mariazal's review
informative
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
A solid, average book with interesting research done.
katmackie's review
2.0
I read [a:Herta Müller's|134980|Herta Müller|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1434721410p2/134980.jpg] NYTimes By The Book interview this very morning and I found her thoughts on moving literature very pleasing:
This is my attempt to shirk writing a real review for Good on Paper, a book that left me cold. It had many elements that usually attract me to books - but I found many aspects repetitive and the sentences didn't "sparkle." Cantor created an interesting plot of lite and literary that usually appeals to me, but maybe the balance was off? Andi was certainly the heart of the story - I can't resist books with children wise beyond their years. But I found the characters around her to make strange and sudden decisions that quickly escalated into choppy resolutions.
I wanted to like this book, but it ultimately wasn't for me.
The beauty of the sentences is the key. If in the very first pages I’m forced to read gratuitous phrases or banal metaphors, I won’t be able to get inside the story. Only if the sentences “sparkle” can I get hooked.
This is my attempt to shirk writing a real review for Good on Paper, a book that left me cold. It had many elements that usually attract me to books - but I found many aspects repetitive and the sentences didn't "sparkle." Cantor created an interesting plot of lite and literary that usually appeals to me, but maybe the balance was off? Andi was certainly the heart of the story - I can't resist books with children wise beyond their years. But I found the characters around her to make strange and sudden decisions that quickly escalated into choppy resolutions.
I wanted to like this book, but it ultimately wasn't for me.
andrea_rebekah42's review
3.0
I'm a sucker for books about books (and those who write them), so this appealed to me immediately. It's a cute book, though it did lose my interest a bit toward the end.
esselleayy's review
5.0
Literary chick-lit (replace martinis and shopping with Dante and linguistics). Themes of motherhood and atonement. I absolutely loved it.
vkm13's review
2.0
First off, this book got a one star deduction for not using any quotation marks. As a reader, I found this very frustrating, as multiple times I had to re-read something to determine if it was dialogue and, if so, who actually said it. With very few exceptions (and those are all generally in the realm of humour), the author should not get in the way of the reading experience.
That said, I did like a fair amount of this book. I enjoyed the characters and was invested in their lives. I also appreciated the meta-ness, even though I am not familiar at all with most of the references made. I do find it a little odd that all of the main character's stories are actually stories written by Rachel Cantor, but it is odd in an interesting way.
The ending did fall a little flat for me but I don't know what could have made it better.
All and all, I wouldn't dissuade someone who was interesting in reading this book but it's not going to be something I recommend. Also, USE QUOTATION MARKS.
That said, I did like a fair amount of this book. I enjoyed the characters and was invested in their lives. I also appreciated the meta-ness, even though I am not familiar at all with most of the references made. I do find it a little odd that all of the main character's stories are actually stories written by Rachel Cantor, but it is odd in an interesting way.
The ending did fall a little flat for me but I don't know what could have made it better.
All and all, I wouldn't dissuade someone who was interesting in reading this book but it's not going to be something I recommend. Also, USE QUOTATION MARKS.
abiquail's review
The characters in this book were complex enough to be interesting, but overall the book left me wanting more
montagves's review
5.0
Words can't possibly explain how much I loved this book. It's quirky, intelligent, fast-paced and incredibly literary. In spite of the age difference, I have been able to relate to Shira in many ways — I definitely loved the literature-grad-student vibe that she and the entire story gave off.
robynjhip's review
3.0
I loved the basis of the story and the plot but the execution fell flat and lost me at parts.