alicetzhao's reviews
17 reviews

Tom Lake by Ann Patchett

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emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes

4.5

The Dutch House by Ann Patchett

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emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No

4.0

4 stars is generous but 3.5 felt like too few. I liked it, as I love any story across a long timeline/contains multiple generations. I don't think it would've been a finalist for the Pulitzer in 2024 though-- the romantic language about being a landlord; the riches to less-rich narrative-- it all feels better suited for a pre-pandemic world. I'm curious how I would've felt if I listened to the audiobook instead (read by Tom Hanks?!). Danny continued to have the voice of a teen boy in my head, despite being middle-aged at the conclusion, so I wonder if the story would've been even less compelling if I were forced to remember that his decisions were made by a middle-aged man.
Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri

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challenging emotional reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
The Newlyweds: Rearranging Marriage in Modern India by Mansi Choksi

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informative sad medium-paced
oof was this a downer
I wanted to root for the couples but it was so difficult to
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Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus

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fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
easy read but sad
Pure Colour by Sheila Heti

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medium-paced
There There by Tommy Orange

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challenging emotional hopeful sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
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The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down: A Hmong Child, Her American Doctors, and the Collision of Two Cultures by Anne Fadiman

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challenging emotional medium-paced
a good book club read! context that it’s a book about the 80s written in the 90s is so important. 
Romantic Comedy by Curtis Sittenfeld

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hopeful
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
charming! even though some of dialogue teeters on cringe and the BLM/racism mentions, and Curtis sittenfeld writes about white women for white women, maybe I love her writing so much due to her being one of my childhood favorites.
It just occurred to me that none of the second half of the book (about the pandemic) could’ve been published during the pandemic. Millions are dying and we’re reading about private jets and concierge doctors? wow
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What Happened to Ruthy Ramirez by Claire Jiménez

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fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
good use of the timeline (jumping back and forth), good pace, very quick read 
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