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sandro_reads's reviews
84 reviews
I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
I Who Have Never Known Men is a curious selection for BookTok to have rallied behind. Rather than attempting to answer the many why’s and when’s and how’s, it is a powerful but bleak, existential examination of what makes us human and, more specifically, a woman in a world devoid of all societal constructs.
Normal People by Sally Rooney
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Don’t we all just want to feel “normal?” Marianne and Connell have found that feeling in one another which both attracts and repels them.
Sally Rooney has given us two complex characters where the silence between them is as palpable as what they say. It feels honest in a way that few books with a central relationship do.
Sally Rooney has given us two complex characters where the silence between them is as palpable as what they say. It feels honest in a way that few books with a central relationship do.
Trust by Hernán Díaz
challenging
informative
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
I knew little about Trust before going into the book outside of it winning the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. And, I would suggest the same even if you, like me, might be confused during the first half.
Diaz has created an engrossing, slow-burn puzzle, revealing more with each of the four sections but ultimately leaves the reader to decide what we can trust when it comes to the truth and how history gets written.
Diaz has created an engrossing, slow-burn puzzle, revealing more with each of the four sections but ultimately leaves the reader to decide what we can trust when it comes to the truth and how history gets written.
Call Me by Your Name by André Aciman
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
I rarely read a book after already having seen the film adaptation but this novel was a whole different experience.
Told from an older Elio, reflecting on the summer in Northern Italy when he met Oliver, it perfectly captures the battling, all-encompassing thoughts of youth around identity and shame and love (and takes the reader well past that fateful summer’s events).
It’s that rare book that you can’t put down but want to savor. Beautifully poetic - it’s perfection.
Told from an older Elio, reflecting on the summer in Northern Italy when he met Oliver, it perfectly captures the battling, all-encompassing thoughts of youth around identity and shame and love (and takes the reader well past that fateful summer’s events).
It’s that rare book that you can’t put down but want to savor. Beautifully poetic - it’s perfection.
The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
4.25
The Glass Castle is the memoir of Jeanette Walls who somehow managed to survive her unconventional (to say the least) upbringing to become a gossip columnist in New York City.
Walls’ matter-of-fact prose does not overly sensationalize the narrative to garner pity. Rather, it examines the complexity of family dynamics and the human capacity for love even in the face of neglect, alcoholism and more.
Walls’ matter-of-fact prose does not overly sensationalize the narrative to garner pity. Rather, it examines the complexity of family dynamics and the human capacity for love even in the face of neglect, alcoholism and more.
The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah
adventurous
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
I kept putting off The Nightingale despite many recommendations given the WWII subject matter and the 580 page length. Now that I am on the other side, I can see why people praise it but I just did not connect with it in the same way
I found both sisters insufferable for the plodding first half of the book, each one-dimensional in their persona: Vianne the anxiety-ridden mother and Isabelle, the reckless rebel. We are told countless times how beautiful they both are and they seem to fall in love the way that only happens in romance novels (with some truly cringey dialogue).
The second half picks up the pace as each does their part to rebel against the war and I found the perspective from an occupied France to be a part of history I knew little about. I appreciate that the book does not shy away from the brutalities of war and the end is beautiful. A mixed bag but worthwhile read.
I found both sisters insufferable for the plodding first half of the book, each one-dimensional in their persona: Vianne the anxiety-ridden mother and Isabelle, the reckless rebel. We are told countless times how beautiful they both are and they seem to fall in love the way that only happens in romance novels (with some truly cringey dialogue).
The second half picks up the pace as each does their part to rebel against the war and I found the perspective from an occupied France to be a part of history I knew little about. I appreciate that the book does not shy away from the brutalities of war and the end is beautiful. A mixed bag but worthwhile read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Antisemitism and War
Moderate: Child death and Rape
Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Eleanor Oliphant, as the title wrongly states, is most certainly not fine. But, her journey to getting fine is captivating.
When Eleanor and her coworker, Raymond, help an elderly man, Sammy, who collapsed, the three form a bond that propels Eleanor to examine her life and the childhood trauma she experienced.
Eleanor is downright funny at times, extremely touching at others and also quite difficult but, it beautifully illustrates how small acts of kindness can cause huge ripple effects in someone’s life.
When Eleanor and her coworker, Raymond, help an elderly man, Sammy, who collapsed, the three form a bond that propels Eleanor to examine her life and the childhood trauma she experienced.
Eleanor is downright funny at times, extremely touching at others and also quite difficult but, it beautifully illustrates how small acts of kindness can cause huge ripple effects in someone’s life.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse
Minor: Child death and Domestic abuse
Earthlings by Sayaka Murata
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
I had enjoyed Murata’s Convenience Store Woman so decided to pick up Earthlings. Both deal with the societal pressures of Japan but where Woman was almost quiet, Earthlings takes it to the absurd.
Natsuki suffers abuse from everyone in her life but finds kindred spirits in her cousin Yuu and her husband Tomoya - all aliens from Popinpobopia. That is all I will say of the plot but it is a challenging read and will leave you with a WTF feeling.
Natsuki suffers abuse from everyone in her life but finds kindred spirits in her cousin Yuu and her husband Tomoya - all aliens from Popinpobopia. That is all I will say of the plot but it is a challenging read and will leave you with a WTF feeling.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Sexual assault, and Cannibalism
Vampires of El Norte by Isabel Cañas
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
The title, Vampires of El Norte, does the book an injustice. It is really a mash up of genres: part romance, part historical fiction and part horror - though the horror is not as prominent as the title suggests.
The main focus is Nestor and Nena, childhood sweethearts separated for 8 years by a misunderstanding and who can’t ever seem to say what they want, against the backdrop of early 1800s American colonization of Mexico.
An engrossing read but the pacing is a bit off with the first half of the novel moving slowly then picking up when the forlorn lovers encounter the animalistic depiction of vampires only to rush the ending.
The main focus is Nestor and Nena, childhood sweethearts separated for 8 years by a misunderstanding and who can’t ever seem to say what they want, against the backdrop of early 1800s American colonization of Mexico.
An engrossing read but the pacing is a bit off with the first half of the novel moving slowly then picking up when the forlorn lovers encounter the animalistic depiction of vampires only to rush the ending.
My Husband by Maud Ventura
dark
funny
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Told in the first person, My Husband reads like one long downward mental spiral - full of neurosis and obsessive compulsions - both funny and disturbing. A quick, enjoyable ride that has forever changed how I will view a clementine.