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hannahahn's reviews
16 reviews
Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
If We Were Villains by M.L. Rio
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
I’m going to make a lot of comparisons to The Secret History in this review, because this book obviously takes inspiration The Secret History and is infamous for doing so. If We Were Villains imitates The Secret History but fails to follow Tartt’s amazing characterization and beautifully atmospheric writing.
One of my biggest issues with this book is weak characterization. The cast is pretentious and unrealistic, like Henry’s crew in The Secret History, but somehow this book takes the pretentiousness too far. Reading about college kids who communicate in Shakespeare lines took me a while to get past. This is not the occasional Greek quip; these students have the inhuman power to quote a perfect line for every situation, and it feels like half of the dialogue is literally Shakespeare.
Like Henry’s group, Richard’s friends are deeply flawed, but I’d argue that there’s some element of charisma to the Hampden students that keeps us interested in figuring out what happens to them. Rio’s characters can fall flat, and that makes their intellectual musings and eccentricities unbelievable rather than interesting. I also hate our narrator. Not because he's annoying (though he kind of is), but mostly because he is a flat ass Stanley.
The goodish things: The twist(s) aren’t that crazy (kind of predictable), though the tension did keep me reading. I don’t love ambiguous endings, but I was able to appreciate this one. 2-3 stars
9/5 update: sometimes i just look at this book on my shelf across the room and scoff
One of my biggest issues with this book is weak characterization. The cast is pretentious and unrealistic, like Henry’s crew in The Secret History, but somehow this book takes the pretentiousness too far. Reading about college kids who communicate in Shakespeare lines took me a while to get past. This is not the occasional Greek quip; these students have the inhuman power to quote a perfect line for every situation, and it feels like half of the dialogue is literally Shakespeare.
Like Henry’s group, Richard’s friends are deeply flawed, but I’d argue that there’s some element of charisma to the Hampden students that keeps us interested in figuring out what happens to them. Rio’s characters can fall flat, and that makes their intellectual musings and eccentricities unbelievable rather than interesting. I also hate our narrator. Not because he's annoying (though he kind of is), but mostly because he is a flat ass Stanley.
The goodish things: The twist(s) aren’t that crazy (kind of predictable), though the tension did keep me reading. I don’t love ambiguous endings, but I was able to appreciate this one. 2-3 stars
9/5 update: sometimes i just look at this book on my shelf across the room and scoff
Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly (Updated Edition) by Anthony Bourdain
funny
informative
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
4 stars because the kitchen patois was sometimes hard to get through, and I think some parts dragged unfavorably.
But don’t get me wrong. His voice is as pure, as honest, as sharp, as charismatic on the page as it is in real life. Combine this with an incredible perspective on life, only attained through the unique experiences of kitchen-hopping in the northeast. This book is like a series of long talks about life and lessons learned with the coolest uncle ever, over drinks. I feel like I know him now, or at least the essence of his spirit. And that makes it all sting a little harder.
But don’t get me wrong. His voice is as pure, as honest, as sharp, as charismatic on the page as it is in real life. Combine this with an incredible perspective on life, only attained through the unique experiences of kitchen-hopping in the northeast. This book is like a series of long talks about life and lessons learned with the coolest uncle ever, over drinks. I feel like I know him now, or at least the essence of his spirit. And that makes it all sting a little harder.
The Help by Kathryn Stockett
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
Robust story full of everything that makes a feel good drama great: happiness, jawdropping moments, comedy, hope, complex yet followable plot, and amazing characters you root for until the final page.
not a 5/5 because of some white savior vibes (ESPECIALLY since the author is a white woman…), and there wasn’t a moment or aspect of the book that made it extremely unique/innovative
not a 5/5 because of some white savior vibes (ESPECIALLY since the author is a white woman…), and there wasn’t a moment or aspect of the book that made it extremely unique/innovative
Educated by Tara Westover
emotional
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
got me out of my reading slump. made me reflect on education (obviously), family, and life. unforgettable and extremely touching. bill gates likes it. what more can i say to convince you to read it??
Franny and Zooey by J.D. Salinger
challenging
funny
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
just didn't enjoy this! it was difficult to get through. very very dialogue heavy; both parts are essentially just transcribed conversations between 2 people, 1 of which is always kind of a mansplainer. was difficult for me to grasp what salinger was getting at here but maybe i’m just dumb
The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
5.0
i rated this book a 5 because when i was 11 i read it twice because it made me cry. i have not read it since, i may barely remember the details… but it still claims a tiny little space in my heart <3