I liked the message about how women face so much pressure to get married and live a heteronormative, amatonormative life by their late 20’s. Other thaI liked the message about how women face so much pressure to get married and live a heteronormative, amatonormative life by their late 20’s. Other than that, though, this book confused me – I found the pacing off and the fantasy elements difficult to buy into. Appreciate the naming of racism and sexism, though unfortunately this book won’t stick with me much....more
Oof, this one was a big miss for me. I think it’s important to explore the devastating impacts of climate change, and I felt mildly intrigued by the tOof, this one was a big miss for me. I think it’s important to explore the devastating impacts of climate change, and I felt mildly intrigued by the theme of should I stay or should I go from the main character’s perspective. However, I found the writing style pretentious and florid for the sake of it, almost like moody to try and get me to feel something instead of flowing more naturally from the character’s psychology. Each dramatic “reveal” from the main character’s past felt forced and inauthentic to me. Her unreliability came across more as a way to delay readers from knowing things instead of as something more psychologically relevant. I can see what the author was going for in terms of the effects of traumatic events on one’s sense of self, though it all felt heavy-handed to me....more
Unfortunately I found this book quite underwhelming and disappointing. First, I felt that the prose was bland. The characters, while distinct enough tUnfortunately I found this book quite underwhelming and disappointing. First, I felt that the prose was bland. The characters, while distinct enough that I could tell them apart, all sounded super similar. The writing lacked a vitality or a more original flavor that would have helped me feel more invested in the story.
I also didn’t quite understand the purpose of the strings dystopia setup. Beyond the prose making a potentially interesting premise fall flat, it seemed to me that Nikki Erlick wanted to make the strings stand-in as a metaphor for another form of discrimination, like racism or sexism or homophobia (e.g., discrimination against short stringers is like other forms of oppression). I don’t think this premise added anything new or interesting to the conversation about societal oppression though. Furthermore, I felt that the book did an awful job of addressing how the string situation would actually affect people of color, LGBTQ+ communities, fat people, etc. – it felt like the story glossed over these important junctions for more shallow-level commentary. Wish I had more positive things to say but hopefully I’ll read something worth hyping up soon!...more
I liked the overall message of this novel about the scrutiny and sexist expectations mothers face in contemporary society. Aside from that though, I fI liked the overall message of this novel about the scrutiny and sexist expectations mothers face in contemporary society. Aside from that though, I found The School for Good Mothers a chore to read. First, the plot seemed like such a mess to me. The novel’s synopsis notes that it focuses on upper-middle-class parenting, which is fine, but women of different class backgrounds were lumped in together in this dystopian school system as if their “crimes” or mistakes were the same?? As Samantha writes about cogently in her review, child separation and revoking parental rights does occur especially for Black and brown mothers so it felt odd and underdeveloped for this to serve as the premise of this novel. The plot didn’t make sense; I get that dystopia requires some suspension of disbelief, though so many random things happened that I found myself flipping pages just to get through to the end.
Jessamine Chan’s writing also felt dry and repetitive. The characters came across as one-dimensional. I think Chan made an honest attempt at portraying some of the racial injustices Black and Latinx mothers face as well as the specific microaggressions experienced by Asian American women, though the racial element of the book didn’t feel richly explored and stayed on the surface level. Our main character, Frida, is angry at white people at times (totally understandable) yet predominantly dates white men, and this tension isn’t interrogated in any deep way. Overall, ugh, a lot of promise, and I can see why this book is popular, but it didn’t impress me....more
Interesting premise and important commentary about anti-Black racism, state violence, and the prison industrial complex in the United States. I felt aInteresting premise and important commentary about anti-Black racism, state violence, and the prison industrial complex in the United States. I felt a bit confused by the narrative because there were so many characters which made the plot difficult to follow. Still, I appreciate Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah for trying something different even with some themes that have been explored previously in social justice-centered fiction and nonfiction....more
I found Jacqueline Harpman’s execution of her dystopian world believable and compelling. 39 women trapped in an underground cage, with no notion of tiI found Jacqueline Harpman’s execution of her dystopian world believable and compelling. 39 women trapped in an underground cage, with no notion of time or how they got there. We follow the 40th prisoner, a young girl who sits outcast in the corner until their group of 40 escapes into the aboveground strange world that awaits them.
