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whothehelliskaitlin's reviews
90 reviews
Animal's People by Indra Sinha
4.0
This book was unlike any I have ever read. It is a little hard to judge a book which is based off of a real life catastrophic event (the Bhopal/Union Carbide disaster), but I still want to get my thoughts out about it.
As it is a picaresque novel, I was not sure how attached to the characters I would be. Evidently, I became very invested in the characters and their story. It is refreshing to read a story in which the "hero" is not a perfectly molded character. In fact, Animal (the main character and picaresque hero) was a direct contrast to Zafar, the conventional hero. I appreciated how Animal called out the flaws of being a hero and always doing "the right thing". Like Animal, many people do not have the privilege of debating morals and using education and time to achieve justice; most people are just trying to survive and get through to the next day. Animal also calls out how even though himself and people like him are seen as "undesirables" and less than human, they are very much alive and thriving in their humanity despite what the government and corrupt institutions might assume. Animal is a young man affected by a chemical disaster, yes, but he is also a teenager who falls in love, plays with the kids in the neighborhood, cooks for his Ma, etc. Reading from Animal's perspective was delightful and his view of the other characters like Eli and Somraj made me love those characters as well. I loved the message that although their lives were full of hardships, they still had community and love.
The writing of the characters made them all incredibly three dimensional, even the side characters. There was not one character whose life I was not interested in. The writing itself was very lyrical and the descriptions were musical and beautiful. The loving words used to describe a woman's body awed me, and Sinha put much detail in setting up the city of Khaufpur. The city also comes to life in the Khaufpur slang and spelling that Sinha writes with.
The ending was not necessarily a happy one, as it was more of an open ended one. However, I believe that the ending had to be the way that it was to pay its due to the real people who's story it was based off of. The people of Bhopal never got their justice, and this book functioned perfectly in calling out the corruption of both the Indian government and the Western corporations who have never faced consequences for ruining the lives they see as inconsequential. The book also called attention to the fact that the situation that happens in the book is not unique and is instead one that happens all over the world, with the ended asking the reader to acknowledge these many communities whose suffering is kept hidden at the expense of so called "development".
Overall it was a very moving book that I was deeply invested in. However, I could not give it a full five stars because I believe that there was one detail in the novel that I could not over look. Although I loved Animal's character, he was, I admit, a peeping tom. Multiple times throughout the novel he spied on women while the changed and slept, and a month after finishing the novel I still cannot find a reason for him to have done that which would have impacted the novel at all. Animal seeking love and acceptance was important, but being a pervert is an inexcusable character flaw that Sinha could have left out. Four out of five stars.
As it is a picaresque novel, I was not sure how attached to the characters I would be. Evidently, I became very invested in the characters and their story. It is refreshing to read a story in which the "hero" is not a perfectly molded character. In fact, Animal (the main character and picaresque hero) was a direct contrast to Zafar, the conventional hero. I appreciated how Animal called out the flaws of being a hero and always doing "the right thing". Like Animal, many people do not have the privilege of debating morals and using education and time to achieve justice; most people are just trying to survive and get through to the next day. Animal also calls out how even though himself and people like him are seen as "undesirables" and less than human, they are very much alive and thriving in their humanity despite what the government and corrupt institutions might assume. Animal is a young man affected by a chemical disaster, yes, but he is also a teenager who falls in love, plays with the kids in the neighborhood, cooks for his Ma, etc. Reading from Animal's perspective was delightful and his view of the other characters like Eli and Somraj made me love those characters as well. I loved the message that although their lives were full of hardships, they still had community and love.
The writing of the characters made them all incredibly three dimensional, even the side characters. There was not one character whose life I was not interested in. The writing itself was very lyrical and the descriptions were musical and beautiful. The loving words used to describe a woman's body awed me, and Sinha put much detail in setting up the city of Khaufpur. The city also comes to life in the Khaufpur slang and spelling that Sinha writes with.
