Reviews

Was not super impressed by this book besides the fact that it had a lot of bird references in it. But yeah just couldn't get into it or the characters. Maybe I just read it at the wrong time.

lcc37's review against another edition

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3.0

The avoidance of conflict and minimal stakes in this book made it a pleasant but uncompelling read.

wdanger's review against another edition

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I’m on the fence about this book. Makes sense, because I was in the fence about Children’s Bible as well. I don’t think I’ll return to Lydia Millet. My TBR is too long!

kimberlys's review against another edition

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3.0

I don't know...I liked the message at the end of the book a lot. I'm just not sure this character and his life was a compelling illustration of that message for me.

I will say there was a part of the book where I thought we were going to go in a different direction. A man who becomes wealthy when his very rich parents die, who is then literally dressed in a bat costume and chasing down the bad guy? I thought we were getting a batman story here, or maybe we did--if batman ended up hanging with his neighbors in the desert.

Edit to add: the more I think about this book, the more it feels like a miss. I'm in the nonprofit world, and there's a hugely important and robust conversation happening now about the correct role for the uber-wealthy. Trust when I say no one thinks that (sole, at least) role is escorting women to the dollar store. Same with politics...this guy is concerned about Trump's election (or the fictional, unnamed version of Trump), and the best he can do is plan to watch election returns at the neighbors'? Nope--might not make him a bad person (although I think it does), but it sure doesn't make him a good guy who deserves to be understood as part of the web of life. Batman doesn't deserve to be understood as a hero for today and neither does this guy.

mishandthechicks's review against another edition

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Struggled with the narrators voice
Maybe it's better in print?

blueberrysubmarine's review against another edition

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challenging inspiring lighthearted relaxing 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? It's complicated

3.75

Dinosaurs🐦 is difficult to describe. It reads like a lighthearted slice-of-life story but with a sparse usage of words, requiring quite some attention of the reader. It was an unusual style to me which I really learned to like. Although enjoying the read, I thought for quite a while it is going nowhere. The last pages reveal however that the book is really about

contemplating what freedom means, taking a strong stance against isolated/individualistic understandings or illusions of freedom. I think Lydia Millet wants to show that we are all interconnected and that true freedom only occurs in community.

I think she succeeds in showing this without idealizing the latter, although it only gets clear at the end. Worth a reread.

amyborch's review against another edition

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lighthearted 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? Yes

3.5

I appreciated the character development but there really wasn’t much of a plot and I was disappointed with the ending.

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