Harpman’s writing made the events in this book feel scary and important. Her prose is ominous, sparse yet vivid enough to create a satisfyingly creepy atmosphere. Harpman raises interesting questions here: what would a world without men look like? What makes life meaningful when we strip our day-to-day existence to the bare minimum? To what extent can relationships with others satisfy us even in situations of despair?
My only disappointment of the novel was that I felt like it didn’t make enough of a point for me to feel fully content with how it ended. It’s open-ended, perhaps intentionally so, though I interpreted that open-endedness and lack of a more direct message as a kind of copout. Still, I think this book would be fun to discuss with folks, is thought-provoking, and is assured in its execution on the sentence-level....more
Hanya Yanagihara, queen of writing controversial as f*ck books and also of breaking my heart. When I finished part three of To Paradise 30 minutes agoHanya Yanagihara, queen of writing controversial as f*ck books and also of breaking my heart. When I finished part three of To Paradise 30 minutes ago I literally lied down on the floor of my apartment and stared at the ceiling because I felt so, so amazed by this section of the book. While I found the quality of Yanagihara’s prose incredible throughout all the book’s sections, unfortunately other aspects of part one and part two either fell flat or outright offended me. To assign a rating of each section of To Paradise, I’m thinking: part one: 3 stars, part two: 1 star, part three: 5 stars. I’ll give my reaction to each section below followed by overall thoughts on what I’m confident will be a provocative novel for almost all who read it.
Part one takes place in 1893 America, New York, in an alternate world where gay and lesbian folks are free to love whomever they want, at least on the surface. We follow a wealthy man from a distinguished family resist a suitor of comparable means for a charming and impoverished music teacher. I found this section entertaining and frustrating. I felt the alternative, gay and lesbian-friendly society fascinating to explore and Yanagihara’s writing mesmerizing. However, the characterization of our protagonist, David, annoyed the heck out of me. While Yanagihara writes so well that I did feel some basic sympathy for him, he overall baffled me with his passivity, lack of agency, and inability to find any self-worth without the love of a romantic partner. My main reaction after finishing this section: “okay that was pleasant but what was the point of this.”
Part two takes place in 1993 Manhattan besieged by the AIDS pandemic. I’ll be frank: I hated this section of the novel. I almost never give 1 star ratings to books on Goodreads, however if this section of the novel stood on its own I’d give it 1 star without hesitation. The plot follows a young Hawaiian man in a romantic relationship with a rich older white man, and Yanagihara’s construction of their relationship offended me so much. I’m not Hawaiian, so I definitely want to respect actual queer Hawaiian folks’ perspective on this part of the book, though as a queer Vietnamese American man, I felt that she brought to life the worst stereotypes about queer Asian and Pacific Islander men in this section (e.g., we’re passive and submissive, we’re obsessed with white gay men, etc.) Our protagonist in part two is also named David and he turns his back both on his Hawaiian heritage and his female best friend Eden, an Asian woman, for a rich white man who works at the same office as him, for what?? She also includes fatphobic language and an anti-Black description of a Black character in ways that weren’t addressed at all and felt unnecessary. While this section includes some somewhat intriguing reflections on colonization, these themes did not amount to anything substantial enough to merit the oppressive parts. My main reaction after finishing this section: “well that was awful, at least she gave us A Little Life I guess, there’s no way I’m going to give To Paradise more than 2 stars after this mess.”
Part three takes place in 2093 in a world overrun by plagues and governed by totalitarian rule. We witness a renowned scientist’s granddaughter try to navigate life without him, in a society with strict rules about what you can say, think, and feel. This section of To Paradise riveted me, stunned me, and reminded me that Yanagihara is truly the same writer who wrote the tour de force A Little Life. So many amazing elements came together to create magic: this on-the-edge-of-your-seat, I-need-to-turn-the-pages-faster dystopian thriller sense of concern about the granddaughter’s life and wellbeing, the flashbackwards and flashforwards that describe in such rich quality both her life and her grandfather’s life, and the immense love that her grandfather feels for her coupled with his own complicity in oppression and wrongdoing. The epistolary element within this section, in which the grandfather writes to a beloved friend living abroad, worked so freaking well and cemented my love for how Yanagihara cares for and writes about friendship. My main reaction after finishing this section: “I’m going to go lie down on the floor to recover from what just happened to me, also if not for part two I’d give this book four stars as a whole.”
