I've seen a lot of people complain about the writing style; that's not the problem here at all. The writing style was what carried the book and made me finish it. I enjoyed the detailed descriptions, the intimate glances into their complicated relationships. I've even seen complaints about the characters themselves. No, no, no! The characters worked great, they felt real, flawed but caring. The real problem of this book is the ending – oh my god, it was so disappointing. All the culmination for nothing. All the cool concepts of mirror magic and speaking with the dead thrown out of the window. So many open-ended questions and not in a good way. Why did Marya stop seeing ghosts? What was the deal with the Ossifier? It felt rushed, unfinished. I even felt like I didn't understand the ending; I tried to skim through the book to see if I missed something but I can't seem to find anything. Such a disappointment since it was so promising.

Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse

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hopeful inspiring reflective relaxing medium-paced

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

4.0

Herman Hesse's work will always hold a special place in my heart. It's so incredibly easy to read, the text simply flows through your mind and despite that it contains so much wisdom. I may not share his worldview completely but his work has always been very inspiring to me for the common theme of someone trying to find the right path in life only to realize that it cannot be comprehended, explained but it can only be experienced through living. Especially throughout this particular read I couldn't help but think about Hesse's struggles with depression.

The only thing I would point out is the rushed ending that felt a bit anti-climactic. I had a bit of a similar issue with The Glassbead Game although not as strong. But to be fair I can't think of a better way to end it myself.

The Artist's Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity by Julia Cameron

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inspiring reflective fast-paced

2.0

Overrated in my opinion. A good advice here and there but the overall tone was borderline cultish. The amount of God-talk also didn't suit me, although the author insisted that it doesn't have to be Christian God, it definitely felt like it. As I said, there are certain thoughts that I will keep but honestly to save you the trouble of reading the main take-aways are:
- Don't let your life become too boring, experiment, try out different activities
- Don't associate with people that drag you down
- Be self-confident, don't devaluate your art and your creativity
- Think about how you use your time and try to reframe your day so it accomodates your creative endevours
I felt like the book is aimed at people with less self-awareness than me and I don't mean to boost my ego. In my experience artistic people are usually connected to their inner-selves so sometimes I simply struggled to understand why the author writes about something so obvious... Overhyped.

Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë

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dark emotional sad fast-paced

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

5.0

This book ripped my heart out. So heart-breaking, so devastating. Heathcliff being a dark-skinned taken-in orphan is certainly a move. I loved his character although I hated him as a person. He has an immense amount of passion, although it's mostly transformed into utter hatred, bitterness and desire for revenge.

I think that people miss the point of this book when they complain that it's pure suffering. Of course it's terrible! I feel like it's more about family trauma than love, sort of a study of the many forms of child abuse. Plus all the characters are stuck in the middle of nowhere, trapped in the never-ending cycle of trauma, of course they all act horrible. I mean, who wasn't abused in this book? Some would argue that Edgar Linton loved his daughter deeply but keeping your daughter secluded for the first 13 years of her life or so is definitely abusive if not highly problematic in my book. This girl literally never talked to anyone her age, of course she falls for the worst person in the vicinity.

I've read it in Czech and was surprised how easy it was to read. The words flowed very smoothly. Even though I love classics, I gotta say that's a rare quality.

Content Warnings

Orlando by Virginia Woolf

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challenging funny hopeful inspiring reflective slow-paced

5.0

It's hard for me to put into words what I liked about this book. I totally understand why some people dislike it, I see lot of its flaws too and still I've rated it 5 stars. It touched me in a very personal way. I know I'm very biased partly because I'm queer myself. I think that the queer element adds a lot to this book, I can't deny I am always thrilled when reading a queer classic! There was something else in Orlando that spoke to me deeply. Maybe it was the poetic language. Maybe the polemics on what being an artist means. Maybe the way life flowed so seamlessly like a river, as if life itself is the main character. It has so many layers! A definite re-read for me

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coralyn_x's reviews 62 reviews

coralyn_x's reviews
62 reviews