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books_through_these_eyes's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
oliviacasellini's review against another edition
1.0
(DNF) I'm not even sure what to say about this book. It was so long and re plot kept changing before finishing a problem it presented itself with. The main character was so self absorbed i rolled my eyes every time she spoke. I was very disappointed in this book.
marcosbedbooks's review against another edition
5.0
I originally gave this 4.5 stars when I read it, but after letting it sit with me I have decided it deserves the 5 star rating.
Going into this novel, I was expecting some generic coming-of-age story; I read A.S. King’s other book REALITY BOY and didn’t like it, so I wasn’t expecting to love this one as much either. Needless to say, I was completely proven wrong by this novel. Everything that I had issues within REALITY BOY was improved upon in STILL LIFE WITH TORNADO.
While the synopsis makes it seem to be only a coming-of-age story, it is so much more than that. The book does have coming-of-age elements, but in my opinion, this book is a lot more about childhood trauma and domestic abuse. The novel also has additional elements of magical realism added into that; these were excellent additions to the story.
First off, I would like to say is a reason I loved this book so much was because I did listen to it on audiobook at 2x speed. The audiobook narrator, Karissa Vacker, was an absolute amazing narrator! She was able to capture the feeling of melancholy and pain that this book had so masterfully. Had I read this book physically, I doubt I would have been able to give it this 5 star rating. That’s how amazing the audiobook was! I do think that I would’ve enjoyed it if I read it physically, but I would have probably only have given it 4 stars.
Now, this book reminded me a lot of her other book REALITY BOY, since both novels do deal with issues of domestic abuse, but this one was a lot better in my opinion! I found that the characters were extremely flat for me in REALITY BOY, but in STILL LIFE WITH TORNADO, the characters were developed well! I think what helped with this is that we not only got the main character’s perspective, but we also got the point-of-view of her mother (who was the one experiencing most of the abuse).
The writing itself was a bit cheesy at times, but for the most part, I found it to be very moving. It’s extremely easy-to-read and simplistic, but this is more helpful than harmful. The writing does get a bit repetitive every now and then, but since I was listening to it on audiobook it didn’t bother me much. Either way, I think that this novel is perfect for teens since it does deal with domestic abuse and play an interesting twist to it.
Plot-wise, this book takes a turn that I wasn’t expecting, but was really needed. I’ve read a good amount of books that deal with the topic of domestic abuse, but this one stands out from the rest by far. The fact that it adds these magical realism elements made it so much more interesting! Specifically, our main character Sarah starts seeing past and future versions of herself, all of which are real. I wasn’t expecting to enjoy these elements but A.S. King had me surprised with the way she used this element into her story! It was amazing!
Overall I really loved this book!
Going into this novel, I was expecting some generic coming-of-age story; I read A.S. King’s other book REALITY BOY and didn’t like it, so I wasn’t expecting to love this one as much either. Needless to say, I was completely proven wrong by this novel. Everything that I had issues within REALITY BOY was improved upon in STILL LIFE WITH TORNADO.
While the synopsis makes it seem to be only a coming-of-age story, it is so much more than that. The book does have coming-of-age elements, but in my opinion, this book is a lot more about childhood trauma and domestic abuse. The novel also has additional elements of magical realism added into that; these were excellent additions to the story.
First off, I would like to say is a reason I loved this book so much was because I did listen to it on audiobook at 2x speed. The audiobook narrator, Karissa Vacker, was an absolute amazing narrator! She was able to capture the feeling of melancholy and pain that this book had so masterfully. Had I read this book physically, I doubt I would have been able to give it this 5 star rating. That’s how amazing the audiobook was! I do think that I would’ve enjoyed it if I read it physically, but I would have probably only have given it 4 stars.
Now, this book reminded me a lot of her other book REALITY BOY, since both novels do deal with issues of domestic abuse, but this one was a lot better in my opinion! I found that the characters were extremely flat for me in REALITY BOY, but in STILL LIFE WITH TORNADO, the characters were developed well! I think what helped with this is that we not only got the main character’s perspective, but we also got the point-of-view of her mother (who was the one experiencing most of the abuse).
The writing itself was a bit cheesy at times, but for the most part, I found it to be very moving. It’s extremely easy-to-read and simplistic, but this is more helpful than harmful. The writing does get a bit repetitive every now and then, but since I was listening to it on audiobook it didn’t bother me much. Either way, I think that this novel is perfect for teens since it does deal with domestic abuse and play an interesting twist to it.
Plot-wise, this book takes a turn that I wasn’t expecting, but was really needed. I’ve read a good amount of books that deal with the topic of domestic abuse, but this one stands out from the rest by far. The fact that it adds these magical realism elements made it so much more interesting! Specifically, our main character Sarah starts seeing past and future versions of herself, all of which are real. I wasn’t expecting to enjoy these elements but A.S. King had me surprised with the way she used this element into her story! It was amazing!
Overall I really loved this book!
allison_sirovy's review against another edition
4.0
Really a 4.5/5 - Great book! Just a few spots that I needed more info/clarification.
joyce_porter's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
This book means so much to me. I remember being about Sarah's age and feeling the same way, and feeling very alone. This book helped me process some very complex emptions about a very complicated siuation. This is a book perfect for your first existential crisis.
miffyf's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars
I'll tell you straight up, this isn't my favourite A.S. King book, but it's still pretty good. The main character in this book, Sarah, is pretty messed up. She's dropped out of school (it's unclear why), she's withdrawn from her family (also unclear why), and she's seeing alternate realities (really unclear why). This is a book that deals with really, really angsty stuff, so no spoilers. Eventually, it all becomes clear.
What really dissatisfied me about this book was that I felt that King didn't go in hard enough. There was obviously something really crap that happened in Sarah's past, but it took too long to reveal it, and not enough time working on a resolution. So, for me, the timing was off.
Sarah was a pretty annoying protagonist, in that King had her dance around the issues again and again. The story was circular, and repetitive, and, at the end, largely unresolved.
Characters are great, as usual. Multidimensional and realistic (although get ready to suspend disbelief at times), and I would have loved to see more of Sarah's brother, as he felt like the only person that had a handle on reality.
If you've never read an A.S. King, start with this one.
I'll tell you straight up, this isn't my favourite A.S. King book, but it's still pretty good. The main character in this book, Sarah, is pretty messed up. She's dropped out of school (it's unclear why), she's withdrawn from her family (also unclear why), and she's seeing alternate realities (really unclear why). This is a book that deals with really, really angsty stuff, so no spoilers. Eventually, it all becomes clear.
What really dissatisfied me about this book was that I felt that King didn't go in hard enough. There was obviously something really crap that happened in Sarah's past, but it took too long to reveal it, and not enough time working on a resolution. So, for me, the timing was off.
Sarah was a pretty annoying protagonist, in that King had her dance around the issues again and again. The story was circular, and repetitive, and, at the end, largely unresolved.
Characters are great, as usual. Multidimensional and realistic (although get ready to suspend disbelief at times), and I would have loved to see more of Sarah's brother, as he felt like the only person that had a handle on reality.
If you've never read an A.S. King, start with this one.
elliearchive's review against another edition
4.0
I really liked the way the story was, revealing information piece by piece like that, it was very well crafted.
I didn't know what this book really was about when I started reading and I'm not sure if I would have read it had I known. It just hits a little too close to home. Still I enjoyed reading it in a way, although it was also kinda painful
I didn't know what this book really was about when I started reading and I'm not sure if I would have read it had I known. It just hits a little too close to home. Still I enjoyed reading it in a way, although it was also kinda painful