Eternal Curse - Kara Leigh Miller

Prepare yourself for a very fun and entertaining read. "Eternal Curse" is one of those books that can be read in basically one sitting, so much fun it is to be with its characters and so fast is the pace of the plot, with things happening here and here so boredom doesn't set in and with a not overly complicated and easily to jump in world.

It all starts with Chloe, whose mother just died, arriving to a new town, to start a new life with her aunt, uncle and cousin Abby. The story is seamlessly set up, with a start that allows the characters to have a background but also an environment for new opportunities and dangers to arise.

Chloe, of course, pretty soon meets pretty boy Trent, also new in town, and things start to get complicated. This relationship is well developed and it was fun to see these two together, and there is a nice streak of humor that keeps them relatable. But Trent and Chloe, even if the center of the story, are not the only two characters, and many others have a chance to shine, even if, being in the background, their roles are less developed.

The best thing is how fun it all is. From page one, the author does a great job in making the reader want to continue reading, to see what is going to happen and what new mystery or danger awaits Chloe. It was so easy to jump into this world and start to care for the characters and to want to know more of them. And the writing helps, the style perfect for this type of book and nicely reflecting the inner world and way of thinking of a young person, their fears and desires.

There are some shortcomings, though, that stop the novel from being more, something special. The first is the aforementioned similarities with some very famous novels/TV shows, which leave the reader with some sense of déjà vu. For some readers this will be a plus, but for others, it could be a little bit repetitive.

Otherwise, the story (and the characters' motivations) sometimes feels rushed, in such a way that, even if things never become boring, it feels that slowing down the pace a little bit would have given the characters a little more space to breathe and develop their feelings more. There is a very important plot development around one third into the book that plays a vital role in the characters' actions, but pretty soon it feels brushed off, as if it, almost, never happened. I think it would have been better to dwell a little more on the impact of those events in the inner world of the characters and their everyday life (the story would have been longer, though, and the pace may have suffered).

Also, there are sometimes when I, personally, wanted Chloe to be stronger, more independent. It is something that happens more than I like in these kind of YA books, and maybe it is just me, but Trent, as other male characters, feels too strong and overprotective compared with Chloe, who seems to need an anchor. Kudos, though, to the author, because those behaviors have a reason to be and it makes sense that Chloe behaves the way she does. But, stronger Chloe would have been better for me.

One last point that could be improved is a little problem with Chloe, that pops up a couple of times. Some character says: 'This happened to me' and Chloe compares that with her own situation and experiences. Doing that internally is normal, human, but then she seems to have the need to tell the other characters it, as if they were competing in difficulties or problems, and it makes her seem a little bit whiny, as if she was belittling the other character's feelings or experiences.

But, if you have the chance, and you like the genre, read it. It is fun, it is fast, the characters are easy to be with, and the story offers a lot to enjoy.

The best: the characters are easy to relate to; the story is read in a breeze; the beginning, that sets up things prettily, and the ending, which leaves the reader wanting to know more about the characters

The worst: feeling of déjà vu'; the story feels rushed in some parts

Alternatives: well, if I say "Twilight" no one will be surprised, right?; there are many YA out there, like "The Lunar Chronicles" or "The Hunger Games" that are also a lot of fun to read

6.5/10

(Read in English)

*I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. Thank you to the author and booksirens for the copy*

ノルウェイの森 (上) - 村上 春樹 (Haruki Murakami)

In my last review I was saying that there are some authors that sound pedantic, that, while reading them, come out as people who seem to think too highly of themselves, and I put a particular group as an example of where you can find many of these authors. Well, I was kind of lying. Because while reading this first volume of "ノルウェイの森" ("Norwegian Wood") by Haruki Murakami, I got the same feeling: that the author thinks he is amazing, his writing amazing and he becomes intoxicated with his own words.

That is not to say that the book is bad or Murakami doesn't know how to write, because he does. But he becomes repetitive in the long soliloquies that many characters in this book say, and in how our 'hero' seems some kind of twisted male fantasy, with so many women relying on him to tell him their life stories. The style is good, dreamy, and there are some quite beautiful moments, but having a random character who we just met deciding to tell Toru all about themselves, reeks a little bit. And it is also kind of creepy.

Let's see how things evolve in the second volume (and yes, I read it around fifteen years ago, but I don't remember anything).

