eliss959's reviews
125 reviews

The Bee Sting by Paul Murray

challenging emotional tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

Wow
There were some points where I thought this book was so long. I felt like I have been taken for a ride with no destination but only the ending time, p.642. The book is a series of mildly disastrous decisions, and dialogues. The incomprehension among characters, their insecurities and problems. But the last 30-20 pages covered me in anxiety. I struggled to turn the last page as I still couldn’t understand how the book would finish as for the whole time it had been an unpredictable ride. 
I’m so glad I’ve read it and stuck to it. It was a mountain that I wanted to climb and I have all the thrills of climbing it, but now at the top I see the reality of life and my desire to finish it became ephemeral. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Bullying, Domestic abuse, Homophobia, and Toxic relationship

Isaac Steele and the Forever Man by Daniel Rigby

adventurous funny tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

This audiobook is so spectacular! The narrator is fantastic, just perfect for it! The story is captivating, tense, and witty and the characters have so much personality. They all shine with it. I just feel like I’ve watched a mini tv series. And I know it’s good because I feel like I want it to be adapted into a tv series but I’m terrified that they’ll ruin it completely as it is so incredible as an audiobook. It’s like having Rick from Rick and Morty in a dystopian Detroit becomes human but amplified by 100%. 
I’m so thankful this was included in my membership and I’ve got to listen to it! 

Sayonara, Gangsters by Genichiro Takahashi
Did not finish book. Stopped at 42%.

I’ve read it half way but it’s just too too weird and I’m not sure I’m enjoying really. 

Il vecchio che leggeva romanzi d'amore by Luis Sepúlveda

adventurous inspiring reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

Absolutely stunning
I’ve listened to the Italian version and I loved it. It was like a hymn to life. Beautifully written and narrated. I was so immersed in this forest and invested in the life of the characters. 

Storia di una gabbianella e del gatto che le insegnò a volare by Luis Sepúlveda

funny inspiring lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Un libro così adorabile! La storia è veramente preziosa e divertente. Però quello che rende il libro assolutamente indimenticabile è la narrazione di Gerry Scotti. Wow. Letto così bene che la storia mi sembrava 3D. Mi è sembrato di conoscere i personaggi da una vita e ogni tanto parlo con la voce dei personaggi, anche se ho finito il libro da più di una settimana!! 
5 ⭐️

Cuccette per signora by Anita Nair

emotional inspiring tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

I liked the book, I liked to hear about the life of these women. It was like exploring a museum in which you’re very sorry to see that they don’t know they are in. They live like it’s perfectly normal and there is nothing that they could do otherwise. It’s blood-boiling at the beginning but by the end of the book I came to accept that this is their reality and I am a mare spectator whose anger will not change the events of history. It’s in the past but I’ve learned to be even more grateful for the place I live in and the year I live in. 

Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin

emotional hopeful inspiring reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This book is truly art. It’s like a painter would put paint on a brush and then fill the whole canvas without detaching the brush. It’s a continuum of emotions that shift and change shape with every acknowledgment of a new understanding of life. It’s so true and so real. The games are described wonderfully but it’s the process and the intentions behind every little detail that make the book so inspiring and refined. 
Reading the book it’s like making peace with your inner self after years of fighting. 
Loved it. 

Tinker, Tailor, Schoolmum, Spy by Faye Brann

adventurous funny hopeful medium-paced

4.25

This book has a bit of everything and it’s all interesting. You want this people to be real because while you red they are. They are normal people and you cheer for them, even when they are being a bit selfish. 
It’s a really cool book with lots of action and funny bits. I’m so glad I’ve read it ☀️

The People on Platform 5 by Clare Pooley

emotional funny hopeful fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

This book was charming and fun. It was not crazy in the sense that everything felt so real that when I went to catch the train I almost expected the characters to be there. I sat in the same spot as theirs and looked at the people around me. I am sad that the book finished because I’ll miss my friends too. I know them so well now!!! ❣️

The Ghost Bride by Yangsze Choo

adventurous mysterious reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Absolutely loved it!! 
Seriously, I’m not even a fan of fantasy genre but this was a fantasy story that embedded cultural traditions and rituals of ancient Malaysia. It was really clever and grippy. The characters are fantastic and they all shine through their own distinct personality. The description are brief and accurate and most of the times I clearly see what’s going on and how the things work even though the scenery is really complexed.
At the beginning lots of names sounded the same and I was getting real confused but in short time I learned all of them and was able to just enjoy the story. It’s a total must!!
Also, there is a Netflix series which I’ll start to watch now :) I hope it’ll be as good!!