gray_son_'s review against another edition
3.0
She was cute! I’d give it 3.5 if I could. The structure of the narrative felt a bit disjointed at times, but there’s some touching reflections on family, identity, and self worth.
abbie_'s review against another edition
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Free review copy received from the publisher
I don’t know if it’s how I’m picking them, but I’m having a bit of a mixed bag of translated reads this month! The Garden of Monsters had so much promise, all the ingredients I usually enjoy in a book, and although I enjoyed some parts, I also felt annoyed and bored for lots of it.
I don’t know if it’s how I’m picking them, but I’m having a bit of a mixed bag of translated reads this month! The Garden of Monsters had so much promise, all the ingredients I usually enjoy in a book, and although I enjoyed some parts, I also felt annoyed and bored for lots of it.
For one thing, I wish authors would retire the use of the R word, even when trying to display attitudes of awful people towards those with mental illness. Then there’s the fact that the one character I think we’re supposed to like and root for is not particularly likeable. You know I’m all for unlikeable characters you love to hate, but the same doesn’t apply when they’re not *supposed* to be unlikeable.
It also is never a great idea to compare a book to Elena Ferrante’s work. That’s just setting my expectations FAR too high! And yes it’s set in Italy and has a focus on two families, but it doesn’t reach the nuance of Ferrante by any stretch.
However, I did like the parts with Niki de Saint Phalle, an artist, and her ‘Garden of Monsters’, even if it never did feel like it meshed with the main narrative completely. It was interesting, similar to the way Ali Smith taught us a little about a new artist in each of the Seasonal Quartets (note, I’m not trying to compare this book to Ali Smith’s work).
I dunno, there was just something a little self-indulgent about the whole thing. Too contrived, maybe.
A shame, but onwards and upwards!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Ableism, Body shaming, Car accident, Child abuse, Homophobia, Incest, Infidelity, Misogyny, and Pedophilia
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