The best: the writing style

The worst: repetitive; all those female characters revolving around our Toru

Further reading: I preferred Murakami's "Sputnik Sweetheart" (I read it when I was way younger, though) or a smaller work like "東京奇譚集"; Shion Miura, Jaume Cabré... are other authors that remind me of him.

5.5/10

(Japanese)

Ventajas de viajar en tren - Antonio Orejudo

As it just happened to me with the Kjartan Fløgstad's book I read before this, this is one book that left me with the feeling the author is a snob that thinks too much of himself. It may be just me, but normally, when this feeling happens while I am reading a book, it is always a white, middle-aged man (it can be younger or older, but the white man is almost always there). It may be just me, but "Ventajas de viajar en tren" just feels like an ego-trip from someone who thinks they are SO smart.

The story, to call it something because this is one of those stories within stories type, starts with a woman going home in a train. And I will leave just there, because even if I felt the author squandered his opportunity, I don't want to tell more than I already did.

And why didn't I like it? Because, as I said, the writing style felt too full of itself, snobby and posh. And the 'story' per se is not so interesting as Orejudo seems to think it is, repetitive, a little creepy (very, and not in a good way) and not particularly smart. With so many better works out there, it feels pointless to read this.

The best: I have a weakness for the story within story mold

The worst: snobby, repetitive, poor writing style, creepy

Alternatives: well. the obvious one is Jan Potocki's "Manuscrit trouvé à Saragosse"; if you have already read it, you can try...: Kjartan Fløgstad, David Foster Wallace, Virginia Woolf, Karl Ove Knausgård, Margaret Atwood, Shiwon Miura, Kôtarô Isaka, Jaume Cabré...

4/10

(Spanish)

Crimson Hunter - N.D. Jones

This is not a bad book at all. N.D. Jones knows how to write, creating characters, setting and atmosphere with a few strokes, in an engaging style that, even if at the beginning is a little bit difficult to follow what is going on, the author throwing you to a whole new world, is easy on the eye, and good in giving flow to the story. The characters, even if of the cardboard type, are relatable, easy to like (and/or hate) and do not overstay their welcome.

However, I have to say that "Crimson Hunter" left me kind of cold. Because, even with all the metal, witches, and werewolves in another world (or maybe because of that), it has nothing that makes it stand out from the herd of similar novels, nothing new here that you haven't read or seen before, and probably done better. The relationships are stereotypical, the whole plot can be inferred after, like, one third of the book (or less) and, for a book about witches and werewolves, it lacks... how can I say it... oh, yes, magic. Also, I found the constant sexy scenes between Oriana and Marrok pointless and without adding much to the story, the characters or anything at all. Maybe I am a prude, but I need some reason for characters to get naked.

You may not regret reading it. But I think there is better out there.

The best: the style suits the story; the characters are enjoyable

The worst: it is not particularly original; too many 'steamy' moments for my taste

Alternatives: hmmm... Karen Chance, "The Dresden Files"... I haven't read much, actually, of urban fantasy, to which, even if very different, this books reminded me of; Marissa Meyer's "The Lunar Chronicles" is a good option too

5/10

(English)

*Thank you to the author and booksirens for the copy*

Kniven på strupen (Con el cuchillo en la garganta) - Kjartan Fløgstad

In the middle of nowhere (ok, in Norway, in a little industrial city which economy is based on oil, and where 'crazy' capitalism has taken over), some characters' lifes get entangled with surprising consequences.

But who cares about the plot? Because it is pretty clear that Fløgstad doesn't. This is a story that goes from A-ish to somewhere-ish, with simply depicted but full of life characters, whose motivations are a little bit cardboard-y. And that is because Fløgstad cares more about atmosphere, situations, use of language and criticize the modern (and not so modern) capitalist consummerist world.

And how does he fare? He actually does a really good job at it, with a great use of language (smartly translated; I can't read Norwegian), beautiful depicted situations and a clear critique of Norway and the world. At the same time, it is all kind of a mess, the story getting more and more convoluted as it goes along, difficult for the reader to care for the characters and what goes on, and with a couple of situations/comments on society that seem a little bit old fashioned (or they come out that way).

Interesting read but it fizzles a little bit along the way.

The best: Fløgstad knows how to write (and the translation is great); the sarcasm and irony that permeates the text

The worst: it is all kind of a mess; the unnecessary 'physical' moments

Further reading: David Foster Wallace, Virginia Woolf, Karl Ove Knausgård, Margaret Atwood, Shiwon Miura, Kôtarô Isaka, Jaume Cabré...

