rebmarara's reviews
284 reviews

Ariadne by Jennifer Saint

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adventurous emotional 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

2.0

Drowning Lessons: Stories by Peter Selgin

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emotional funny lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? N/A
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

Cat Person and Other Stories by Kristen Roupenian

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challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

“Cat Person” is one of my favorite short stories of all time so I was really excited to read this collection. However, other than that one story and another entitled “The Good Guy,” I felt that the book fell flat overall. I think the short story format did not work in Roupenian’s favor at certain points, because I was often wanting more from the stories she was telling but couldn’t get more due to their length. I also felt like some of the situations were a bit too on the nose and weren’t really presenting anything that new or interesting. The story “Cat Person” is wonderful because it’s so raw and real, and yet it discusses the topic of dating in a manner that I personally do not see often. So, the more fantastical stories were not as powerful for me because they lacked what was so great about “Cat Person.” Had this story not been included in the collection, I probably would’ve have rated the book 2 stars, but “Cat Person” alone deserves an extra star, in my opinion.

Winter Morning with Crow by Clare Rossini

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emotional reflective medium-paced

5.0

The Orange and other poems by Wendy Cope

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funny lighthearted reflective relaxing fast-paced

4.0

The Orange my beloved!! I will never not want to read you!!

Either/Or by Elif Batuman

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emotional funny reflective slow-paced