The ending was not necessarily a happy one, as it was more of an open ended one. However, I believe that the ending had to be the way that it was to pay its due to the real people who's story it was based off of. The people of Bhopal never got their justice, and this book functioned perfectly in calling out the corruption of both the Indian government and the Western corporations who have never faced consequences for ruining the lives they see as inconsequential. The book also called attention to the fact that the situation that happens in the book is not unique and is instead one that happens all over the world, with the ended asking the reader to acknowledge these many communities whose suffering is kept hidden at the expense of so called "development".
Overall it was a very moving book that I was deeply invested in. However, I could not give it a full five stars because I believe that there was one detail in the novel that I could not over look. Although I loved Animal's character, he was, I admit, a peeping tom. Multiple times throughout the novel he spied on women while the changed and slept, and a month after finishing the novel I still cannot find a reason for him to have done that which would have impacted the novel at all. Animal seeking love and acceptance was important, but being a pervert is an inexcusable character flaw that Sinha could have left out. Four out of five stars.
The Best We Could Do by Thi Bui
4.0
I do not usually read graphic novels and I typically get bored, but I really did enjoy this one. The color scheming choice is one that I very much applaud; the red added so much to the story. The little artistic choices made to help further the narrative and emotion were also very well done.
The story itself was at once both a heartbreaking and hopeful one. It manages to be both a historically informative novel and an interesting personal narrative in one story while still keeping readers engaged. I only take a star away because I feel as if I have learned more about Vietnam and Bui's family than about Bui herself, which I understand is important in Bui's own journey but for me fell a little flat when she reached the conclusion in the last chapter about accepting the fact that she won't have the same connections and histories as her family but can start anew for her son.
A quick read but one that keeps you invested and will probably teach you more about the Vietnam war than you have ever learned in any U.S. school.
The story itself was at once both a heartbreaking and hopeful one. It manages to be both a historically informative novel and an interesting personal narrative in one story while still keeping readers engaged. I only take a star away because I feel as if I have learned more about Vietnam and Bui's family than about Bui herself, which I understand is important in Bui's own journey but for me fell a little flat when she reached the conclusion in the last chapter about accepting the fact that she won't have the same connections and histories as her family but can start anew for her son.
A quick read but one that keeps you invested and will probably teach you more about the Vietnam war than you have ever learned in any U.S. school.
The Reluctant Fundamentalist by Mohsin Hamid
4.0
Honestly not sure what to say for this review other than I loved this book. It is a brave, unforgiving novel and Hamid is unafraid to confront the enigma that is the United States. I finished this book months ago but I am still thinking about it. For such a short read it is really impactful. Hamid makes great points without being too heavy-handed and the way he formatted the novel is genius. It opens a dialogue between the U.S. and other countries (especially South Asian ones) while centering the non-American perspective, all while keeping up an engaging plot. I love that the identities/motivations of Changez, the main character, and the American are never confirmed and are instead left open to interpretation by the reader. If you want a short, unique reading experience, this is a good book for you.
Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison
4.0
Morrison always has a way of making her characters feel incredibly tangible and flushed out. With this story in particular she had an incredible way of connecting all of her characters together so that what seemed like random events and comments all came together and fit together like a puzzle. I loved figuring out how everything was connected to the first chapter where readers are introduced to the town in a kind of abstract way. Getting to see these characters from different angles helped with making them dimensional instead of static and I enjoyed reading as Milkman learned more about his life and the world. As always, Morrison touches on topics that readers are afraid to approach but that is why reading these stories is important. Although the book was a little dense which made it hard to follow at times, Morrison will always be a great read.
Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston
3.0
I have conflicted feelings writing this review. I appreciate Hurston's writing on a base level for all that she has done in her anthropological efforts, but I can't say that I was taken with this book in the same way that other classics work. My real complication with this novel was that it was labeled as a feminist work but I had a hard time reconciling that with my reading experience. Though, that could just be me being uneducated about this story and I would like to hear others thoughts! But let me explain: even though the female protagonist Janie is labeled as independent, I do not see her as a feminist icon. It seems that her whole life is divided into three parts, and every part is defined by the man she is married to at that time. And although Janie does defy some misogynistic stereotypes and expectations, she ultimately lets her husbands define her and decide her fate, job, and appearance. She even says to her last husband Tea Cake, who is supposed to be her "true love", "...you come 'long and made somethin' outa me", implying she was nothing without him. Doesn't seem she is very independent or like she is being her own person as the book synopsis suggests. We barely even get a glimpse of her being alone throughout the novel except in the first and last chapters. Besides that, Janie takes a beating from her last husband to placate his insecurities about another man and we do not get that chapter from her perspective nor does it seem like she retaliated in any way with the novel implying that she willingly withstood it.
