This is an amazing book. Wait, I know I should add: "In my opinion" but hey, I really want to say it just like that. This is simply an amazing [image]
This is an amazing book. Wait, I know I should add: "In my opinion" but hey, I really want to say it just like that. This is simply an amazing book. Last year I read The Secret History and had mixed feelings about it, so when I heard people praising this book I just assumed my feelings for it would be lukewarm to say the least. Well, moral of the story, never judge a book by its author. No, really, I should never assume that just because I don't particularly like a certain book from a certain author I don't like the author per se. And it's not like The Secret History is a bad book or anything, it's just that when you start reading some 800+ pages novel, you kinda want to make sure you are not going to have the worst time of your life beforehand.
Oh well, what can I say: all my preconceptions about this book (too long, too pretentious, boring, etc) were absolutely wrong. I added it to my 2020 favourites list before even finishing it. And that only happened one other time this year. There is just something about good, very long books, that attracts me like a magnet. The feeling of being submerged into an alternative world, the fact that the length allows you to grow fond of each character (man do I love Boris) and root for them, actually care for them, see them grow etc. - can only be fully achieved with this kind of long novels. I can't believe how fast I went through this. I just couldn't stop wanting more of this story.
I know you guys hate the whole "this book reminds of __ with __", but I still like to do comparisons from time to time, just in case someone stumbles upon my review who also loved the other book mentioned and decides to give this one a try because of that. This book reminded me - in a soft, not nearly as trauma-inducing way - of another favourite "brick" of mine, A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara. Both catapulted me into stories of sadness, grief, friendship, coming-of-age, trauma, love and loss and, to be honest, I couldn't have enough of both, although I am aware it sounds cruel to put it this way. It's not like I enjoy reading about human suffering - or maybe I do because, in some way, isn't it a cathartic experience to know that we all suffer, we all grieve, we all die in the end? - but at the same time, the more a character goes through in his fictional life, the more I grow fond of it. I loved every single page of this book, and if I have to find only one - small - flaw, it is in the ending (last 100 pages) which, in my opinion, was longer than necessary and I thought that the story could have been wrapped up faster and more effectively in half of the pages. Anyhow, definitely one of the best books I read this year.
I should add, on a side note - although it is one of the aspects of the book that had the greatest impact on me from the beginning - that the way grief is explored and treated in this book is one of the best and most realistic ones I ever read. I think this shows a lot on the talent of the writer, since this is definitely not an easy topic to write about. ...more
“I care for myself. The more solitary, the more friendless, the more unsustained I am, the more I will respect myself.”
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Yes, yes, YES! This is “I care for myself. The more solitary, the more friendless, the more unsustained I am, the more I will respect myself.”
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Yes, yes, YES! This is why I have trust issues! This is why I can't go over one nice day without thinking "mm I am too happy today, obviously something bad is going to happen"! I blame classic novels! When that poor child was going to have her happy "ending" (pretty suspicious that there were still 300 pages left in the book, uh??) I kept thinking: "Charlotte tell me please in how many ways life is going to f*uck up this poor destitute orphan who never hurt a fly and only wanted some love and care but NO". Bam.
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The tension in this book was to the roof Jane is such a bad*ss she had me smirking the whole time. I wish I was half as cool as her. ...more
The amount of time I spent recommending this book to every single person I know who could be remotely interested in reading an epic 900 pages [image]
The amount of time I spent recommending this book to every single person I know who could be remotely interested in reading an epic 900 pages saga about the most unlikely heroes you ever met is only equal to the amount of time I spent thanking my russian fiancé for recommending this book to me after he read it and fell in love with it when he was in high school. Both of them are superior to the actual amount of time it took me to read this amazing masterpiece. While reading this, I couldn't do anything else in my free time, and I listened to the audiobook constantly, so that the story of these beautiful kids accompanied my life the whole time. I've never been so sure about a book becoming a favourite of mine since I read my favourite book of all time.
This incredibly imaginative, poetic, deep, moving and engrossing saga is one of those lengthy and immersive reads that resemble more a world to dive in than a series of pages to turn. I will never forget the lives of these lovable unlovables, and I can't wait for my russian level to become high enough to read this in the original language. Hands down, one of the best books I ever read. ...more
The measure of a man is what he does when he has power.
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Okay now that was awesome. That was just amazing. That was a five star read and a favourThe measure of a man is what he does when he has power.
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Okay now that was awesome. That was just amazing. That was a five star read and a favourite from page one. That was everything you want from a sci-fi dystopian book. That was a book I had to force myself to read slowly so It would last longer. That was everything you wanted from all those books that promised and did not deliver. That was an amazing start of a series. And they say book number two is even better??? But how can you improve perfection??? We shall see!!!
“It's funny how sometimes when a face goes gentle, it ends up looking stronger somehow.”
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Okay, so. This book was A-M-A-Z-I-N-G. Honestly, I don'“It's funny how sometimes when a face goes gentle, it ends up looking stronger somehow.”
