mr_cain's reviews
65 reviews

adventurous dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring mysterious reflective tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

One of the reasons I docked .25 of a star is because I'm unsure of why this was a long book with stories told in pieces rather than three separate books in a trilogy or a novella collection. The format is a little confusing to me. Not to read, just in a way where I feel like if it had been all three in order, I would've enjoyed it more. However, having the plots dispensed in measured increments is nice. I feel I often gorge myself on books and tear through them. However, Kingsolver, by her formatting, forces you to read steadily and drink in every word she writes.

The second reason I docked .25 of a star was

Spoiler

because of Lusa's romantic subplot with Rickie. The incestuous/pedophilic nature coupled with its borderline irrelevancy to the rest of the plot put me out.

I must say this is absolutely one of my favorite books. Ms. Kingsolver's longer books are always such a treat to invest time in. This book took me a while to finish, but I'm so glad I stuck it out. Initially, I was put off by the slow pace, but it grows on you. It's more of a walk in the woods in terms of pace rather than a story with a definite finish line. I love how the town/woods and the animals are characters in themselves both literally and metaphorically.

I loved all three plot lines so much. I was initially put off by Garnett and his views and I was unsure of where his story was going, but I learned to love him too. I even learned about pestecides and crop management! From a fiction book! What?!

I also loved how she ended the book.

Spoiler

Leaving some ends frayed solidifies the feeling that you are peering through a window into other lives. When there are loose ends, it fleshes out the characters subtlely; it implies that they keep living beyond the duration of those pages which is very wonderful.

I could not recommend this book enough. I did not consider myself any kind of hardline environmentmentalist: I didn't know much and agriculture was not ever on my mind. This book opened up a world to me I'd never spend time in and it was wonderful. I loved it.

Content Warnings

We Run the Tides by Vendela Vida

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Did not finish book. Stopped at 41%.

meh

Milk Fed by Melissa Broder

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challenging emotional funny hopeful reflective sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

In the Dream House by Carmen Maria Machado

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challenging dark emotional funny hopeful reflective sad tense medium-paced

4.0

The Pact: A Love Story by Jodi Picoult

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Did not finish book. Stopped at 12%.

Weird racist + cringe story on page 48. Overall, didn't enjoy the writing or the way the story was told. The writing treated you like an idiot, it explained too much. There were too many words for the amount of plot conveyed. Characters are embarrassingly 1-dimensional and bland.

Barkskins by Annie Proulx

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Did not finish book. Stopped at 32%.

Genuinely interesting content, but so slowly paced I couldn't get through it.

Bones & All by Camille DeAngelis

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Did not finish book. Stopped at 33%.

I just couldn't stand the pacing + writing style

Tipping the Velvet by Sarah Waters

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Did not finish book. Stopped at 3%.

the writing style is just not for me :)