To be honest, I’m still not totally sure what to make of this book. I really, really wanted to like it more than I actually did. It started out slow with glimmers of interesting plot threads, but ultimately The Robber Bride just kept stringing me along. Every time I started to get into the plot, the story would move in another direction. Atwood’s inspiration came from a Brothers Grimm tale in which a villainous man devours three women after luring them into his lair. In […]
No helpless damsels in distress here
I haven’t read much fantasy, but a friend gave it rave reviews so I tried this one and ended up loving it. Uprooted was such a satisfying thrill of a read. I don’t want to go into much detail about the plot because it’ll ruin the twists and turns, but here’s the basic premise. The world of Uprooted is based on an ancient fictional Poland and is vaguely reminiscent of old Eastern European fairy tales (including the famous Baba Yaga). There are several villages in […]
Missoula is America
I’m a fan of Jon Krakauer’s other work, but when I heard he was coming out with a comprehensive look at the Missoula rape scandals in the last few years, I was hesitant. I had followed along with much of the reporting on those cases and am pretty tuned-in to the larger issues of rape culture in this country. Did I really want to read what a white dude (who may or may not be sympathetic to rape survivors) had to say about it? But […]
How did everything get so fucked up?
Wow, WOW, W O W. This book definitely lived up to the hype and punched me right in the heart with its awesomeness. Celeste Ng combines tight and thrilling storytelling with a beautifully lyrical writing style. The way she shifts from character to character and past to present seamlessly is beyond remarkable. I can’t believe this is a debut novel. It’s the kind of story that seems effortless when you’re reading it, but in hindsight you can see just how complicated it must have been […]