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A review by ismelllikebooks
The Country of Ice Cream Star by Sandra Newman
1.0
"And I cannot see how any child can be forgiven. I try to think of people who hurt no one, but cannot see them different. Circumstances be, they find the evil that they do."
What I appreciated: The creation of the language of this book is pretty amazing. Ice Cream is headstrong and her strength is (sometimes) admirable.
What I took issue with: This is a 600 page 200 page story. It is unnecessarily long given what actually happens. The language, while very inventive and impressive, hindered the story. Like 3D is to movies, the language of this book was to the story. I was never able to stop trying to read it, never able to just sink into the narrative and engage with the characters. The last half of the book was a slog. Ice Cream was strong but frustrating, her devotions and decisions seemed very random and worked against establishing her character.
The elevator pitch for my clone: Don’t read this. Remember the Glass Bead Game? This is that all over again. You’re just going to be frustrated and, in the end, you’re not going to have enjoyed the story that much and will be pissy about having spent an entire week on reading it.
What I appreciated: The creation of the language of this book is pretty amazing. Ice Cream is headstrong and her strength is (sometimes) admirable.
What I took issue with: This is a 600 page 200 page story. It is unnecessarily long given what actually happens. The language, while very inventive and impressive, hindered the story. Like 3D is to movies, the language of this book was to the story. I was never able to stop trying to read it, never able to just sink into the narrative and engage with the characters. The last half of the book was a slog. Ice Cream was strong but frustrating, her devotions and decisions seemed very random and worked against establishing her character.
The elevator pitch for my clone: Don’t read this. Remember the Glass Bead Game? This is that all over again. You’re just going to be frustrated and, in the end, you’re not going to have enjoyed the story that much and will be pissy about having spent an entire week on reading it.