I loved ALL MY PUNY SORROWS and thus was thrilled to find another Toews book in the Todos Santos Little Free Library. There were sparks that carried mI loved ALL MY PUNY SORROWS and thus was thrilled to find another Toews book in the Todos Santos Little Free Library. There were sparks that carried me past page 100, but for the most part, not my cup of tea mainly due to the writing style. I'll give another of her books a try down the line....more
I enjoyed the first few chapters but then it began lagging and I gave up at page 150 (of 850). Too many other books to read. I think I would have loveI enjoyed the first few chapters but then it began lagging and I gave up at page 150 (of 850). Too many other books to read. I think I would have loved this book when I was 15....more
I kept thinking about how much my mom, who was a nurse, would have loved this story. I hadn't known much about what happened in the Philippines duringI kept thinking about how much my mom, who was a nurse, would have loved this story. I hadn't known much about what happened in the Philippines during WWII, and I liked that this story alternated perspectives between an American and a Filipina. I'd known about the Bataan death march, but not what happened before it--and how many female medical personnel were evacuated and lived in an underground complex on an island. I was especially gripped by the description of that, as well as the destruction of Manila.
I knew my brother-in-law's mother was from the Philippines, but it wasn't until we were talking about this book that I heard the story of how his mother as a girl fled into the mountains for nearly a year with her family to escape the brutality of the Japanese invaders. We talked about how children and other innocents suffer under war mongering, which led me down a pretty sad path thinking of how this obviously isn't just *history* given what's happening in Palestine and Ukraine.
I especially like reading about the underground resisters and freedom fighters, probably because it gives me a sliver of hope....more
Made it 100 pages and felt it was going nowhere. I liked her novel The Nightingale, and I think her writing must have improved greatly over time (kudoMade it 100 pages and felt it was going nowhere. I liked her novel The Nightingale, and I think her writing must have improved greatly over time (kudos to her!)....more
It reads like a YA novel. I would have adored it if I'd read it at 18. At 61, I was impressed with some of the ways she wrote about the characters' inIt reads like a YA novel. I would have adored it if I'd read it at 18. At 61, I was impressed with some of the ways she wrote about the characters' internal lives....more
I'd call her prose "experimental." To get the most out of this book I'd need to explore it in a class or dig into literary criticism, like I did for JI'd call her prose "experimental." To get the most out of this book I'd need to explore it in a class or dig into literary criticism, like I did for Joyce and Woolf and Faulkner.
After reading the first few pages I considered giving up, but I challenged myself to give it a 50-page chance, and by then I wanted to keep going. There are bright moments that grabbed me, especially with Cusk's unusual wit, insights into daily life and marriage & divorce, and philosophical ruminations.
And yet I was never unaware I was "reading", and I prefer to lose myself in a story. (I'm sure her narrator would have something biting to say about that!) But my biggest issue is what the back flap describes as "the impersonal gaze" of the narrator, which some readers clearly like (as evident in the high number of great reviews here)--but it was too zombie-ish for my taste.
And oddly, there is a ton of crying in the book, and adults are often described as "immature" or "like babies." Is that the book's POV about emotion? I'm not sure.
Overall, though, glad I read it just for the experience of reading something completely different....more
I adore the voice of Mia in this book. She's smart, incisive, quirky, at times cranky but always compassionate. I love her intellect and the way she eI adore the voice of Mia in this book. She's smart, incisive, quirky, at times cranky but always compassionate. I love her intellect and the way she eviscerates sexism. Her philosophical riffs are insightful and often funny.
Her husband has asked for a "Pause" in their marriage so he can indulge his infatuation with a young colleague. Yuk. So she has taken off to spend the summer near her mother. Imagine a novel featuring wonderful mother-daughter relationships...not only Mia and her mother, but Mia and her adult daughter. The book is peopled with richly characterized women, from girls in a poetry class she teaches, to a neighbor with young children, to her mother's elderly friends. I'm not sure I've read a novel with so many female characters in such variety.
The book felt like Mia was talking directly to me, and I liked when she drew attention to the very act of writing itself--which was fitting, given that she's a poet. It was a treat to nestle into such an intellectual, internal novel....more
This book is funny and sad and charming and dark. Being in Eleanor's perspective and guided by her voice is what makes this book such a great journey.This book is funny and sad and charming and dark. Being in Eleanor's perspective and guided by her voice is what makes this book such a great journey. And I love the message that, yes, we need other people to flourish in life.
(Found in a free little library in Todos Santos.)...more
The star of this book is the insightful, bittersweet voice of Adunni. It's compelling to see life through her perspective.
At times what she was experiThe star of this book is the insightful, bittersweet voice of Adunni. It's compelling to see life through her perspective.
At times what she was experiencing was so intense I had to put the book down or found myself rushing through for some relief. But then I'd go back and re-read because I wanted to witness her life.
That is the power of the novel: it honors this 14-year-old girl who is enslaved as a housemaid in modern-day Nigeria and, truly, all young women who have been in similarly abusive circumstances and deserve to be educated and loved and recognized as worthy human beings.
(Found in a Little Free Library in Todos Santos.)...more
Loved the "magic" aspect, the depictions of L.A. and Nebraska, the unique aspects of the characters' relationships and back story, even the dreams (whLoved the "magic" aspect, the depictions of L.A. and Nebraska, the unique aspects of the characters' relationships and back story, even the dreams (which I'm often not fond of in novels). As always, there's a mesmerizing quality to her writing, while also something that keeps me distant from the characters....more
Even though there's some redemption, this novel about Ameriasian children and wartime sex work is brutal and emotionally complex. It starts out slowlyEven though there's some redemption, this novel about Ameriasian children and wartime sex work is brutal and emotionally complex. It starts out slowly but builds in suspense and tension. It successfully moves back and forth in time, weaving the story from several points of view.
(Found in a little free library in California.)...more
What a great story that expertly explores the idea of shifting identities through powerful storytelling and vivid characters and a journey through theWhat a great story that expertly explores the idea of shifting identities through powerful storytelling and vivid characters and a journey through the 20th century. ...more
I've loved every book of hers that I've read, and this is no exception. I enjoyed the nerdy dive into what a Smithsonian scientist actually does. She I've loved every book of hers that I've read, and this is no exception. I enjoyed the nerdy dive into what a Smithsonian scientist actually does. She handles so well the movement back and forth between historical and contemporary times, weaving together plot and theme/issues. Her characters are so alive, and I wanted them to live and thrive--but of course, I didn't always get my way. ...more
This may be my own shortcoming, but I didn't understand why I was reading this story.This may be my own shortcoming, but I didn't understand why I was reading this story....more
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