7/10

(Castilian translation by Kirsti Baggethun & Asunción Lorenzo)

The Fault in Our Stars - John Green

Mary Sue & Gary Sue fall in love in this boring romantic story that ticks all the boxes with only one twist, the fact that both characters are cancer patients, which gives us a lot of cringey moments, as Green doesn't seem to know how to develop a story or characters.

And it all starts well enough, Hazel and Augustus's introduction funny and relatable. However, it is pretty soon that one notices that both characters (their illness apart) are too perfect, handsome, beautiful, smart, already in university even though Hazel is still sixteen and also a writer of poetry... etc., etc., on top of both of them being basically the same character: Augustus and what for Augustus a perfect female would be, a strange wish fulfillment of a male's idea of a female. Even Isaac is basically the same character. And throwing into the mix a random and very cringey character doesn't help the story (view spoiler). And also, Augustus being kind of a sacrificial lamb for Hazel, the prince in a shining armor that comes to bring light to the depressed female, didn't sit very well with me.

Poor romance with a twist that seems to have been put there just to make readers cry, "The Fault in Our Stars" lacks.

The best: the beginning; some humor; the story is easy to follow

The worst: read the first thirty, forty pages and you have already read all character development; the plot is very simple and basic and goes downhill pretty fast; the characters are very poorly drawn; the humor becomes repetitive; I can't believe this love story; the protective male

Alternatives: just read Jane Austen, or Margaret Atwood, or Marian Keyes...

5/10

(English)

Immortal Defiance - Laura Maybrooke

Picture me pleasently surprised by "Immortal Defiance", a fantasy book well grounded, that instead of centering on big fights and journeys, decides to center on the relationship between Dulcea, an elven enchantress, and Krath, a vampire.

At the beginning we find Dulcea in danger, betrayed by one of her own warriors and in the hands of her enemies. Enemies that are going to sacrifice her to their god, so she becomes his maid for all of eternity.

But then, out of the blue, Krath appears and saves her. Krath being a vampire and not very willing to let her go back to her war.

What follows is an interesting and enjoyable (and sometimes a little bit worrisome for me, Dulcea too willing to put herself under Krath's influence) story, Dulcea's fears and desires being shaped by her new acquaintance, a vampire that makes her see things in a new way. It is a nice touch that the author has decided to center on the characters and she has a knack to make them relatable and interesting, even if a little bit stereotypical.

The story (this is the first volume of a trilogy) is well developed, even if there are too many flashbacks to tell of what has come before, and sometimes I wished the plot developed faster, but these are minor quibbles. Also, Maybrooke's writing style is perfect for the genre, with a good balance between dialogues, description and a good care into developing the atmosphere and the scenery, the world in which the story happens.

A good fantasy book. And a nice first step into a new world full of mysteries and adventures waiting to happen.

The best: the relationships between the characters are well developed, and they feel alive; that Maybrooke can pull Dulcea and Krath's relationship off

The worst: the relationship between our two heroes sometimes falls into the worrisome, the masculine dominating the femenine (decide whatever you want about this); the plot could go faster

Further reading: this kind of books falls into the David Gemmell or Terry Pratchett (minus the humor) fold: good characters (and maybe not so much plot)

6/10

(English)

*Thank you to the author and booksirens for the copy*

Normal People - Sally Rooney

A horrible book about a sick relationship between two toxic people, a relationship that never feels real, between two characters that are as cardboard-ish as they come, with zero arc and non-relatable at all, "Normal People" is a failure on all levels, a novel that is boring as they come and that could be summarized in: we like each other but we will make each other and people around us miserable; wash, rise and repeat.

Connell and Marianne are both studying at the same high school, but while Connell, even if from a poor family, is a good student and also good at soccer, Marianne comes from a rich family (for whom Connell's mother works as a cleaning person), nerdy and anti-social (and bullied). The book centers on these two despicable (because they are) characters and drags us for almost three hundred (million) pages through their lame, superficial, boring and stereotypical lives, till... Well, I will not spoil the ending.

Poorly written, with an unclear and unfocused writing style, and zero ideas on where to take the story, Rooney fails on all levels in making the story interesting at all, or of giving us an insight to the lives of these broken people. Instead of understanding them, we will end up hating them, and finding their behavior just plain boring.

Not worth your time.