As you can tell from this already 740-word long review, this book elicited so many strong emotions from me. I’m pretty sure Yanagihara can evoke these feelings from me and other readers in large part because of the sheer quality of her prose. She has this way of making you connect so deeply with characters’ feelings and thoughts, such as through noticing the smallest yet most important details about how they interact or speak with other characters, as well as how they feel about themselves. She possesses at top-notch talent for crafting impeccably precise and impeccable sentences that either entrance you to read more or knock the wind out of you (reading the last pages of part three I actually felt like someone had punched me in the stomach in a great way.) There’s a lot of wild stuff that happens in To Paradise, like a reenvisioning of American history and a future envisioning of the world where we’re struck by plague after plague. At the same time she’s still able to center the narrative on the highs and lows of human emotion and relationships: connection and friendship and sex, disconnection and loneliness and death, and how our pasts and systems of power like class and race inextricably affect us.
A lot of books I give 3 stars because I felt that they were fine, like enjoyable though not that riveting or exciting. I give To Paradise 3 stars because I feel so divided by it, like I both loved it and hated it. I wouldn’t necessarily recommend the book, though I also wouldn’t not recommend the book. I loved Yanagihara’s A Little Life because of how Yanagihara captured what it’s like to live with PTSD and to experience both negative and positive relationships. I felt like parts one and two of To Paradise portrayed more of the negative aspects of relationships without much for readers to grab onto and root for, like the characters and their relationships either came across as passive or problematic. However, part three of this book highlighted to me the power and force of human yearning and affection, how these elements of our psyche can do both great harm and great good. As I’m processing while writing this review though, I almost wonder if the structure of this novel represents how maybe sometimes it takes multiple generations of life to pass before someone is able to or at least tries to be able to break cycles of pain and/or trauma. I felt Yanagihara’s repetition of character names effective in proving how emotions of loneliness, longing, and connection persist again and again throughout multiple iterations of the human experience. I do feel like part three built on the momentum of parts one and two and provided richer depth into the burgeoning themes of isolation and interconnection.
I’m gonna go work out so I can restore my body’s sense of equilibrium after this whop of a novel, lol. I’m so curious to read what others think of this one, especially because I’ve felt so appreciative of folks’ responses to my review of A Little Life. Also, I know Yanagihara has received criticism about writing so much from gay men’s perspectives from someone who is not a gay man. While I generally agree with these critiques, I won’t write more about it here because this review is already so long. However, for an #ownvoices queer male of color perspective, I’d also highly recommend the superb novel Tell Me How to Be by Neel Patel which came out late in 2021!...more
This book had an interesting premise and message though the characters left me wanting more. In An Excess Male, Maggie Shen King envisions a China wheThis book had an interesting premise and message though the characters left me wanting more. In An Excess Male, Maggie Shen King envisions a China where due to the One Child Policy, near 40 million men struggle to find wives and women can take multiple husbands. We follow one family where Hann, a gay man, and XX, his disabled brother, are both married to May-ling, who wants to take a third husband, Wei-guo. We follow the fallout that ensues when various members of this arrangement try to resist the oppression enforced upon them by their dictatorial government.
I will start by saying I liked the messages about the heteronormative nuclear family and the pressures related to childbearing in this novel. Are we useful if we aren’t contributing to a nuclear family in some form? Shen King interrogates this question well and explores the consequences of straying from what society expects of us.
