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alisonwhitam's review against another edition
SOOOO SLOW so boring. I normally don’t mind a “human condition” exploration but this is painful how much detail went into describing scenery and nothing moved the plot forward
pcoulter's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
jadekelly90's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
pavram's review against another edition
2.0
Ako u Nabokovljevoj Loliti i pandanima imamo protagoniste/naratore koji misle da i nisu baš tako loši ljudi, ovde imamo kontra situaciju – običnu osobu koja o sebi misli sve najgore, kao refleksija odnosa sa majkom, i dozvoljava da se to oslika na čitav njen život. Iako tematski vrlo zanimljivo, za moj ukus možda je suviše ciljano za određenu ”publiku”. No sve bi to bilo ok, ne mora sve da ima taj nemušti univerzalni kvalitet, da stil nije kriminalni tinejdž krindž (naratorka je u tridesetim) zreo za zatvor i, evo, hoću da skočim sa prozora (više nego inače) kada se setim nekih rečenica. Iz repertoara podvučenih:
- I am an old woman before my time.
- My claws are ready. I am always hunting.
- Glass is a cruel invention. It makes for a heartless prison.
- Certain madness erects itself when the way you tell the time of the day is by the water levels in a vase of flowers.
- Even once I am inside, I know a different kind of door remains closed in front of me.
*Alexa play Joy Division/Nirvana/The Smiths/*
2+
- I am an old woman before my time.
- My claws are ready. I am always hunting.
- Glass is a cruel invention. It makes for a heartless prison.
- Certain madness erects itself when the way you tell the time of the day is by the water levels in a vase of flowers.
- Even once I am inside, I know a different kind of door remains closed in front of me.
*Alexa play Joy Division/Nirvana/The Smiths/*
2+
sophietlacroix's review against another edition
dark
funny
reflective
sad
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
agnestrooster's review against another edition
3.0
Een verontrustend boek over het effect van de verwaarlozing door de moeder van de dochter. Zo weinig liefde maakte het een moeilijke leeservaring.
diaswuri's review against another edition
4.0
Painfully honest, brilliantly confused, torn between love and hate that is mother-daughter relationship.
marigold_bookshelf's review against another edition
2.0
I really felt that I should have enjoyed, or at least appreciated, this novel more than I did. It tells the story of a toxic mother - daughter relationship in which it is difficult (in my case, impossible) to feel empathy for either of the protagonists. I was left bewildered, unable to understand where all the good reviews had come from. Perhaps it was not an ideal book to read during the Covid 19 lockdown, against the backdrop of generally depressing news.
lmdo's review against another edition
1.0
Burnt Sugar was written by an author of Indian descent raised in the US. The book wasn't grounded in any reality and had elements of Wild Wild Country and The Girls by Emma Kline.
There were some moments of crisp writing in the form of sentences that you could unpack. That's probably what hooked me into this novel in the first place. However, a few interesting sentences when mixed with 98% of the text being either gratuitous or a caricature of reality is drivel.
After two attempts at this novel, I can't think of anyone I would recommend this to.
There were some moments of crisp writing in the form of sentences that you could unpack. That's probably what hooked me into this novel in the first place. However, a few interesting sentences when mixed with 98% of the text being either gratuitous or a caricature of reality is drivel.
After two attempts at this novel, I can't think of anyone I would recommend this to.
hennershenners's review against another edition
5.0
First thoughts - Yellow Wallpaper/ Ottessa Moshfegh / Lara Williams (Supper Club)/ Annihilation (Jeff VanderMeer) / Kafka's Metamorphosis / What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?
The book is hallucinatory, disconcerting, playing with "what is madness"
The opening line
"I would be lying if I said my mother's misery has never given me pleasure."
Echoing Albert Camus's The Stranger: "Mother died today. Or maybe yesterday, I don't know."
Immensely readable and enjoyable psychodrama
The book is hallucinatory, disconcerting, playing with "what is madness"
The opening line
"I would be lying if I said my mother's misery has never given me pleasure."
Echoing Albert Camus's The Stranger: "Mother died today. Or maybe yesterday, I don't know."
Immensely readable and enjoyable psychodrama