nebuloussystem's review
dark
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
not super sure how to rate this book!
I liked the evocative prose and the stream of consciousness-style narrative. I liked how much time and research was obviously put into capturing the setting's artistic, social, and political scenes. I liked Reno, for the most part, as a character, although not as a protagonist -- I'm not sure I'd agree with the cover calling her "superbly realized."
I did not very much enjoy finishing the book and feeling like all I'd ultimately done was plod through like 300 pages of Reno, and many of the women around her, just being jerked around by a bunch of disgusting men, with virtually nobody learning absolutely anything in the end. maybe that makes it more realistic, but it's not something I like to read about.
I loved the scenes where Reno gets to engage in her passions & the world around her on her own terms, but after her chance to pursue a career in racing in Italy comes to a halt, the rest of the story is focused predominantly on her relationships with these careless &/or outright awful men, how she's strung along by them, and how she copes with the fallout (badly, usually). and it's not necessarily that she's poorly-written, but the summary on the cover gave me the impression that she would be a driving force in the story, and she was not.
the latter 2/3rds of the book more or less completely sideline Reno's wants and interests and more emphasis is put on the things that happen around her that don't truly involve her, and any active participation on her behalf is sort of done at the behest of people around her... which doesn't necessarily make for a bad protagonist or a bad story, but it's not the type of protagonist or story that I typically gravitate towards and I didn't personally care for it.
in short: insightful & thought-provoking, but with basically nothing in the way of character development. a passive protagonist is not my cup of tea, and the ending didn't satisfy me. I did enjoy it overall, but it was more the gorgeous prose, unique non-chronological structure, and certain individual scenes that I liked as opposed to the overarching narrative. tl;dr it's about the journey & not the destination with this one, imo
I liked the evocative prose and the stream of consciousness-style narrative. I liked how much time and research was obviously put into capturing the setting's artistic, social, and political scenes. I liked Reno, for the most part, as a character, although not as a protagonist -- I'm not sure I'd agree with the cover calling her "superbly realized."
I did not very much enjoy finishing the book and feeling like all I'd ultimately done was plod through like 300 pages of Reno, and many of the women around her, just being jerked around by a bunch of disgusting men, with virtually nobody learning absolutely anything in the end. maybe that makes it more realistic, but it's not something I like to read about.
I loved the scenes where Reno gets to engage in her passions & the world around her on her own terms, but after her chance to pursue a career in racing in Italy comes to a halt, the rest of the story is focused predominantly on her relationships with these careless &/or outright awful men, how she's strung along by them, and how she copes with the fallout (badly, usually). and it's not necessarily that she's poorly-written, but the summary on the cover gave me the impression that she would be a driving force in the story, and she was not.
the latter 2/3rds of the book more or less completely sideline Reno's wants and interests and more emphasis is put on the things that happen around her that don't truly involve her, and any active participation on her behalf is sort of done at the behest of people around her... which doesn't necessarily make for a bad protagonist or a bad story, but it's not the type of protagonist or story that I typically gravitate towards and I didn't personally care for it.
in short: insightful & thought-provoking, but with basically nothing in the way of character development. a passive protagonist is not my cup of tea, and the ending didn't satisfy me. I did enjoy it overall, but it was more the gorgeous prose, unique non-chronological structure, and certain individual scenes that I liked as opposed to the overarching narrative. tl;dr it's about the journey & not the destination with this one, imo
Content Warnings
Graphic: Car accident, Injury/Injury detail, Slavery, Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Colonisation, Incest, Sexual content, Misogyny, and Racism
Moderate: Gun violence, Infidelity, Murder, Pedophilia, Rape, Toxic relationship, and War
Minor: Pregnancy, Forced institutionalization, Kidnapping, and Mental illness
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