maumaus's reviews
17 reviews

The Tartar Steppe by Dino Buzzati

reflective slow-paced

3.75

Nothing happens... nothing ever happens... but something might happen... not now or tomorrow... certainly someday... we cannot tell when... but we are 99% sure that something will happen... 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: War

The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan

emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-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? Yes

4.0

Covering not only physical distance between home and the homeland but also mental distance between mothers and daughters, Amy Tan's The Joy Luck Club combines fragments of female realities in the US and China in order to create a well-structured reflection on the generational gap.

Presonally, I would have preferred more scenes set around the mah-jongg table to connect the loose fragments. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Miscarriage, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Abandonment, and War

The First Woman by Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi

adventurous funny hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective medium-paced

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

4.75

The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton

inspiring reflective relaxing medium-paced

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

5.0

A better pride & prejudice. 

Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami

dark mysterious medium-paced

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

1.75

Random compilation of questionable fragments paired with detailed descriptions of

incestuous fantasies (that barely serve purpose)

... 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Incest, and Sexual content

Women, Race & Class by Angela Y. Davis

informative reflective medium-paced

4.5

Exploring a different type of intersectionality:
Reads like political fiction: intrigues, power, and breakthroughs. 

In her series of essays Davis deconstructs the overlap of major political movements in the US, covering personalities such as Ida B. Wells, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and Susan B. Anthony. 

Bonjour Tristesse by Françoise Sagan

emotional hopeful relaxing fast-paced

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

3.5

Despair by Vladimir Nabokov

challenging dark reflective tense fast-paced

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

4.0

Self-obsessed man flys to close to the sun and falls apart: thank god because he constantly makes me want to punch a wall (or him).

The Idiot by Fyodor Dostoevsky

challenging dark reflective slow-paced

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

3.75

One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez

adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0