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Okay, so. This book was A-M-A-Z-I-N-G. Honestly, I don't remember the last time I read a book so deep, exciting, interesting, perfectly balanced, emotional, happy, sad, enticing, un-put-downable, colorful, perfectly paced and beautiful. I kinda suspected I was into road-trip books, but now I know for sure. This book just has that perfect balance between nostalgic and melancholic, that bittersweet taste of a memory of when you were a child and your mom and dad were young and you were all together, before everybody went their own way and now you only call each other once a month.
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Each and every character of this book has his/her own personality, dreams and reasons for being on the road. And they all make sense on a deep level. Each and every character has their own path of growth throughout the novel, and we see them laugh, cry, evolve and remember in a beautiful roller-coaster of emotions. This book makes you smile, laugh, ugly cry, go awwww, it makes you feel for the characters, identify with them even though you have nothing in common, and the locations! The descriptions! The action! And that lovely kitten ...more
Fitz laughed – a full body laugh, like it was the funniest thing he’d ever heard [...] “No,” he said when he’d regained control. “Magi“This is…magic?”
Fitz laughed – a full body laugh, like it was the funniest thing he’d ever heard [...] “No,” he said when he’d regained control. “Magic is a stupid idea humans came up with to try to explain things they couldn’t understand.”
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This. Was. So. A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!!!!!
From the first sentence, I knew this book was going to be captivating, fast-paced, marvelous, a whimsical magical adventure!!! We immediately get catapulted into action, and we barely have taken our first breath that we get thrown so many different kinds of magic, creatures, fantastical landscapes - practically all fantasy tropes, themes and characters in one - and oh my goodness gracious A MAGIC SCHOOL!
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Like this book was almost too much. Like think about all the things in literally all the fantasy books ever and you get this book. There is telepathy, vanishing, mythical creatures, underwater cities, freaking dinosaurs, goblins and, of course, elves. What more can you ask for? Oh yeah, I forgot A FREAKING MAGIC SCHOOL!
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So yeah, if you want to read a middle grade book that makes you ask yourself: isn't this a little bit too much goodness? Look no further, because man this was INTENSE! Can't wait to read number too....more
“I feel like we are playing the Quiet Game. When you're tired of playing and want to shout out all the words you've been keeping inside you, but you a“I feel like we are playing the Quiet Game. When you're tired of playing and want to shout out all the words you've been keeping inside you, but you absolutely cannot lose. So instead you sit, and bite down on everything screaming inside you, and wait.”
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This is a beautiful and heartbreaking story about a child who suffers from depression, anxiety and panic attacks and struggles to communicate her feelings to others, so instead she finds refuge in an imaginary word of which she writes in her beloved notebook. It's an encouraging tale of love, friendship and family; of a person's journey to accept and learn to love themselves and their own loved ones, still accepting that they are not - and nobody is, really - perfect.
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Every family has one; some - like mine - have more than one: the silent child, the sensitive child, the artistic child; the one who doesn't speak much but listens to every word - even the ones which are not spoken. The one you can never lie to, or hide anything from, because they will find out and it will break their heart knowing that you were hiding from them. Why? Is it because they can't be trusted? Is it because there's something wrong with them? And what are they supposed to do with this information that they struggled so much to uncover, but that no one is willing to explain to them because "they will understand it when they get older"? Sometimes those kids grow up and slowly heal, fighting their own battle alone, and when they are adults they stop resenting their parents for the mistakes they made; others don't heal, some don't survive. That is why books like this one are so important: because, once and for all, adults have to understand this simple truth: mental illness is a thing, kids have it too, and there is nothing wrong with it. There is nothing to hide, to be ashamed of, to be scared of. There is, instead, much to talk about together, to make a kid feel safe, creating an environment in which he/she can open up and feel free to share his/her emotions.
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That is why I think everybody should read this book: kids, because they will so understand that they are not alone, and adults so that they will understand that their children's struggle is real, and it has a name and that name is not a taboo, it's an illness and, like every other illness, has a cure and a doctor who can help. That is my favourite thing about this book: that the author specified how much of Finley's healing process came from talking to a professional. I wish everybody who was struggling with any kind of mental illness would have the possibility/will to seek professional help.
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This story is beautiful, but even more beautiful is the message behind it. You are not alone. ❤ There is a way out. ❤ Be strong. ❤ Ask for help. ❤ Trust your loved ones. ❤ Be yourself. ❤ Live for today, because tomorrow is never known.❤...more
“I don't understand it any more than you do, but one thing I've learned is that you don't have to understand things for them to be.”
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This is on“I don't understand it any more than you do, but one thing I've learned is that you don't have to understand things for them to be.”
