margaret45678's reviews
47 reviews

A Legacy by Sybille Bedford

funny reflective sad slow-paced

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

3.5

Chose this book totally at random in a bookshop, along with Walter Benjamin's Berlin Childhood, which turned out to be an appropriate companion. Witty, charming, kind of sad, very slow-paced. Enough of a plot to keep things interesting, with great descriptions of interiors, landscapes, clothing, etc. Also notable for its exploration of class and religious identities just after German unification.

Route 19 Revisited: The Clash and London Calling by Marcus Gray

informative

3.5

I read this book quite a while ago and my memory might not be totally accurate but I remember finding it pretty tedious at the time. Some of the information is totally irrelevant (do we really need a history of the skull and crossbones to understand 'Death or Glory'?).
That being said, there's a lot of good stuff in there, too; besides all the Clash minutiae, there's a lot of info on social history, films, other bands and even literature (well, Federico Garcia Lorca and Brighton Rock at least) which I really appreciated. The recording and production of 'London Calling' is genuinely really interesting and the songs are so full of (often rather obscure) references to things, reading this book did help me appreciate and understand the record better. 
I almost want to say it would have worked better as a 33 1/3 book that focused more on the album itself, but I have to admit that this book introduced me to a lot of other stuff I wouldn't have otherwise known about, and that kind of makes up for the boring bits. 

Riddley Walker by Russell Hoban

challenging dark emotional funny mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

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

5.0

Another book I couldn't put down. I had wanted to read it for a while because the idea sounded so intriguing, and it definitely delivered. The style makes it sort of tough going, and I made frequent recourse to a guide I found online to understand much of it. However, it's hard not to be pulled into its world, which is so masterfully presented despite its (intentionally) crude style.  

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape and Torture

Foucault's Pendulum by Umberto Eco

dark funny informative mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

Utterly delightful! I couldn't put it down the first time I read it, and had to buy my own copy to read it again. Wide-ranging, funny, profound and encyclopedic. Like an ornate cabinet of curiosities full of strange treasures. 

Notes of a Crocodile by Qiu Miaojin

dark emotional funny reflective sad slow-paced

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

3.25

Parts of it are great, with complex thoughts and feelings being expressed wonderfully. The chronology of the story was not totally clear to me, and I felt that there was a mismatch between its format (ostensibly taken from the diaries of the narrator) and its content/progression (seeming to move backwards and forwards in time). Very glad I read it but not sure if it's really my style. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicidal thoughts and Suicide attempt

Sketches from a Hunter's Album by Ivan Turgenev

challenging emotional reflective slow-paced

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

4.25

Full of very, very long sentences which are often very beautiful, but also very dense. As the title suggests, the stories are more concerned with describing characters and scenes, rather than playing out eventful plots. Many of the stories felt somewhat unresolved and ended rather abruptly. More of a slog than Fathers and Sons, because it is more poetic and slower paced. 

Fathers and Children by Ivan Turgenev

funny reflective sad medium-paced

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

5.0

Deeply humanistic, with characters lovingly and realistically portrayed with all of their foibles and flaws. Turgenev's descriptions of nature are also wonderful. Obviously driven by social commentary rooted in mid-nineteenth century Russia, and yet its themes and characters are still relevant and relatable.