_riannalouise's reviews
56 reviews

A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin

adventurous challenging mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

le guin has a distinctively dense written prose which i struggle to unpick. nonetheless earthsea comes alive through her sensory descriptions: a mysterious backdrop for ged’s coming of age story.

Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell

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adventurous emotional reflective sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

hamnet tells the story of the forgotten shakespeare, a young boy lost to time but who’s memory is kept alive, o’farrell suggests, through the play that bears his name. even if audiences do not know it. it is an imagined story, yes, but one which weaves together history and folklore allowing the prose to take on a lucid and magical sheen. some interesting literary choices allow o’farrell to masterfully explore loss, grief and identity across two timelines. the novel has has a poetic quality, visceral and immersive, with a closing passage that leaves a chill on your skin.

No Country for Old Men by Cormac McCarthy

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challenging dark slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

somewhat of a challenging read, often struggling to navigate the geography of the three narratives. an interesting take on the genre, a western-crime-thriller-hybrid, which focuses mostly on interrogating the moral philosophies of its main protagonists and how these choices drive the plot.

The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood

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dark reflective sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

a slow beginning which takes until the final third to get going, however i suppose this is the point as, although offred’s diary records the mundane and regular, it is in itself an act of resistance. as offred’s confidence develops so picks up the pace so the reader does get to see nice character development. atwood’s seemingly prophetic parallels to the politics of contemporary america continue to resonate from the page raising important questions about the security and position of the modern woman. yet i wonder if the ending is sufficient pay off for the sometimes plodding pace of the opening chapters.

Femina: A New History of the Middle Ages by Janina Ramírez

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informative inspiring fast-paced

4.25

despite an ambitious scope, this is a largely successful and intriguing exploration of a woman’s place within medieval society. ramirez combines relentless historical research with necessary wit to create a series of dynamic stories across timelines and geography. by hinging the research on venerable figures within female histories (such as emily wilding davison), these newly discovered characters are accorded greater vitality and warmth from the reader. whilst i found some of ramirez’s assertions a little underdeveloped, the interdisciplinary approach served as a refreshing reminder to “keep an open mind when we look at the past [for] it was as complex and contradictory as our present”.

Story of Your Life by Ted Chiang

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emotional funny mysterious reflective sad fast-paced