The best: a couple of surprisingly well written paragraphs (maybe because all the rest is so rubbishy)

The worst: boring, horribly repetitive, despicable and toxic characters

Alternatives: Jonathan Coe, Shiwon Miura, Margaret Atwood, Jaume Cabré... if you want a touching and well written look on humans there are many good options, way better than this book

2/10

(English)

Metropolis - Philip Kerr

Bernie Gunther is a young detective who gets the opportunity to join the homicide's department in this prequel to the series that ended up being the swan song by Philip Kerr. Gunther gets the order to help investigate into the killings of prostitutes by a figure known as 'Winnetou' by Berliners, in reference to the character from Karl May's novels. And the investigation will take Gunther to the darker side of the Berlin of the era.

This is the first book by Kerr I have ever read. And I have to say I am pleasantly surprised: nice and streamlined written style, with little touches and flourishes that give life to the text; well developed characters (even if of the card-board variety); and an amazing depiction of the life and atmosphere of an era (or at least as how we could imagine that era to be). The plot, the mystery, is also well told and developed, even if it is a little bit (a lot) obvious. The only big downside is the constant messages around strong-men-that-drink-and-get-all-the-women type. It gets a little bit too much, our hero your prototypical and boring charming rogue.

The best: the characters have personality; the atmosphere and the environment are top-notch

The worst: the killer is an obvious choice; those 'bad&violent-men-but-also-soft-inside' archetypes that perpetuate silly (and dubious) ideas around masculinity

Alternatives: older like "Man In The Queue"; Japanese like Edogawa or Kirino; Val McDermid or Camilla Läckberg

6/10

(English)

One of Us is Lying - Karen M. McManus

A highly entertaining but shallow book, "One of Us is Lying" is not the worst you can do on a free afternoon, but it won't really surprise or shock you particularly.

It all goes around Simon, Simon being the 'official gossiper' in his particular high school, the teenager who gets to know all the secrets to then post them on the internet, to the chagrin, anger or enjoyment of his schoolmates.

Simon dying from an allergic reaction pretty soon in the book. To then becoming the four students that were with him in detention suspects in his death. While reading it, it reminded me, of course, of all those shows like "Pretty Little Liars", where teenagers with extraordinary romantic/sex lives get entangled in surprising mysteries and deaths.

We get prototypes here: the jock, the geek, the pretty and shallow one, the bad guy... Who McManus does a great job in developing, creating nuanced and full of life characters, people you will feel close to and care about, and worry that one of them may or may not be Simon's killer.

However, all this great character creation and development, and stale but enjoyable depiction of high school life, gets bogged down by a pretty poor mystery, and a resolution that seems fairly obvious once you are one third into the book.

The best: the characters are well fleshed out and you will care about them and their world and evolution

The worst: you can see where all of it is going pretty soon; some of the connections to real life events may not sit well with some readers (in particular if you are sensitive/close to those events)

Further reading: there is so much mystery to read out there... so, "Gone Girl" or if you are more into YA... not a mystery one, but "The Hunger Games" or "Cinder" are highly entertaining

6/10

(English) 

Purgatori - David Marín

A little town where a witch has come back. A priest that has been killed in a roundabout frequented by prostitutes, with his trousers down and cocaine in his car. How are those two events related? Secrets and more secrets. A bunch of policemen will try to find the truth.

"Purgatori" is, theoritically, a noir or mystery novel with a touch of the fantastical. I say theoritically because Marín fails miserable at this. The mystery is your run-of-the-mill character with a lame secret; the suspects are poorly drawn and developed; the 'witch-y' affair is lazy and an excuse for a couple of sex scenes; and those sex scenes are totally unnecessary and feel like the writer's wish fulfillment when it comes to women.

Only some atmosphere and depiction of the life and language of Balaguer and surroundings help the book save some face. Better options abount.

The best: the setting and local touch

The worst: there is no sense of mystery, threat or danger; the unnecessary sex scenes with 'scintillating' female characters

Further reading: look no further than "Man In The Queue" or "The Killings At Badger's Drift". In Catalan language, Carbó's books have more mystery and atmosphere than this one

4/10

(Original Catalan)

Teoria King Kong - Virginie Despentes

This is one of those books that, even if I don't agree with everything it says (it takes a couple of cheap shots, kind of out of the blue, like when she attacks short, ugly men; some statements seem way too much written into stone), is a very interesting and necessary read, that won't bore you and will make you thing about some very important topics in any society, like prostitution, gender and power relations and the role of capitalism and money in gender (and human) relations. Despentes just goes on a rant for around 150 pages (in this translation) but she never becomes too repetitive and makes the reader want to read more about the topic and become more active in their daily life when it comes to these themes.