That said, I found the characters pretty weakly-drawn in this novel. I felt like they each experienced some form of marginalization, though beyond that lacked richer nuance or depth. An Excess Male also contains an action side plot where I read it and was like… I don’t understand what the point of this is. Also, why was one of the more femme/ostentatious gay men one of the most villainous characters?? Still, I’m looking forward to discussing this book with my Asian American book club....more
I enjoyed what these short stories had to say about anti-Black racism and consumerism. Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah places us into dystopian worlds and siI enjoyed what these short stories had to say about anti-Black racism and consumerism. Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah places us into dystopian worlds and situations that may seem extreme, though they reflect back the injustices in the United States with chilling accuracy. At the same time, I think these stories prioritized novel concepts over deeper character development and exploring characters’ internal worlds, so they weren’t my favorite even though I see their appeal. I agree with what Jessie said in her review about the stories sometimes being sensationalistic without being sensational. I also found the story “Lark Street” pretty anti-abortion and problematic as a result....more
Unsettling and powerful, like The Road with a Black female protagonist and more BIPOC characters overall. In some ways I dislike using The Road as a cUnsettling and powerful, like The Road with a Black female protagonist and more BIPOC characters overall. In some ways I dislike using The Road as a comparison given that white people’s art is not the standard, and Octavia Butler creates a whole world of her own in Parable of the Sower. First published in 1993, this dystopian novel flashes forward to 2025, when the United States has descended into chaos and what remains includes a country pervaded by disease, war, and chronic water shortages. Lauren Olamina and her family live in one of the rare safe neighborhoods on the outskirts of Los Angeles, where her father, a preacher, and other citizens try to protect one another and form some version of community amidst the darkness of the world. However, when their neighborhood is attacked and Lauren’s family is killed, she ventures out on her own with a few other refugees to try and survive. On their path Lauren imagines a revolutionary idea that may bring forth a new hope for all of humankind.
I liked this novel though it contains a lot of gore, so trigger warning for sexual assault, murder and violence, and brief descriptions of cannibalism. Butler’s prose is sparse and efficient and makes for a straightforward reading experience. I’m most impressed by how much Butler predicted with this novel and the subtle yet meaningful social commentary she weaved in. For example, she incorporates themes related to how the police do not actually help much and oftentimes perpetuate harm, the role of race and racism in people’s chances of survival, the perils of capitalism and worker exploitation, and the power of mutual aid and community trust. While reading Parable of the Sower I felt that Butler came across as well ahead of her time.
I give this novel four stars instead of five because I wanted to feel a bit more immersed in Lauren’s world and her emotions. Perhaps she had to develop some emotional calluses or some internal distance from her trauma to survive, yet I wanted to feel more of that connection with her or even more of that connection between the characters. One of my favorite parts of the novel includes how Lauren’s newfound and growing community come to trust one another amidst this awful world they exist in. At the same time, I wanted to travel a bit more in-depth with certain connections or character so I could really get all in my feelings with them.
Overall recommended to fans of the Gone series by Michael Grant, N.K. Jemisin, or science fiction and books centering BIPOC characters in general. Wish we could have read this one in school though I don’t think my school at least was ready for the content of this novel – its commentary on whiteness and capitalism probably may have challenged people a bit too much.
EDIT 8.5.2020
Okay so I was talking to my bff about Octavia Butler's work on Twitter tonight and realized that the main character of this novel (who starts out as 15 and is 18 by the end of the novel) engages in a sexual and romantic relationship with a 57-year-old man during the course of the book. It's 11:02pm so I don't have the energy to fully analyze or engage in the problematic nature of this, though my bff pointed out Butler has a similar age-gap relationship in her work Fledgling. The main character and this 57-year-old man talk about their age gap and discuss consent and at the same time I wanted to name this relationship given that I don't think I came across any Goodreads reviews that have. ...more
I think this book did a great job of highlighting the horrible consequences of war. Seeing our main character Sarat develop some form of post-traumatiI think this book did a great job of highlighting the horrible consequences of war. Seeing our main character Sarat develop some form of post-traumatic stress disorder as well as her desire for vengeance felt devastating. I appreciate Omar El Akkad showing some glimpse of hope for her and her healing at the end of the novel. While American War is bleak throughout, I can’t blame it too much for that because war is bleak and awful.