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This is one of the most outstanding books I ever read in my entire life. I can't believe it took me so long to pick it up. I am so glad this is a series, because just 200 pages of this is definitely not enough. This book is a cosmic dance of colour and poetry, a song made of angels and by angels, a psychedelic trip into imagination, humanity, and the mystery of God. The author hugs your whole self into a multicoloured blanket of words which tickle all your senses like a 5-star restaurant dinner. The only thought left in my mind after I finished reading it was "I just can't wait to read this again".
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It starts off in such a simple, ordinary way: "It was a dark, stormy night", and then proceeds to catapult the reader into a plot so complex it just can't be described (no, really: I tried my best to describe what this book is about to my friends, but I just can't). The characters, the creatures, the incredibly rich imagination, made this read both incredibly whimsical and absolutely believable. Not to mention the lovable characters, the creepy enemies and the adorable protagonist. And the creatures... Oh, the creatures! I can't believe this is a children's book. But then again, so is Harry Potter!!
Anyway, why are you still here? Stop reading my silly review and pick up this book!!!!!!!!!! ...more
“You have to find a mother inside yourself. We all do. Even if we already have a mother, we still have to find this part of ourselves inside”
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T“You have to find a mother inside yourself. We all do. Even if we already have a mother, we still have to find this part of ourselves inside”
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This book simply has everything I love in a historical fiction book, plus, I mean, bees. Aren't they the most amazing, fascinating and incredibly complex animal? So strong and hard-working, but also surviving thanks to the most fragile balance - like women and mothers. Like them, they are fierce to attack who threatens them and their offspring; but are capable of creating the sweetest gift to nourish those who respect, love, and need them.
There are three main reasons why I loved this book: Mother Mary, the bees, and August. A sweet young woman, lost, virtually orphan and burdened with guilt; finds love in the most unlikely of families: a group of sisters of a different skin colour, thousands of hard-working bees, and the heart of the Black Madonna. This story is both wholesome and heartbreaking.
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If you love southern literature, strong women who survive abuse and overcome the greatest difficulties for a better life, voices against racism and inequality and families (blood-bound or not), this book is definitely for you!
I am so happy to start my reading year with a 5 star review!!! I loved this book and I already know it's going to be a 2020 favourite. Yay! :) ...more
“All the most terrifying ifs involve people. All the good ones do as well.”
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At first we get to know all of them: four friends, four boys, with f“All the most terrifying ifs involve people. All the good ones do as well.”
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At first we get to know all of them: four friends, four boys, with four different backgrounds; of whom we imagine will have four different lives, careers, loves. We immediately realize, though, that one of them is different: we get the stories of everyone's past, of everyone's family life, a part from him. Jude, the quiet one, the introvert one - the singer, the pianist, the beautiful one with sad green eyes. From the very first pages, we start to fall in love with all of them - but especially with him. We watch as his first frailty is revealed - a chronic, disabling, leg pain attributed to a car crash - and we see his daily life told from other people's perspectives, never his own, slowly realizing that there are hundreds, thousands of scars in this little boy's body and soul. So many, in fact, that it takes more than 700 pages to tell us about every single one of them.
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This book has been one of the strongest reading experiences I ever had. The sheer length of it made it necessarily immersive; but the intensity of the writing and of the content made it impossible to put down and to continue reading at the same time. There has been more than one moment in the book where I was tempted to stop. Where I wondered: do I really want to go on with this torture? But I always decided I will. Call it masochism, call it morbid curiosity; I just couldn't stop knowing about Jude. I think that, more than everything else, it was love and care for him. I wanted to know about him, because I genuinely cared for him as a person; and when an author is capable of making you love a character (but all of them, really) so much, you know she's doing something right.
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About the content, I obviously won't tell anything in detail because the gradual reveal of Jude's story is the main focus of the novel, but I think it's safe to say that it's full of any kind of physical, mental and sexual abuse imaginable, and of pain, pain, pain and more pain. Any kind of pain you can ever imagine a person could endure, is described in this book. And I think that for me, the strongest feeling I had while reading this was wondering on the marvel of human strength, how a small and fragile creature like a man or woman can endure so much pain in his or her life, without being altogether crashed by it. Isn't it crazy how pain cannot kill you, for as much as sometimes you wish for it with all your body and soul? It is the greatest tragedy of human kind, but also the greatest marvel, being able to survive the un-survivable.
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By the last chapters of this book, I was ready for it to end. I grew numb to the pain just like the characters did; and the somewhat anti-climatic last part came as a welcomed release of all struggles, not an explosive conclusion, but a mild closure which felt like the kind of sleep you can get from a sedative. It left me numbed, wanting to nap on it in a dreamless sleep.
A thoroughly amazing book, which cannot be described if not in emotional terms, and which I cannot avoid recommending because of the strength of it and because I know that you would be depriving yourself of a masterpiece without reading it. But you should go to it conscious of the fact that it is almost unbearable, incredibly demanding and certainty unforgettable. So only do it if you feel ready. It is strong, it will destroy you, but it would be worth it. A modern classic....more
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