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lulumoss's review against another edition
3.0
Didn’t hate it; didn’t love it. I think it might be one of those that I will think about after some time has gone by and maybe I’ll like it more.
stitching_ghost's review against another edition
3.0
Oksana has pretty rancid energy and just the right amount of self awareness to make herself insufferable.
andotherworlds's review against another edition
3.0
2.5-3 // this was fine but i can’t say i really meshed with the writing as much as i expected i would
papertraildiary's review against another edition
3.0
This was fine, but I’m glad I’m done reading it. More to come soon.
jennifer_d's review against another edition
3.0
A character-driven story (i.e. not for those who want a strong plot line) that is mostly interesting but also a little underwhelming. However, overall, an enjoyable read, and an interesting example of an immigrant experience in the US.
I enjoyed the diverse set of characters and the fact that Oksana has her fair share of flaws, yet she evolves over the course of the novel. I'm not a big fan of the large jumps in timeline, I usually found it disruptive. Additionally, some of the time periods of the novel use a real major national event at the center to (realistically) contribute to Oksana's character development, except they are a little too brief/abrupt for my taste. It's hard to adequately cover this much of a person's life in relatively few pages, and I think this novel could have used some additional depth.
I enjoyed the diverse set of characters and the fact that Oksana has her fair share of flaws, yet she evolves over the course of the novel. I'm not a big fan of the large jumps in timeline, I usually found it disruptive. Additionally, some of the time periods of the novel use a real major national event at the center to (realistically) contribute to Oksana's character development, except they are a little too brief/abrupt for my taste. It's hard to adequately cover this much of a person's life in relatively few pages, and I think this novel could have used some additional depth.
anniemccormick1025's review against another edition
4.0
I would say 3.5-4, I enjoyed most of the story but wish we had gotten more of the grandmother since she seemed to play such a large role in Oksanas development. A very enjoyable read overall.
bookherd's review against another edition
4.0
This book follows Oksana, a child of Ukrainian immigrants to the US, as she grows up from a 7 year old hoping her schoolmates don't notice her grandmother waiting to pick her up after school, to a mother-to-be attending her grandmother's funeral in Kiev. Her energy, acerbic outlook, and full-tilt approach to life get her in trouble, especially as a child, but also make her irresistible--to read about, but apparently also to the people in her life. One storyline of the book leads to Oksana's realization of how much she is like her beloved Baba, whom she has always viewed as a somewhat outrageous character with an operatic life story.
I thought about labeling this as a comic novel, but decided not to. It is very funny in places but not all the way through, and I don't think comedy was its central goal. It's a light-spirited growing up story. Don't let the cover art (which I love) fool you.
I thought about labeling this as a comic novel, but decided not to. It is very funny in places but not all the way through, and I don't think comedy was its central goal. It's a light-spirited growing up story. Don't let the cover art (which I love) fool you.
annetjeberg's review against another edition
4.0
Yes, Oksana was annoying at times, but I found her charming over all, really struggling being a daughter to an immigrant family. Trying to live up to expectations, and finding her own way in the USA.
Just wonder how autobiographical this book is...
Just wonder how autobiographical this book is...
sparrinello7's review against another edition
5.0
loved it, very entertaining. first chapters were harder to get into bc the character was young, but only got better as it went on