The best: it is a really worth your time and read around women, gender, men, violence...

The worst: it is ranty, so if you don't like that style...; a couple of cheap shots

Further reading: A lot, like "A Room of One's Own / Three Guineas" (Virginia Woolf), "Nightwork" (Anne Allison) or "Sex Among Allies: Military Prostitution in U.S.-Korea Relations" (Katharine H.S. Moon)

8/10

(Catalan translation by Marina Espasa)

The Testaments - Margaret Atwood

The best thing that can be said about this book is that it is written by Atwood, so it is well written and it has some interesting ideas.

The worst it can be said is that it is totally unnecessary, pointless, and it feels like a money grabbing affair. Even worse, it can be seen as diminishing the world in which "The Handmaid's Tale" happened, making this dystopian world a less interesting and ambigous affair.

Because "The Testaments" feels like an afterthought, a book written by Atwood just because "The Handmaid's Tale" became so popular after its adaptation in a TV show. It is easy to read, yes, and the characters, even if cartoonish, don't overcome their welcome. But the story is simple and not particularly interesting and, as said, it diminishes the ambiguity that so well worked in the first book of this now series. And the ending is kind of weak.

The best: it is Atwood, even if a minor one

The worst: it feels totally unnecessary and it takes some of the atmosphere and 'charm' that was in "The Handmaid's Tale"

Alternatives: Just read the first one

6.5/10

(English)

Narrenturm - Andrzej Sapkowski

This book could be great if it wasn't for the fact that almost two thirds of it are about Sapkowski and his characters leering over women. Because the other third is really entertaining and fun, the adventures of Reynevan, who has to run away after being found with a married woman and whose life gets entangled with religion, dark magic, wars and politics. After finding himself on the run early on in the book, Reynevan gets to meet with all kinds of different and interesting characters, and is in the middle of betrayals, secrets, the Inquisition... And all with your traditional dark, gritty, dirty, messy Sapkowski style to tell a story and to give voice to the characters. Too bad then that he is so obsessed with bodies and looks, in particular women's, and dedicates long passages to their description, taking the reader from the story and making it a little creepy affair. It was something that was already on "The Witcher"'s series, but here it feels tenfold. Entertaining, yeah. Tiring, too. The best: religion & adventures! The worst: Sapkowski and women 4/10 (Castilian translation by José María Faraldo)

I Hope I Shall Arrive Soon - Philip K. Dick

If only the introduction to this book was good, this book would be already totally worth reading. Because in the introduction, Dick creates a fascinating account around art/politics/culture/religion that is so chilling and thrilling that the rest of the book will feel a letdown after it.

And not because the science-fiction stories that follow are bad, because they are not, with your typical Dick's penchant for mixing religion, what is real, what is human, with the future, making for a hallucinated compilation that is a must. A little old-fashioned, of course, and with a little bit too much of religion for some tastes, of course, but gripping nonetheless.

But that introduction, woah.

The best: the introduction is a work of art on itself

The worst: too much religion

Alternatives: Frank Herbert, who also had lots of religion (in a different way); Heinlein; Atwood's "The Handmaid's Tale"; more Philip K. Dick; Neal Stephenson... The list is endless

9/10

(English)

Ordesa - Manuel Vilas

Dross. This book is so boring, so utterly incompetent, so repetitive, so badly written, so wrong morally/ideologically, so horrible, you will feel your IQ is going down while reading it.

It all goes about Vilas taking a page from Karl Ove Knausgård or Thomas Bernhard and looking on his life, his relationships, his experiences, his family, but doing it in so an inept way as to make your eyes bleed. The writing is boring, with poor use of language and repetitive sentence construction. The style is so horrible it is difficult to describe it without wanting to throw the laptop out of the window. The description of Spain and Aragon is so head-scratching-ly poor as to be unable to understand anything or to feel any kind of attachment.

And that is without entering into Vilas sick relationship with his family, with creepy sentences about his mother, both his parents converted into horrible ghosts that feel like those relatives that will never, ever, never, ever, leave your home in Christmas. Or his obsession with beauty and money, looks and possessions.

Keep away.

