing to the imagination. A story, in my current opinion, should be stressful in the middle and left open in the end. I agree with Tolstoy, though in a slightly different way than he may have intended. “Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.”
*Alas, Maybe a Fox was not nominated. But the 2016 Bluebonnets really hit hard. Crenshaw, Echo, A Fine Dessert (The titular dessert is delicious, I made it once.) , The Fog Diver (There is a sequel and I desperately need to read it), Lowriders in Space (Turns out I did not, in fact, hallucinate that book. Wonderfully weird. You should read it.) Nightmares!, Roller Girl (I lost my copy and it breaks my heart.) Space Case, The Terrible Two, and Unusual Chickens for the Exceptional Poultry Farmer rank as my favorites. (I still wish I owned unusual chickens of my own.)
**Who am I fooling? I already do. One cannot escape the language of their formative years, which I am in right now.
I can't help but feel as if I am required to read this because one of the quotes is saved on my Pinterest board for a project of mine.
“It was autumn, the springtime of death. Rain spattered the rotting leaves, and a wild wind wailed. Death was singing in the shower. Death was happy to be alive.”
