I agree with you 100%. I was so dissatisfied with this book. Although I found it compelling to read, I was so disappointed with the characters. They never changed, they never seemed to grow. I needed epiphany, recognition…something more than I got. I had heard many many good things about the book and was very surprised that I did not appreciate it more. I was particularly annoyed by getting “peeks” into the women’s character without more being revealed. So much about Charlene seemed to be interesting description …or little teases…..that went nowhere. I did not really care about any of the characters. So, thank you for your review! Glad I am not alone in my feelings about this book!
I've read James and Erasure. It seems he has a running theme of code switching- a tale as old as America. W.E.B. DuBois describes it as a double consciousness of being in black culture and conforming to a wider (and whiter) society. It's a theme he's doing well for now. I hope it's not the only tone/theme he focuses on. I enjoyed both. I haven't watched American Fiction but heard it does clear up the ending of the book. To me, the ending leaves you questioning what's happening. I liked the finality of the ending of James.
I don't think it's really fair to compare the _Nsibidi Scripts_ trilogy to Harry Potter, because HP is so derivative all on its own. I think the reason the first book doesn't tell us very much is that it's mainly from Sunny's POV, and the world of the Leopard People is new to her, too. But one thing that makes a book good for me is if it makes me wish it were real. And after reading _Akata Witch,_ I wished I were a Leopard Person, with a wasp artist creating neat stuff for me every day and my true wealth being measured in the chittim that fell from the sky every time I learned something new!
I had similar thoughts regarding the fact that the competition wasn't the entirety or majority of the book. I also struggled with the quest element once Maia and Edan got together because there were lives on the line but they were cutting into travel time to cuddle?
Wow! We are on the same page and came into reading it with having read Huck Finn in high school over 20 years ago and having watched American Fiction as the only exposure to Percival Everett. I really enjoyed the book for the same reasons as you and loved that the power of language loomed large on every page. We read this for my book club and I just came back from our meeting surprised that many others didn’t enjoy it as much as I did. I was not a fan of the reveal at the end and agree that the female characters were lacking substance, but overall I loved it!
I liked The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store. I didn’t like that character introductions were happening so late in the story. I loved The Color of Water by him as well. He seems to write about strong women in both books.
I was very moved by “A Thousand Splendid Suns.” The characterizations that Hosseini creates of especially Maryam, Leila, Aziza, and what he thought they represented . How he situates them in the construct of “Afghanistan” and their characters’ symbolism of the country’s history, present, and potential future. And the threading of the interplay/ interaction between them-especially between Maryam and Leila, against the backdrop of their surroundings both on individual and collective levels. The historical references are generally amply-explained or contextualized. Unfortunately Goodreads put a word economy limit on my enthusiasm; so I had to publish my (5000ish-word) essay on my personal blog [I may have gotten into it a bit too much, admittedly 😂].
i really enjoyed this book it was so good.. i really wish its a series and we got muna and Eli's pov and also their love story.. at first i really wanted Eli to choose Afi but as i kept reading i realized how messed up the whole situation was and i really felt for her when she was saying she was manipulated into it and lied to and expected to be grateful just because it came with money
Like so many, I truly love There There, and I'm struggling with Wandering Stars. I am not connecting with this first part. I wonder if it would be horrible to skim the first half and sink into the second. Rincey, I am so glad you are still reviewing books! Thank you for this video.
Totally agree. I got to hear Tommy Orange read from this book a couple months ago, and it was just beautiful. Yet, I definitely wish there were less characters, because that’s also what would’ve made it better for me. Thanks for your thoughtful breakdown.
Thanks for your review. I love the way this book started. I liked hearing about the lives of the young wives of the men in Vietnam. That was the best part of the book to me. It seemed to be disjointed somewhat as I read through the book. I will admit that I listened to it on an audiobook and wasn't always paying close attention as it just didn't hold my interest. The ending was not what I was hoping. I didn't understand the connection to Charlene's daughter being such a strong heavy part of the book either. So I know it's a great book and a lot of people love it. It just didn't quite do it for me. Not one I could recommend as a really good read.
I have James checked out from Libby right now. I remember nothing about Huckleberry Finn but, based on your review, I'm thinking I might do a quick skim of it before I read James - it sounds like I'd have a greater appreciation for the way James is written if I get reaquainted with HF. Thanks for this review!
My family’s bookclub enjoyed Glory Be. We’re all going to read book 2. Glory reminded me of women in my family. Women are told to speak a certain way and by age 50, many say what they think about anything. 😂 Definitely a good bookclub selection!
Bravo! You stated your thoughts in such an eloquent way. I just uploaded my thoughts- we shared similar thoughts on some things. Excited to look through your channel 😮
I recently read this and really enjoyed it. However, I'm one of those people who really didn't like Huck Finn--mostly because of how Jim was portrayed, so this felt like it hit in just the right spot for me.
I haven't read "James"--I am just now being informed of its existence by YOU! It sounds captivating. Mark Twain's "Huckleberry Finn" was actually written to show the foolishness of whites' thinking regarding slavery and black people. It caused readers to laugh at white people or shake their heads in dismay. Did Percival Everett think Twain was supporting slavery and responding to that thinking in HIS book? I couldn't fully grasp the perspectives in your review--sorry, my fault.
I just finished this book today and thought it was excellent I would be super into an author deep dive video from you where you talk about other books you have read by Ann Patchett since I’m not sure where to go next 😂