Unfortunately I agree with Rachel’s review that the book feels “dull” and “tedious.” I don’t want to be mean but the prose felt flat and even though a lot of intense, jarring events occur in this novel I didn’t get emotionally invested. I also don’t think the author explained in convincing enough detail how this particular dystopian society came about; the novel focuses on the present-day atrocities at the expense of a more fleshed-out backstory that would’ve helped make its social commentary more impactful.
I heard about this novel through an episode of the Throughline podcast from NPR though overall wouldn’t necessarily recommend it....more
I feel so sad giving this book such a low rating because it had so much potential. It follows three female-identifying characters and one male-identifI feel so sad giving this book such a low rating because it had so much potential. It follows three female-identifying characters and one male-identifying character who reside in a world where girls and women have the power to produce electricity and hurt, torture, and kill people. This newfound ability brings about an amalgamation of changes, including political power plays, shifts in male-female relationship dynamics, and the burning question of girls' and women's new place in society. The Power portrays a host of challenging situations and scenes, including sexual assault and political warfare.
This book had so much unfulfilled potential. I love the premise, because it invites so many nuanced questions and discussions within the realm of feminism. What are the implications of empowering women just so they act more like men? As bell hooks writes, patriarchy has no gender, so what happens when one gender (or sex) gains power over their oppressors? What are the psychological benefits and costs of having this power? Unfortunately, these questions are only explored in the most rudimentary of ways in The Power. Instead of using scenes, dialogue, and character development to flesh out this dystopia/utopia and explore these meaningful questions, Naomi Alderman focuses only on portraying violence and shallow character interactions. While violence has a place in this world for sure, the book could have featured so much more. The commentary on gender dynamics, too, mostly took form in pithy one-liners with gender reversals that did not relay much nuance or insight.
My second main disappointment with The Power centers on its characters. They all felt one-note, interchangeable, and lacking in any depth that would motivate us to invest in them. Some of their perspectives felt too long and some felt too short. The pacing and organization of their respective sections made little logical sense. I wish Alderman had focused more on crafting these characters in a more comprehensive way so that readers could better connect to them.
I hate to say this, but I would not recommend this book. If interested in feminist writing, for fiction I would recommend The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood or Kindred by Octavia Butler, and for nonfiction I would recommend Appetites by Caroline Knapp or All About Love and The Will to Change by bell hooks, just to name a few. While I think Alderman aimed for cultural diversity by including a Nigerian character and Moldova as a setting in The Power, this attempt fell flat, similar to the rest of the book. I appreciate Alderman for trying with this concept, at the very least....more
Walden Two contains no plot, clumsy writing, and characters that serve as nothing more than mouthpieces for B.F. Skinner, our author. That being said,Walden Two contains no plot, clumsy writing, and characters that serve as nothing more than mouthpieces for B.F. Skinner, our author. That being said, if you want an intellectual exploration of a Utopian world ruled by behaviorism, this book may be for you. Skinner proposes many thought-provoking questions in Walden Two: what if we strove to eliminate class differences so that everyone could work in equal measure? What if we used positive reinforcement to reward people for their good behaviors instead of punishing them for their bad ones? What if we trained everyone in our society to let scientific principles guide their actions? I think about these questions and the shortcomings of arguments about "free will" all the time. Yes, a woman may feel empowered and independent when she puts on makeup, but until she can walk into a job interview without makeup and have an equal shot at the position as a man would, is it truly free will? Or is it conforming to standards of appearance put forth by the patriarchy? Or both? Similarly, people who complain about firearm restrictions say that those laws would infringe upon their free will. But is it really free will if their behaviors and attachments surrounding guns are governed by a society that encourages aggression and toxic masculinity? Walden Two may not address all of these issues related to our society today, but the intellectual rigor of its contents calls on readers to connect its ideas to how we function in the contemporary world, unruly and awful president-elects and all.
Overall, a decent read unless you want plot or character development. Walden Two is an intellectual treatise disguised as a novel. Once you know that, feel free to take it or leave it....more
Death, madness, sex, and explosions - just a few of the apocalyptic treasures in Lucy Corin's One Hundred Apocalypses and Other Apocalypses. In this aDeath, madness, sex, and explosions - just a few of the apocalyptic treasures in Lucy Corin's One Hundred Apocalypses and Other Apocalypses. In this artfully-bound book she includes three short stories and 100 pieces in flash fiction form. Of the three longer pieces "Madmen" stood out the most. It explores a society in which when girls get their periods, they adopt an insane person to stay with them for the rest of their lives. This piece highlights Corin at her best, when she nails the authentic and vulnerable voice of an anxious thirteen-year-old, all while driving home an important and non-didactic message about mental health in contemporary times.