The best: some random sentences

The worst: everything else

Alternatives: for white males talking about themselves in that 'meta'autobiographical style, you have better options, like Karl Ove Knausgård or Thomas Bernhard; Jaume Cabré to read about families with wonderful writing, humor and use of language; David Foster Wallace for an analysis on language & humanity

0/10

(Castilian)

My Sister, the Serial Killer - Oyinkan Braithwaite

This is a bad book. "My Sister, the Serial Killer" is a pretentious, with delusions of grandeur, story, one of those that talk about powerful female characters, powerful being synonym with selfish and violent.

The story is a simple, very simplistic one: we have a nurse (the ugly one) in love with a doctor (the handsome one, with a ripped body... I mean, the good one), the nurse also having a sister (a very pretty one).

I don't need to add anything else. You can already know were everything is going. The only 'twist' here is that the pretty sister has killed a couple of men with whom she had had an affair. So, you know, a serial killer, a twist that isn't so interesting anyway, and with which Braithwaite doesn't seem to know what to do. It all ends up with our 'heroine' talking for almost two hundred pages about looks, looks, and looks (blergh), and all characters being so shallow and selfish and all plot twists so obvious it won't hold your attention for long. Lame.

This could had been a very funny novel, all sarcasm and irony. As it is, it is a bore.

The best: hmmm... you can read it in one day?

The worst: shallow; so much talk about looks; repetitive; selfish and violent behavior that doesn't make much sense

3/10

(English)

The flaw - D.M. Rasey

First, I have to say that this book seems to have been hastily (and heavily) edited, and to be a way shorter version of a longer one, which is a pity, because all through reading it, the only thing you can think about is about these many scenes / plot exposition moments that have been cut out, rendering the reading a head-scratching one.

And that is a pity because D.M. Rasey writes well enough to create a nice sense of paranoia in his novel. From the very beginning, it is easy to jump into the story, and, even if it feels it was written by a conspiracy theories fanatic, it is realistic enough to be 'scary' (even if the use of real events and the cameos by famous people can be something to have a dialogue about). But also, from soon enough (like the first page), all the weird time/space jumps, the feeling of whole chapters and scenes being left in the editing room, and even sentences that start and never end, take the reader from the story; so much, that it is impossible to consider this a 'real' book. Also, Rasey makes the characters take some really head-scratching decisions to take the story to its ending, giving the feeling that he has a movie in his head (so, he is writing a script) more than a book.

Unfortunately, a mess.

The best: Rasey knows how to write; some ideas are interesting

The worst: it is a mess on all levels; the cuts have made it a frantic affair; using famous people and events is a decision that may not sit well with some readers; that there seems to be a novel with a body and a spirit somewhere

Further reading: "Cryptonomicon", "The Santaroga Barrier" or "The Handmaid's Tale"

3/10

(English)

*Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the copy*

Man In The Queue - Josephine Tey

A highly entertaining whodunit, "Man in the Queue" starts with a murder in the middle of a crowd, not your average mystery novel set up, and follows along a path that brings a couple of nice surprises to readers of this genre, in particular when it comes to character development and atmosphere. It is a pity, then, that the ending is a little bit of out of the blue, even if it fits perfectly with what has come before.

The best: characters, atmosphere; Tey takes her time to develop both of them and does it so in a great way, with little touches that in a sentence or two bring characters to life

The worst: Deus Ex Machina resolution; it can be quite annoying/surprising/rub the wrong way all the comments about 'typical English', 'typical Italian', and other comments about race and cultures that appear in the story

Further reading: here is where Agatha Christie or Kyôtarô Nishimura come to mind

7/10

(English)

Moral Disorder - Margaret Atwood

"Moral Disorder" feels like a minor Atwood's work, even if it still has all of her strong points: great writing, good pace; vivid characters who have amazing inner worlds to which Atwood's writing brings us... However, this story of a woman and her family ends up feeling a little bit like more of the same, as if we are reading once again the same novel. It is fun, it is entertaining, but something is missing.

Really enjoyable, nonetheless. Totally worth reading.

The best: the writing is still amazing; it has a sense of humor; Atwood has a knack to create vivid memories and personalities from her characters, characters that pretty soon feel like family

The worst: it feels like a minor work; it is more of the same Atwood, so if you don't like her writing or ideas...

Further reading: Margaret Atwood has lots of good novels like "Alice Grace" or "The Handmaid's Tale"; Shiwon Miura for a novel in Japanese; Virginia Woolf's "Three Guineas" for non-fiction

7.5/10

(Original English)