I loved this book and ripped through it (not that hard with it in verse). I truly had no idea what to expect, so this was super enjoyable. It was a great comparison between a New York setting and a Dominican Republican setting. And the connecting dot is the same father with two families. Even that shocker is viewed differently between the two families. But when that connecting dot/father dies in a plane crash, the two families struggle and the two daughters realize each other's existence. Sometimes I wonder why books are written in verse vs. prose. I think I'm slowly starting to realize that it sets the mood, and the words and placement of words are so exact there is no other way to demonstrate the feelings and thoughts. And this book exemplifies the greatness of a moving story coupled with amazing writing.
5/5 stars
I loved this book and ripped through it (not that hard with it in verse). I truly had no idea what to expect, so this was super enjoyable. It was a great comparison between a New York setting and a Dominican Republican setting. And the connecting dot is the same father with two families. Even that shocker is viewed differently between the two families. But when that connecting dot/father dies in a plane crash, the two families struggle and the two daughters realize each other's existence. Sometimes I wonder why books are written in verse vs. prose. I think I'm slowly starting to realize that it sets the mood, and the words and placement of words are so exact there is no other way to demonstrate the feelings and thoughts. And this book exemplifies the greatness of a moving story coupled with amazing writing.
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3/5 stars
If I thought I knew where a million+ lottery ticket was hiding, I would probably hunt for it, too. And Rico had an even bigger reason than just wanting money- she needed money. Her mother moved her and her brother to a more expensive part of town to be able to get better schooling, so now Rico has an almost full time job at the convenience story to be able to barely make it. At work, she sells what she is convinced is the winning lottery ticket that hasn't yet been claimed, so she enlists the computer-saavy popular boy to help her. Great plot, great commentary of the divides of socio-economic status. But I just couldn't get over that everything, and I mean everything was looked at through the lens of poor vs. rich. With that being said, I don't know what it's like to be fearful of being homeless again. I don't know what it's like to have no health insurance. But this almost became preachy vs. perspective to me. And at the end- well, for those who have read it- I seriously doubt she would have really reacted that way (if you get what I mean). That's where it truly lost me. Yet, it was enjoyable, it did give me a little different take on a life that I will probably never fully experience, so I do give it a 3. 3/5 stars Maybe more like a 3 1/2. I enjoyed it. I thought it was funny, adventuresome, and just good fun. So for all those reviewers out there who poked holes in the story, thought it had today's world put in last century's setting, then yup, you're right. But it isn't meant to be super serious so just have fun with it. Now, I won't say I wasn't surprised compared to what I thought the book would be about from the back cover. But once I let go of that, I relaxed and just chuckled along the way with it. To give a quick background- a contemporary doctorate student wants to learn the identity of the Pink Carnation, who is the "zorro" during the Napoleonic Wars (I couldn't think of any other comparison). So she finds a family who has a slew of documents that we read, along with her, about the Pink Carnation, the Purple Gentian and the Scarlet Pimpernel which is the bulk of the book. Yes, you're right, how she gets the entire dialogue between secret characters is irrelevant. It's just a story, people. I enjoyed the frame of the story more than the story itself, but regardless, it was all fun. It has not changed my life, but it was fun to delve into. 2/5 stars I didn't hate the book, but I didn't enjoy it as much as I was hoping. I think I focused so much on the story of Adana Moreau and her life, that I became disappointed as the book would transition into different stories of different people. I just wanted something linear, and I wasn't given that. If I ever read the book again with a different mindset, I may be able to appreciate it better. And I couldn't wait to find out what happened to the Pirate, and then that wasn't what I was hoping for, either, so that bummed me out. I can see the beauty of the book and the writing. I just personally didn't love it. 4/5 stars I love all things Courtney Summers. This one was a little slow at first, but boy did it pack a punch at the end. The draw was there, figuring out how a cult begins, learning how people are drawn in. It also showed how the insulation of a cult keeps the members going. I think one of the things about the Project is we see not only the cult itself, but also all the people who are affected by the cult- the family members, the people who leave, and those who are still in it, as well as the cult members who are leading it. If anything, Ms. Summers helped me understand more about how people are brought into cults and stay. And we see how they twist the words around in the Bible for self-promotion, which has never been my interpretation of the Bible. Well done, and definitely you need to keep reading to the end. 5/5 stars
Wowzers. I have read books by Khaled Hosseini who wrote a similar topic with the setting of Afghanistan. And please understand, I in no way believe these books to be the absolute truth of everyone who is from Afghanistan or follows the Koran. However, some of these extreme cases and stories from any culture or religion are fascinating as well as heartbreaking. A Woman is No Man is one of these cases, but the intriguing part is that this family, who follow a strict code of women's roles solely for support and no edification of any kind, is in the U.S. So that goes to say, the dichotomy of our two cultures is even more pronounced. Isa arrives to the U.S., newly arranged marriage, living with her in-laws, and very young. Everything is kept secret in the house. Everything. And we learn, along with her teenage daughter, the secrets of the family. What makes this book not just heartbreaking but also heartwarming, is to be able to watch characters soften. I can't believe this is a debut book. Etaf Rum, you are amazing 4/5 stars This would have been a 5 star book for me, but to be honest, I kind of feel like I was duped. One of the things that I enjoy about mysteries or psychological thrillers is that I can go back and see what I missed and do the head slap and be amazed at how clever the author is. I'm not saying that there were no clues, but they were pretty darn hard to pick up on to figure out what the end result would be. But overall, this was a pretty good book that had me thinking how glad I am to be in my own world of safety and trust. There were no characters that I liked, and that was fine by me, since in that way no one really let me down. So if you want a book about messed up people, this is your book. 4/5 stars With an Agatha Christie vibe, The Guest List is a classic who-done-it. The whole time we are sure of who the antagonist is, but the cool part is that Lucy Foley has cleverly wrapped up a legitimate reason for why the murderer did it (and it could have been pretty much anyone who ever encountered the victim). But unlike Agatha Christie, there are modern day warnings about how we treat one another. There were some very dark moments that give exposure to how our world has changed (and not changed) in our self-serving attitudes. I pretty much liked everyone (or at least understood them) other than the bad guy. I definitely had some favorite characters, but overall, this is a great book with mystery, slight twists, and a great message. |
AuthorI'm a high school librarian. I love to read. Really. Love. To. Read. Archives
December 2023
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