Her 100 vignettes also carry a a more sporadic strength. While some move into the realm of hyper-intellectualism or self-awareness-turned-dramatic, for the most part they offer a slew of thoughtful themes ranging from the psychological repercussions of imminent death to our intrinsic desire for sheer connection when times get rough. Even though Corin may lack consistency in the quality of her writing in this piece, she still offers much wit, in the form of sometimes shocking and revelatory near-death moments....more
A+ entertainment. Marissa Meyer knows how to write plot like an absolute pro. She escalates the tension collected over four books to a thrilling finalA+ entertainment. Marissa Meyer knows how to write plot like an absolute pro. She escalates the tension collected over four books to a thrilling finale all while balancing about eight different points of view. I give Winter four stars just based on how I could not tear my eyes away from its pages. Also, I loved Winter as a character. Her battle with mental illness and self-sacrifice and her overall quirkiness showed complexity and resonated with me a lot.
Winter has its flaws. Meyer, as many young-adult authors do, emphasizes physical attractiveness to an extreme extent (news flash: your characters can be unattractive and super cool, too.) She focuses a lot on plot, so that the events of the story override deeper character development. My main criticism stems from how Meyer prioritizes romance over more thought-provoking topics. Yes, romance has its merits, but she could have dedicated more time to themes of war/prejudice/trauma and recovery/etc. This series accumulated so much potential to address more sensitive, nuanced subjects, but alas, it did not.
Still, I give Winter four stars for its sheer entertainment value (and because of how much I love Winter). If you enjoyed the first three installments of The Lunar Chronicles, check this one out....more
Get this one for Christmas, guys. Station Eleven pulls together three compelling characters - Arthur Leander, a famous actor reminiscent of Cole from Get this one for Christmas, guys. Station Eleven pulls together three compelling characters - Arthur Leander, a famous actor reminiscent of Cole from Maggie Stiefvater's Linger, Jeevan, a paparazzo-turned EMT, and Kirsten, an actress in a group of nomads - and places them in a quiet, dark, post-apocalyptic world. Civilization has collapsed due to the Georgia flu, and Emily St. John Mandel moves back and forth in time to describe the world before, during, and after the illness's onset. We see Arthur grappling with his first, second, and third marriage; we view Jeevan sitting in a hotel room with his brother, watching the newscasters fade away; we witness Kirsten perform with the Traveling Symphony as they try to escape the clutches of a crazed prophet. Mandel connects these disparate story lines and shows us the world we live in in a way that encompasses all we have to lose and all we have yet to gain.
What a glittering end to the world. In Station Eleven, Mandel reels us into her story with her developed characterizations and strong, specific details. She uses its science-fiction, post-apocalyptic nature as the framework of the novel instead of the focal point; she focuses on fleshing out all of the voices in the story. Each of the characters moved through space and time with nuanced motivations, and Mandel wields flashbacks with enough grace to tie all of their tales together in a riveting, seamless way. The diversity of the perspectives enhanced the freshness of the plot, as the book draws its power from its authentic paradigms just as much as its fascinating setting. This small passage showcases a tidbit of Mandel's writing style:
They slept under a tree near the overpass, side by side on top of August's plastic sheet. Kirsten slept fitfully, aware each time she woke of the emptiness of the landscape, the lack of people and animals and caravans around her. Hell is the absence of the people you long for.
Mandel's writing style reminded me of the "Safari," a short story by Jennifer Egan, the author of the novel A Visit from the Goon Squad. The novel jumps in time throughout its entirety, but Mandel grounds each section in rich, physical detail. Jessie Burton captures the novel's effect in her praise "Station Eleven left me wistful for a world where I still live." Even as the story escalated in suspense, several sections left me in awe as I took in the beauty of a world we do not live in, as well as the world we do live in now.
