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The Magician’s Assistant by Ann Patchett
Quietly meditative yet incredibly evocative. I find it difficult to pick favorites when it comes to Patchett’s work but The Magician’s Assistant has my heart. Published in 1997 Ann Patchett’s third novel, The Magician’s Assistant is her most underrated work to date. Like with any other novel that I hold dear to my heart, I…
1990s, 3rd pov, ABSOLUTE FAVOURITE, abuse, Adult, aids/hiv, America, AMERICAN AUTHOR, ANN PATCHETT, atmospheric, beautiful prose, California, Contemporary, DEATH, dreamlike quality, Dreams, f/f, favourite authors, female authors, friendships, gay side characters, GRIEF, illness, introspective, lgbtq+, LITERARY FICTION, Longing, los angeles, m/m side, MAGIC, MAGICAL REALISM, magicians, melancholy, MEMORY, Nebraska, published in 1997, queer, re-reads, read in 2016, read in 2017, read in 2022, restrained prose, sapphic, SLICE OF LIFE, SMALL TOWN, strong sense of place, The Magician's Assistant, travel, unrequited love, WINTER -
Faithful by Alice Hoffman
“You rescue something and you’re responsible for it. But maybe that’s what love is. Maybe it’s like a hit-and-run accident; it smashes you before you can think. You do it no matter the cost and you keep on running” While not without its flaws, Faithful is a gem of a book. Alice Hoffman has crafted a heartfelt…
3rd pov, 4 STARS, Adult, ALIENATION, America, American, AMERICAN AUTHOR, animals, BOOK REVIEW, BOOK REVIEWS, Booklr, cheating, cold tone, coming of age, Contemporary, ennui, fairytalesque prose, faithful, favourite authors, female authors, forgiveness, found family, friendships, great storytelling, GUILT, heartbreak/breakups, introspective, LITERARY FICTION, loneliness, Long Island, MAGICAL REALISM, mental health, My reviews, NEW YORK, PUBLISHED IN 2017, re-reads, read in 2017, read in 2021, reading, restrained prose, sexual assault/abuse/rape, SLICE OF LIFE, toxic relationships, trauma -
The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt
“To understand the world at all, sometimes you could only focus on a tiny bit of it, look very hard at what was close to hand and make it stand in for the whole.” The Goldfinch is an emotional rollercoaster spanning 700+ pages and proof that literary lightning can indeed strike twice. Fully deserving of…
1st pov, 2010s, 5 STARS, ABSOLUTE FAVOURITE, academia, addiction, Adult, ALIENATION, America, American, AMERICAN AUTHOR, anxiety, anxiety-inducing reads, ART/CREATIVITY, beautiful prose, big books, bildungsroman, BOOK REVIEW, BOOK REVIEWS, Booklr, boyhood, CHILDHOOD, class, Contemporary, CRIME, DEATH, DEPRESSION, donna tartt, existentialism, fathers & sons, favourite authors, female authors, forgiveness, friendships, GRIEF, growing up, GUILT, introspective, las vegas, lgbtq+ side, LITERARY FICTION, MEMORY, morality, mothers & sons, museums, My reviews, Netherlands, nevada, NEW YORK, orphans, paranoia, philosophical, PRIVILEGE, psychological, published in 2013, Pulitzer Prize, pulitzer prize winners, queer undercurrents, re-reads, read in 2017, read in 2021, reading, rich people, strong sense of place, suicide, SUSPENSE, terrific prose, the goldfinch, trauma, unrequited love -
The Charioteer by Mary Renault — book review
“He was filled with a vast sense of the momentous, of unknown mysteries. He did not know what he should demand of himself, nor did it seem to matter, for he had not chosen this music he moved to, it had chosen him.” This is the fifth time I’ve read The Charioteer and once again I’ve been…
1930S, 1940s, 20th century, 3rd pov, 5 STARS, ABSOLUTE FAVOURITE, academia, beautiful prose, bildungsroman, boarding/private school, BOOK REVIEW, BOOK REVIEWS, Booklr, British author, british classics, CLASSICS, coming of age, england, existentialism, family, favourite authors, female authors, first love, friendships, gay, greek myths, HISTORICAL FICTION, HOSPITAL, identity, introspective, it’s about the *yearning*, lgbtq+, LGBTQ+ Author, lgbtq+ classics, LITERARY FICTION, Longing, love triangle, m/m, male friendships, Mary Renault, masculinity, modern classics, morality, mothers & sons, My reviews, philosophical, psychological, published in 1953, queer, re-reads, read in 2016, read in 2017, read in 2018, read in 2020, read in 2021, ROMANCE, SEXUALITY, SOCIAL COMMENTARY, The Charioteer, unrequited love, WWII -