There were, however, some parts where readers can clearly see the feminist intent, with Hurston acknowledging the intersectionality that black women face throughout their lives. The treatment of black women throughout time in the U.S. is discussed as well with critiques being made of both the ruling of men and white society. Perhaps the novel was feminist during its time, but overall it did not function fully in that regard for me.
Otherwise, the novel did tell a very well-written and indulgent story. Going along with Janie's adventures was intriguing and I of course loved traveling through Florida with her. The setting and characters are very detailed and memorable. I would still suggest this novel for someone who wanted to explore more of Florida women writer stories, especially for black women stories!
There were, however, some parts where readers can clearly see the feminist intent, with Hurston acknowledging the intersectionality that black women face throughout their lives. The treatment of black women throughout time in the U.S. is discussed as well with critiques being made of both the ruling of men and white society. Perhaps the novel was feminist during its time, but overall it did not function fully in that regard for me.
Otherwise, the novel did tell a very well-written and indulgent story. Going along with Janie's adventures was intriguing and I of course loved traveling through Florida with her. The setting and characters are very detailed and memorable. I would still suggest this novel for someone who wanted to explore more of Florida women writer stories, especially for black women stories!
Funny You Should Ask by Elissa Sussman
3.0
I feel a little ironic writing a review for a book that features reviews based on books/writing, but here we go!
This book was a fun, short read. If flashbacks to the past aren't your thing, then this may not be the book for you. Personally, I enjoyed going back to the past because even though I knew the big picture of what happened, reading the details was what made it fun. Reading about the glitz and glamor of the Hollywood parties that happened in the flashbacks was like reading my own daydreams of being famous. The added in articles and blog posts were also a nice break from the narrative and drama and I appreciated their change in formatting.
The actual content of the article and blog posts though were a little boring, which brings me to the main part of my review. The female love interest, Chani, was boring just like her writing and I feel so bad saying it but it's true. I'm not sure how her celebrity profiles would have garnered good public opinion when all she really did was talk about herself and how she is just a normal girl but my goodness this person is famous and wow! I've read this whole book and I feel like I know nothing about her besides that she is a writer, is tall, and is Jewish (which, yay for representation!). Being a writer and wallowing in self-pity seems to be her whole personality. At first it was charming because she is supposed to be relatable to readers as a normal person swept up in Hollywood drama, but then it just got old. She was always in some kind of self-doubt and she never really grew up, even at the end of the book when she is supposed to be 10 years older and an accomplished writer finally with the man of her dreams.
The man of her dreams is Gabe, who is super famous and super cute. He had the generic heartthrob turned washed-up tragic celebrity storyline, which I didn't mind because it always works. I wouldn't say he was a swoon-worthy lead but he was charming and sweet and seemed to have more depth to him than Chani. That is a fault of the author I feel, as Gabe is flushed out with an in-depth backstory and family/friend history whereas we are simply told Chani has a mean ex and no friends.
Their romance was a little unbelievable to me, and not because she was a "nobody" and he was a "somebody", but because of the timeline in which it took place. You're telling me they spent roughly three days together (which was mostly spent around other people and with an awkwardness due to their interviewer/interviewee relationship) with NO real contact afterward for TEN YEARS, yet they're supposedly in love and always have been? I don't believe it. They even confess their love to each other after only being reunited for like two days. How? They barely knew each other past the research they did on each other for the interview!
Now, having said all that (and I know it was a lot of negatives I'm sorry), the book really wasn't terrible, just okay. If you want to feel swept up in LA charm like Chani, give this book a shot! The romance is actually sweet and warm once you get to it, and the book has a cozy vibe to it in the scenes in which they are in Montana. Plus there is a cute dog! I feel like everything I mentioned cancels each other out to come to a solid 3 star rating.