Overall, a book that draws eyes due to its presence and packs a punch with its voice. Mandel navigates all of the complex elements in this novel - its setting, its multifaceted characters, its overarching themes - and steers Station Eleven into lucid, luminous waters....more
I jumped on the dystopian hype train for The Maze Runner and Divergent and Feed, but with Wool I watched as it blew on by me. The book entertained me I jumped on the dystopian hype train for The Maze Runner and Divergent and Feed, but with Wool I watched as it blew on by me. The book entertained me enough to finish it, but it lacked the cohesiveness to capture me in its characters or its story.
Wool, first published as five stand-alone stories united under the same fictional universe, takes place in an underground silo that has about 100 levels. Anyone exposed to the air outside of the silo dies, and everyone inside the silo lives in a class system filled with rules and regulations intended to protect them. The leaders of the self-contained community send certain criminals outside to "Clean" the external surface of the silo, thus killing them and making them examples to the rest of the silo's inhabitants. Wool follows Juliette, a mechanic who comes to realize that the home she grew up in has serious problems - and that for once, she cannot fix them on her own.
The high stakes, intriguing setting, and serious espionage in Wool will pull science-fiction fans into its orbit. Hugh Howey does a great job of piling on problems and ideas: not only has the world deteriorated into a single silo, but within that silo lives class tensions, a manipulative regime, and a possible rebellion. Around page 100 I could not wait to see how Howey would develop the groundwork of his story and turn it into a thought-provoking read.
However, unlike many others on this site, I felt that Wool fell flat in its later sections. My dissatisfaction might stem from a personal issue: when it comes to fiction, I value well-rounded characters more than other things. Wool progressed in terms of storyline, but its treatment of Juliette and the other inhabitants of the silo turned them into pawns of the plot, rather than individual players moving the plot along. Juliette and Lukas's relationship exemplifies this: after 500 pages, their romantic feelings for one another still did not sit well with me, and I also thought that some of the other characters' reactions to (view spoiler)[the upheaval in Silo 18 (hide spoiler)] would have benefited from more development. Because I could not connect to the narration, I only recognized the quality of the science-fiction/dystopian premise, instead of really going along and losing myself in Howey's writing.
Still, I would recommend Wool to science-fiction fans who express interest in its synopsis. I could discern a detachment between each part of the omnibus, but from other people's opinions, I also detect that Hugh Howey will go far in his future work....more
I wanted Cress to take me away, and it did, without a doubt. In this third installment of The Lunar Chronicles, Cinder continues her quest to dethroneI wanted Cress to take me away, and it did, without a doubt. In this third installment of The Lunar Chronicles, Cinder continues her quest to dethrone Queen Levana and claim her position as rightful heir of Luna. Captain Thorne, Scarlet, and Wolf accompany her, until a difficult brawl sends their team spiraling. While they struggle to recuperate, Cress, our new protagonist, cannot wait to break free from the satellite she has spent all her life in. With her computer skills and her fascination with Thorne, Cress makes an interesting addition to the team, as their remaining members band together to stop Levana's marriage to Kai and end her time as queen.
Marissa Meyer knows how to craft a compelling story. Cress combined so many of Cinder and Scarlet's strongest elements: tight plot structure, entertaining and riveting character interactions, and a building tension between Cinder and her allies against Queen Levana. Meyer balances several protagonists at once and maintains a fluid writing style that whisks you from event to event. All of the new developments in Cress entranced me, as Meyer adds layer after layer onto an already burgeoning world.
I also appreciated Cress and Thorne's relationship in Cress. While I felt that Scarlet and Wolf's relationship reeked of insta-love in Scarlet, Cress's fantasies of Thorne and their subsequent fallout proved more complex and honest than I expected. While it comes across as a little forced that every character has a love interest, Meyer moves the story well enough that the romance does not cause much trouble; it is, for the most part, enjoyable.
