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sercem_w_ksiazkach's reviews
411 reviews
Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston
emotional
inspiring
sad
tense
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? Yes
4.5
very well written but not as much emotionally hitting as I'd wish it to be
Except for Palestine: The Limits of Progressive Politics by Marc Lamont Hill, Mitchell Plitnick
informative
3.0
Good Wives by Louisa May Alcott
slow-paced
1.0
Somehow even worse and more preachy than the previous one. Can't believe THAT was how Laurie's love struggles were resolved. That felt too fast and I couldn't believe there were actual feelings there. Can't believe that non-conforming, strong-willed Jo was made to adhere to traditional gender roles. Not HER! Her having kids and being married? To an old man, too... I was joking around calling him old at first but he was already 40 when they married? DUDE that's fishy. I hated almost everything about this. The ending with mother March saying she wants nothing more for her daughters than to be married and have families? Nauseating. I hated it.
Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.75
preachy conservative bullshit. made my blood boil
Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Convenience Store Woman follows a story of an autistic, 30-something year old woman who has worked in a convenience store for over 8 years and never changed her job. The society expects her to either change her job, or get married and start a family, none of which Keiko cares to do. The book explores the main character navigating those expectations.
When I first heard about this book, I didn't know that the MC is autistic and I expected way more commentary on capitalism and insane expectations of getting a "good job" in a system that puts most people, especially women, at a disadvantage. I was disappointed to find out that it wasn't the point of the story at all. If anything, it commented more on the marital expectations people place. It is the case for Keiko, as well as incredibly annoying side character, Shiraha. He is one of the most unnerving men I have ever encountered in literature, and that is including misogynistic classics. He was an incel, spitted misogynistic bullshit, and seemed to have no original thought ever. I am not sure whether he was supposed to also represent an autistic person or not, and whether his thought process was supposed to reflect that, but autism doesn't make you a bigot so idk what was the deal with him.
Had Shiraha not been a part of the story, or if he was less of an incel, I would enjoy the story way more. That way, the conversations about marriage and other people being happy for us if we follow traditional gender roles would have been way more interesting. I also wouldn't lose my energy on that guy being annoying.
The thing I did enjoy was Keiko's love of the convenience store. It was her source of comfort. Thanks to the store, she knew how to play her role in the society, being a <i>convenience store worker</i>. She knew it thoroughly, and I liked how well she knew the habits of the people who lived or worked close to the store. As someone who works at a similar place (a chain bookstore), I would relate to her hyperfixation on the shop and it was fun.
In general, I expected way more philosophical critiques of the society and not in the "we're stuck in the Bronze Age" way (which was not further developed and repeated on almost every page), but in the actually-tells-me-somehing-original way. Had this book covered more of this topic, I would like it way more.
When I first heard about this book, I didn't know that the MC is autistic and I expected way more commentary on capitalism and insane expectations of getting a "good job" in a system that puts most people, especially women, at a disadvantage. I was disappointed to find out that it wasn't the point of the story at all. If anything, it commented more on the marital expectations people place. It is the case for Keiko, as well as incredibly annoying side character, Shiraha. He is one of the most unnerving men I have ever encountered in literature, and that is including misogynistic classics. He was an incel, spitted misogynistic bullshit, and seemed to have no original thought ever. I am not sure whether he was supposed to also represent an autistic person or not, and whether his thought process was supposed to reflect that, but autism doesn't make you a bigot so idk what was the deal with him.
Had Shiraha not been a part of the story, or if he was less of an incel, I would enjoy the story way more. That way, the conversations about marriage and other people being happy for us if we follow traditional gender roles would have been way more interesting. I also wouldn't lose my energy on that guy being annoying.
The thing I did enjoy was Keiko's love of the convenience store. It was her source of comfort. Thanks to the store, she knew how to play her role in the society, being a <i>convenience store worker</i>. She knew it thoroughly, and I liked how well she knew the habits of the people who lived or worked close to the store. As someone who works at a similar place (a chain bookstore), I would relate to her hyperfixation on the shop and it was fun.
In general, I expected way more philosophical critiques of the society and not in the "we're stuck in the Bronze Age" way (which was not further developed and repeated on almost every page), but in the actually-tells-me-somehing-original way. Had this book covered more of this topic, I would like it way more.