We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson – book review
“Bow all your heads to our adored Mary Katherine.” In recent years Shirley Jackson has experienced a kind of renascence. Perhaps because of Netflix’s adaptation of The Haunting of Hill House or possibly thanks to contemporary authors (such as Donna Tartt, Neil Gaiman, and Stephen King) who have credited Jackson as their inspiration, enhancing her…
1950s, 1st pov, 20th century, 5 STARS, ABSOLUTE FAVOURITE, ALIENATION, America, American, AMERICAN AUTHOR, atmospheric, blackwood manor, BOOK REVIEW, Booklr, class, constance blackwood, creepy setting, fairytalesque prose, favourite authors, female authors, GOTHIC, House As Character, Kafkaesque, manor/big house, merricat blackwood, modern gothic, MYSTERY, occult, psychological, psychopaths, published in 1962, re-reads, read in 2016, read in 2017, read in 2018, READ IN 2019, read in 2020, read in 2021, SHIRLEY JACKSON, SISTERS, surreal, SUSPENSE, terrific prose, unreliable narrators, village, WE HAVE ALWAYS LIVED IN THE CASTLE, witchcraft -
The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters
An eerie and elegantly written novel that thrums with increasing suspense. Waters’ masterfully renders past times and The Little Stranger shows that she can faithfully write non-Victorian settings. The novel’s vivid atmosphere lacks the passion which we can find in other stories by Waters.This novel is rather slow paced: Dr. Faraday’s befriends the Ayreses who…
1940s, 1st pov, 20th century, 3.5 STARS, Adult, British author, dark, england, favourite authors, female authors, ghosts/spirits, GOTHIC, haunted house, HISTORICAL FICTION, LGBTQ+ Author, manor/big house, mental health, MYSTERY, PARANORMAL, read in 2017, SARAH WATERS, SUPERNATURAL, SUSPENSE, The Little Stranger -
The Lessons by Naomi Alderman
The premise itself was enough to intrigue me. A close-knit group of friends attending Oxford? Yes please. Naomi Alderman’s style lends itself well for this: it has a ‘polish’ that evokes notions of privilege. However, the characters and plot do not convey the good qualities of Alderman’s style. Throughout, there is a sort of entitlement…
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The Shadow Land by Elizabeth Kostova
“Alexandra was trembling, because she had see the end and the beginning . And the sun had reached out and found her, stroked her, chosen her.” An encompassing tale that is slowly unraveled through the meanderings of Alexandra – an American and newcomer to Bulgaria – and Bobby, her taxi driver. After a mishap in…
1930S, 1940s, 20th century, 4.75 stars, Adult, AMERICAN AUTHOR, bulgaria, Contemporary, different styles (1st/2nd/3rd povs), Elizabeth Kostova, family, FAMILY SAGA, female authors, HISTORICAL FICTION, lgbtq+, LITERARY FICTION, MEMORY, read in 2017, story within a story, survival, The Shadow Land, travel, war, WWII -
Lying in Wait by Liz Nugent
I won’t deny that –initially– there is an underlying tension that renders some portions of the story to be gripping. The first opening lines propel us into what promises – and fails – to be an intriguing mystery. My main reservation about this novel is that it switches tones too often: there is an unbalanced…
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A Drink Before the War by Dennis Lehane
“Come on, kids.”I stood. “Where?”“There’s a bar around the corner. Lemme buy you drink before the war.” Despite having read two of the later instalments of Kenzie & Gennaro, I was still able to enjoy this first investigation of theirs. They are perhaps less weathered than their future selves but their line of enquiry is…
luce [is reading] 