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The Violin Conspiracy by Brendan Slocumb
“And none of that mattered. No matter how nice the suit, no matter how educated his speech or how strong the handshake, no matter how much muscle he packed on, no matter how friendly or how smart he was, none of it mattered at all. He was just a Black person. That’s all they saw…
3 STARS, 3rd pov, Adult, America, AMERICAN AUTHOR, Black & Black heritage authors, BOOK REVIEW, BOOK REVIEWS, Booklr, Brendan Slocumb, class, Contemporary, drama, family, male authors, music, musicians, My reviews, MYSTERY, NEW YORK, North Carolina, Poverty, PRIVILEGE, published in 2022, RACE, read in 2022, reading, RUSSIA, serbia, social issues, SUSPENSE, The Violin Conspiracy, toxic relationships, travel -
Either/Or by Elif Batuman
This sequel needs a sequel. “Was this the decisive moment of my life? It felt as if the gap that had dogged me all my days was knitting together before my eyes—so that, from this point on, my life would be as coherent and meaningful as my favorite books. At the same time, I had…
1990s, 1st pov, 5 STARS, ABSOLUTE FAVOURITE, academia, Adult, adulthood, America, American, arc, ART/CREATIVITY, autumn, BOOK REVIEWS, Booklr, books about books, books about writers, cambridge (us), campus, coming of age, Contemporary, contemporary malaise, cultural dissonance, Either/Or, Elif Batuman, existentialism, favourite authors, female authors, first love, friendships, Harvard, identity, introspective, language, LGBTQ+ Author, LITERARY FICTION, loneliness, Longing, Massachusetts, mumblecore, My reviews, netgalley, nostalgic reads, philosophical, psychological, published in 2022, re-reads, read in 2022, reading, RUSSIA, sex, SEXUALITY, SLICE OF LIFE, spring, strong sense of place, Summer, the female malaise, The Idiot, toxic relationships, travel, Turkey, turkish american author, UNIVERSITY/COLLEGE, unrequited love, WINTER, womanhood/femininity -
Crime And Punishment: A Novel in Six Parts with Epilogue by Fyodor Dostoyevsky
Dostoyevsky’s The Idiot is a favourite of mine so I was expecting Crime And Punishment be right up my street…aaaaand I hated it. Many consider Crime And Punishment to be one of the most influential books of all time…and I have to wonder…how? The Idiot, although certainly flawed, tells a far more cohesive and compelling…
1860s, 19TH CENTURY, 2 STARS, 3rd pov, big books, cat and mouse, class, CLASSICS, CRIME, Crime and Punishment, drama, endless monologues, existentialism, feverish, Fyodor Dostoyevsky, HISTORICAL FICTION, illness, madness, male authors, MELODRAMA, men who do not seem to know how to write women, morality, MURDER, murder investigation, murderers, philosophical, Poverty, prostitution, psychological, published in 1866, ramblings, read in 2020, RUSSIA, russian author, russian classics, Saint Petersburg, Siberia, TRANSLATED FICTION -
The Anna Karenina Fix: Life Lessons from Russian Literature by Viv Groskop — book review
“Russian literature deserves more love letters written by total idiots. For too long it has belonged to very clever people who want to keep it to themselves.” Although The Anna Karenina Fix is certainly written in an engaging style, Viv Groskop’s humour, which mostly consists in her resorting to a forced comedic ‘light’ tone when…
3 STARS, BOOK REVIEW, Booklr, books about books, books about writers, BOOKS ON WRITING, British author, comedian, ESSAYS, HUMOR, literary criticism, LITERARY STUDIES, MEMOIR, Nonfiction, published in 2019, READ IN 2019, RUSSIA, russian classics, The Anna Karenina Fix, The Anna Karenina Fix: Life Lessons from Russian Literature, Viv Groskop -
The Idiot by Fyodor Dostoyevsky
The Idiot by Fyodor Dostoyevsky ★★★★✰ 4 of 5 stars “I actually had the idea, when you asked me for a subject for a painting, of giving you a subject: to paint the face of a condemned man a minute before the guillotine falls, while he is still standing on the scaffold and before he…
1860s, 19TH CENTURY, 3rd pov, 4 STARS, Adult, big books, CLASSICS, endless monologues, existentialism, Fyodor Dostoevsky, HISTORICAL FICTION, identity, illness, madness, male authors, morality, philosophical, Prince Myshkin, psychological, published in 1869, read in 2018, Religion, RUSSIA, russian author, russian classics, The Idiot, TRANSLATED FICTION -
The Girl in The Tower by Katherine Arden
A very underwhelming follow up to the both magical and interesting The Bear and the Nightingale. The Girl in the Tower shares little with its predecessor. Yes, Arden’s writing style in undoubtedly gorgeous, made up by pretty phrases and vibrant descriptions. But, it didn’t make up for a slow story, one that involves a silly…
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Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy
To say that I was expecting more would be an understatement.Perhaps, the kinship I initially felt with this novel was caused by my sharing the first name of its title character. I wanted a story that delivered an array of conflicting feelings in its portrayal of illicit liaisons. Sadly, Anna Karenina only delivered a great…
2 STARS, affairs, ANNA KARENINA, aristocracy, bad love, class, CLASSICS, drama, existentialism, family, LEO TOLSTOY, male authors, MARRIAGE, MELODRAMA, morality, philosophical, read in 2017, RUSSIA, russian author, russian classics, SOCIAL COMMENTARY, suicide, toxic relationships, TRANSLATED FICTION -
The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden
“They dare not follow, thought Vasya. They fear the forest after dark. And then, darkly: They are wise.” The Bear and The Nightingale is an enchanting tale imbued with Russian folklore and traditions. Arden has crafted a story that abounds with fantastical creatures and mystical prophecies that will entice the reader from the very first…
14th century, 3rd pov, 4 STARS, adventure, AMERICAN AUTHOR, DEMONS, FAIRY TALES, female authors, FOLKLORE, HISTORICAL FICTION, KATHERINE ARDEN, MAGIC, MAGICAL REALISM, myths, read in 2017, Religion, RUSSIA, series that went downhill, THE BEAR AND THE NIGHTINGALE, winter reads, Winternight Trilogy, WITCHES, YOUNG ADULT
luce [is reading] 