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jan1955's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
lil_zaddy_mango's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Amazing book. I want Burns to write some poetry. Extremely poetic prose, while using very accessible language. While it was easy to read, the depth of the prose and the imagery used was wonderful.
This story was sad, beautiful, and real. Digging deep into our identity and the rifts created there by longing vs belonging, our exploration of faith and its impact on others, and the things we believe about the people we know vs the reality of who they are.
Each character in Shiner is its own dissertation on the human experience and psyche.
Read it.
This story was sad, beautiful, and real. Digging deep into our identity and the rifts created there by longing vs belonging, our exploration of faith and its impact on others, and the things we believe about the people we know vs the reality of who they are.
Each character in Shiner is its own dissertation on the human experience and psyche.
Read it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny and Sexism
Moderate: Toxic relationship and Death of parent
Minor: Emotional abuse, Rape, and Fire/Fire injury
lunaseline's review against another edition
4.0
"Making good moonshine isn’t that different from telling a good story, and no one tells a story like a woman."
Jag vet inte om det är sant, men den meningen i sig visar i alla fall att Amy Jo Burns kan berätta sin historia vackert.
Hela boken är en studie i fattigdom och fanatism, kvinnoförtryck och kärlekslöshet - men skimrande, som den olagliga spriten i månljuset.
Jag ser att några jämför detta med "Where the Crawdads Sing" - grejen med flicka som måste kämpa för sin egen historia i USA:s bakvatten, I guess - men för mig är detta både råare och vackrare. Själv tänker jag dessutom betydligt mer på Educated - som en fiktiv variant av Westovers tragiska (men triumfatoriska) liv. Det gör också att jag inte riktigt förstår de recensioner som pratar om att de "inte förstår karaktärernas val" eller att det är "ologiskt"... Jag tänker att jag nog inte kan uttala mig om vad som är logiskt om man växer upp på ett berg, utan skolgång och med en pappa som tror på mirakel och leker med ormar...?
Samtidigt förstår jag att detta inte är allas smak. Det ÄR konstigt och kantigt, men får mjuka kanter av Burns prosa (och av slutet, som därför kanske inte heller är allas smak).
Själv var jag nog såld redan när hon i första meningen fick med ordet "moonshine" (och då dricker jag inte ens whiskey).
Jag vet inte om det är sant, men den meningen i sig visar i alla fall att Amy Jo Burns kan berätta sin historia vackert.
Hela boken är en studie i fattigdom och fanatism, kvinnoförtryck och kärlekslöshet - men skimrande, som den olagliga spriten i månljuset.
Jag ser att några jämför detta med "Where the Crawdads Sing" - grejen med flicka som måste kämpa för sin egen historia i USA:s bakvatten, I guess - men för mig är detta både råare och vackrare. Själv tänker jag dessutom betydligt mer på Educated - som en fiktiv variant av Westovers tragiska (men triumfatoriska) liv. Det gör också att jag inte riktigt förstår de recensioner som pratar om att de "inte förstår karaktärernas val" eller att det är "ologiskt"... Jag tänker att jag nog inte kan uttala mig om vad som är logiskt om man växer upp på ett berg, utan skolgång och med en pappa som tror på mirakel och leker med ormar...?
Samtidigt förstår jag att detta inte är allas smak. Det ÄR konstigt och kantigt, men får mjuka kanter av Burns prosa (och av slutet, som därför kanske inte heller är allas smak).
Själv var jag nog såld redan när hon i första meningen fick med ordet "moonshine" (och då dricker jag inte ens whiskey).
trudake's review against another edition
4.0
3.5
Ruby and Ivy's friendship was my favorite part, but most of the other relationships felt like there could've been more there. Parts of the writing felt overdone: heavily symbolic but I couldn't understand the symbols.
I'd still recommend it! A few passages about moonshine and snakes are especially beautifully written, and there's a general feeling of pointlessness, but also hope, that's hard to describe.
Ruby and Ivy's friendship was my favorite part, but most of the other relationships felt like there could've been more there. Parts of the writing felt overdone: heavily symbolic but I couldn't understand the symbols.
I'd still recommend it! A few passages about moonshine and snakes are especially beautifully written, and there's a general feeling of pointlessness, but also hope, that's hard to describe.
pkwilkes1's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
jessiereads315's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
4.0
ryner's review against another edition
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Wren Bird and her family live so far up their West Virginia mountain that they fly under the government radar — Wren has never attended school and doesn't even have a birth certificate. Her father makes a meager living as a preacher who "takes up serpents" and doesn't like strangers coming around. In this multigenerational story Burns weaves together a family saga of secrets, shame and tragedy.
Funny, I forgot what this book was about during the 3+ years that elapsed between putting it on my TBR and actually reading it so I came to it blindly, which is often a welcome, refreshing surprise, and it was in this case. The narrative is riveting and I didn't want to stop reading. One detail that felt like a plot hole was no one asking how Flynn acquired a baby.
Funny, I forgot what this book was about during the 3+ years that elapsed between putting it on my TBR and actually reading it so I came to it blindly, which is often a welcome, refreshing surprise, and it was in this case. The narrative is riveting and I didn't want to stop reading. One detail that felt like a plot hole was no one asking how Flynn acquired a baby.
dinah56's review against another edition
5.0
This is one of this best books I’ve read. A beautifully written story - a women’s story- told by three women whose lives are entwined. Set in the coal mining hills of West Virginia, it is a book about faith, strength, love, and moonshine. Haunting characters whose voices tell so many heartbreaking truths about how hard life can be, and the importance of having people who love us and will always have our backs.