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erinlcrane's review against another edition
3.0
I struggled with this, but not for the same reason as other readers it seems. I didn’t find Annie that unlikable. I found a lot of her thoughts and behaviors to be pretty age appropriate? She was figuring out her own identity vs her parents and peers, and that often meant she had negative thoughts about them and thought she was better than them.
What I didn’t like about this book was hard for me to figure out. The voice was strange. Written in the past tense and sometimes reflective as if narrating this from an older age, but still felt child-like. And I don’t like narration from a child voice. I listened to the audiobook and I decided that I often felt like a children’s book was being narrated to me. Felt like it was written for a younger audience in much of the sentence structure, word choice, repetition, and emotional maturity described. And that was driving me crazy. My experience of reading this book is really more of a 2 star, but the themes and the writing really warranted a bump up to 3 stars.
What I didn’t like about this book was hard for me to figure out. The voice was strange. Written in the past tense and sometimes reflective as if narrating this from an older age, but still felt child-like. And I don’t like narration from a child voice. I listened to the audiobook and I decided that I often felt like a children’s book was being narrated to me. Felt like it was written for a younger audience in much of the sentence structure, word choice, repetition, and emotional maturity described. And that was driving me crazy. My experience of reading this book is really more of a 2 star, but the themes and the writing really warranted a bump up to 3 stars.
fernweh85's review against another edition
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
emma_honner's review against another edition
emotional
funny
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
annettelee's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
rmnedder's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
A beautiful, poignant coming-of-age story that holds at its heart, among layers of humor and disillusionment, the relationship between a mother and daughter. Kincaid's masterful grasp on the language creates a clear, vivid voice for young Annie: full of life and longing, urgency and immaturity. She is so real, so lucid and clear. Her complex and dualistic relationship with her mother—sometimes fraught, sometimes loving, sometimes both at once—is the lifeline that pulses through this entire novel, culminating in a fantastic parallel.
It is rare that a book is able to so acutely reach into my heart and hold the hand of my younger self. What a gift Jamaica Kincaid has given us.
It is rare that a book is able to so acutely reach into my heart and hold the hand of my younger self. What a gift Jamaica Kincaid has given us.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Colonisation
Moderate: Ableism, Child death, and Death
Minor: Infidelity and Death of parent
lottakp's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.5