Edit: I feel a little weird now about the book because I've heard that is was based off of a 2011 GQ article on Chris Evans and the author never credited the article. And let me tell you, after reading the article it seems very similar in style/humor/happenstance to the one that Chani writes about Gabe. Even the details in the article like the journalist spending the night at Chris' house and sneaking out is identical to what happens in this book. I also believe that Chani is a self-insert of the author after looking at her pictures and reading her biography.
This book was a fun, short read. If flashbacks to the past aren't your thing, then this may not be the book for you. Personally, I enjoyed going back to the past because even though I knew the big picture of what happened, reading the details was what made it fun. Reading about the glitz and glamor of the Hollywood parties that happened in the flashbacks was like reading my own daydreams of being famous. The added in articles and blog posts were also a nice break from the narrative and drama and I appreciated their change in formatting.
The actual content of the article and blog posts though were a little boring, which brings me to the main part of my review. The female love interest, Chani, was boring just like her writing and I feel so bad saying it but it's true. I'm not sure how her celebrity profiles would have garnered good public opinion when all she really did was talk about herself and how she is just a normal girl but my goodness this person is famous and wow! I've read this whole book and I feel like I know nothing about her besides that she is a writer, is tall, and is Jewish (which, yay for representation!). Being a writer and wallowing in self-pity seems to be her whole personality. At first it was charming because she is supposed to be relatable to readers as a normal person swept up in Hollywood drama, but then it just got old. She was always in some kind of self-doubt and she never really grew up, even at the end of the book when she is supposed to be 10 years older and an accomplished writer finally with the man of her dreams.
The man of her dreams is Gabe, who is super famous and super cute. He had the generic heartthrob turned washed-up tragic celebrity storyline, which I didn't mind because it always works. I wouldn't say he was a swoon-worthy lead but he was charming and sweet and seemed to have more depth to him than Chani. That is a fault of the author I feel, as Gabe is flushed out with an in-depth backstory and family/friend history whereas we are simply told Chani has a mean ex and no friends.
Their romance was a little unbelievable to me, and not because she was a "nobody" and he was a "somebody", but because of the timeline in which it took place. You're telling me they spent roughly three days together (which was mostly spent around other people and with an awkwardness due to their interviewer/interviewee relationship) with NO real contact afterward for TEN YEARS, yet they're supposedly in love and always have been? I don't believe it. They even confess their love to each other after only being reunited for like two days. How? They barely knew each other past the research they did on each other for the interview!
Now, having said all that (and I know it was a lot of negatives I'm sorry), the book really wasn't terrible, just okay. If you want to feel swept up in LA charm like Chani, give this book a shot! The romance is actually sweet and warm once you get to it, and the book has a cozy vibe to it in the scenes in which they are in Montana. Plus there is a cute dog! I feel like everything I mentioned cancels each other out to come to a solid 3 star rating.
Edit: I feel a little weird now about the book because I've heard that is was based off of a 2011 GQ article on Chris Evans and the author never credited the article. And let me tell you, after reading the article it seems very similar in style/humor/happenstance to the one that Chani writes about Gabe. Even the details in the article like the journalist spending the night at Chris' house and sneaking out is identical to what happens in this book. I also believe that Chani is a self-insert of the author after looking at her pictures and reading her biography.
Tender Buttons Objects—Food—Rooms by Gertrude Stein, Gertrude Stein
1.0
This book is what it looks like when someone is trying to be deep, profound, and interesting but just isn't.
Stein was applauded for her experimental way of writing and using the English language, but I say that just because her writing was different doesn't mean it was good. The showy writing could not make up for the lack of substance that made up her work. As other reviews said, you can experiment with language all you want, but the language has to actually make sense on some level and mean something. And this novel at its best made no sense and at its worst had no meaning.
An example of the nonsense: "Aider, why aider why whow, whow stop touch, aider whow, aider stop the muncher, muncher munchers."
If this writing was your cup of tea I applaud you but I was in physical pain forcing myself to finish reading this for school.