Overall, a solid addition to The Lunar Chronicles, and I would recommend it to fans of Meyer, even those who did not love Scarlet. While this series has some minor issues in regard to world-building and relationship depth, Meyer's overall ability to construct an absorbing story wins me over every time....more
Here are the three C's of how I would react if a supervolcano exploded near my hometown: 1) Check Twitter, Facebook, and Goodreads for moral support 2) Here are the three C's of how I would react if a supervolcano exploded near my hometown: 1) Check Twitter, Facebook, and Goodreads for moral support 2) Cry when the internet either A) offers no moral support or B) dies 3) Create a fortress out of books in my bedroom, proceed to lie down and read/weep until my inevitable death
Ashfall felt like a mix of Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer and The Road by Cormac McCarthy. In the first chapter a giant piece of rock destroys fifteen-year-old Alex's house, and right away he decides to venture out into the ash and find his family. Along the way he encounters Darla, a tenacious girl with a knack for mechanics, and together they fight to stay alive amidst the chaos caused by a supervolcano's explosion.
Mike Mullin creates a convincing post-apocalyptic world in Ashfall. The ubiquitous ash, the decay of law and morality, and the construction of different societal systems all captured me and took me into the story. As Mullin writes in his author's note, he relies on scientific speculation for some of the events in Ashfall, but his research in regard to reading accounts of past volcanic explosions paid off for sure. Through Alex, he portrays the human side of disaster with aplomb as well:
For the first time ever, I felt ashamed of my species. The volcano had taken our homes, our food, our automobiles, and our airplanes, but it hadn't taken our humanity. No, we'd given that up on our own.
Alex acts as a great mix of ordinary and remarkable. In many ways, he matches the image of a stereotypical fifteen-year-old boy - obsessed with video games, self-absorbed to an extent, detached from his emotions - but his growth over the course of the novel amazed me. He always possessed a purpose, whether it's finding his family or protecting Darla, and his assiduousness guided him in his journey through a changed, unforgiving world.
Darla deserves praise as well. She defies gender stereotypes with her penchant for machines and farm work, but she maintains her honesty as a character through her vulnerability and her relationship with Alex. Their bond reminded of the relationship between Todd and Viola in The Knife of Never Letting Go, as they clung to each other to cleave hope out of rubble and ruin. I look forward to seeing their romance develop because it has a ton of potential.
Overall, recommended for fans of YA dystopia and science-fiction, especially those searching for a post-apocalyptic story with a great male protagonist. I await the second installment, and I am thankful for all of my wonderful Goodreads friends for motivating me to pick Ashfall up....more
With the recent attacks on Planned Parenthood and the misogynistic comments made by members of the GOP, I could not have read The Handmaid's Tale at aWith the recent attacks on Planned Parenthood and the misogynistic comments made by members of the GOP, I could not have read The Handmaid's Tale at a better time. This chilling story takes place in the Republic of Gilead, where women known as handmaids exist for the sole purpose of giving birth. They have no access to books or magazines, friends or companions, or any of their own belongings. If these women fail to fulfill their purpose or commit any crimes or infractions, the patriarchal powers that be can send them to the colonies, where they would clean up toxic waste or endure harsh labor until they die. Margaret Atwood's award-winning piece of speculative fiction draws its strength from its unfortunate and continued relevance to contemporary society. This totalitarian society feels brutal and believable, like it could happen any day.
Atwood writes the feminist themes in The Handmaid's Tale with an intelligent force and subtlety. She shows the deleterious effects of controlling women and their bodies, the role of unquestioned religion in suppressing women's autonomy, and the psychological consequences of pitting women against one another in a society dominated by men. While Atwood incorporates many stellar ideas in this book, I most loved her focus on the role of reading and writing in securing independence. Through Offred's struggle and her narrative introspection you can see just how much power language and storytelling grants people in positions of weakness.
I also appreciated the way Atwood shapes Offred's character. Instead of only writing Offred as a pawn in this great totalitarian society, Atwood supplies Offred with insight, will, and a traumatic past that makes you empathize with her. Offred's flashbacks to her previous life and the horrid losses she has faced reveals the ramifications of anti-feminism on real human beings, as opposed to abstract, far-reaching ideals.
Overall, one of my favorite classics to date and a book I would recommend to anyone interested in feminism, dystopias, or the intersections of politics and sexuality. I wish more schools used this book as a staple in their curricula....more
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