Stein was applauded for her experimental way of writing and using the English language, but I say that just because her writing was different doesn't mean it was good. The showy writing could not make up for the lack of substance that made up her work. As other reviews said, you can experiment with language all you want, but the language has to actually make sense on some level and mean something. And this novel at its best made no sense and at its worst had no meaning.
An example of the nonsense: "Aider, why aider why whow, whow stop touch, aider whow, aider stop the muncher, muncher munchers."
If this writing was your cup of tea I applaud you but I was in physical pain forcing myself to finish reading this for school.
Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng
5.0
Wow. This book made me feel so many emotions. It is a great book if you're looking for something character driven and emotional. This book really captures the complexities of familial relationships and shows how trauma can be passed down from parents to children. Every character has their flaws (except Hannah who is precious) and their own perspective on shared events which make them seem really tangible. Ng does a good job of flushing out exactly who they are apart from how they are viewed as by others. She also writes very clearly and effectively, which helps the flow of the book when it switches from character to character and from past to present. Ng knows how to string words together to pack a punch full of emotion and intent without being overt about it.
My favorite quote: "Lydia is dead. But they don't know this yet." What an opening line! And also, "So much will happen, he thinks, that I would want to tell you." That one made me cry picturing the longing of wanting to share one more experience, one more talk with a person who has passed. Especially a sister.
It is also a good commentary on the effects of anti-Asian sentiments and policies, the ramifications of which ripple across generations. It deals with these issues as well as the realist portrayal of the process of grief and losing a loved one, which can be triggering for some.
An honest 5/5 stars. I would recommend this book to anyone looking for an emotional read, but if you are sensitive to your environment I would not recommend it because this book did make me feel heavy while I was reading it, like I was also grieving. For that reason I did not think I will be rereading it.
My favorite quote: "Lydia is dead. But they don't know this yet." What an opening line! And also, "So much will happen, he thinks, that I would want to tell you." That one made me cry picturing the longing of wanting to share one more experience, one more talk with a person who has passed. Especially a sister.
It is also a good commentary on the effects of anti-Asian sentiments and policies, the ramifications of which ripple across generations. It deals with these issues as well as the realist portrayal of the process of grief and losing a loved one, which can be triggering for some.
An honest 5/5 stars. I would recommend this book to anyone looking for an emotional read, but if you are sensitive to your environment I would not recommend it because this book did make me feel heavy while I was reading it, like I was also grieving. For that reason I did not think I will be rereading it.
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
4.0
This novel is one of the easier classic books to understand and enjoy, plus it is rather short so if you are looking to read classics this is a good novel to try. The author (whether that truly be Fitzgerald or his wife Zelda) really captures the atmosphere of the 1920s in America and all that it entailed, making the reader feel emersed in the story. It is a great rags to riches story that expands on the question of whether money really does bring happiness or not.
The novel is more character driven than plot, and the author makes the characters so interesting that even though they are possibly the worst people to read about because of their abysmal personalities and habits they are nevertheless entertaining. The characters are fully fleshed out which is impressive for how short the book is. The plot that is there unwinds at a decent pace and keeps you engaged, causing you to want to see how all of the events play out and connect to the past.
It is easy to see why this novel is now considered a classic.
The novel is more character driven than plot, and the author makes the characters so interesting that even though they are possibly the worst people to read about because of their abysmal personalities and habits they are nevertheless entertaining. The characters are fully fleshed out which is impressive for how short the book is. The plot that is there unwinds at a decent pace and keeps you engaged, causing you to want to see how all of the events play out and connect to the past.
It is easy to see why this novel is now considered a classic.
The Kingdom of This World by Alejo Carpentier
3.0
Read this a few months ago. I enjoyed the magical realism aspects of the novel and the way that they were used to tell the history of Haiti through the people's eyes rather than through the West's eyes. The writing was a little hard to follow sometimes as it would jump to a different subject unexpectedly and it often required background knowledge about certain topics but that is not a major issue when reading a book based in history as you probably won't know all off the facts or events. A good book to read if you want to know the history around the slave rebellion in Haiti and the events immediately before and after it.