I LOVED W&T. peak anxiety novel. the translator should win an award. a little luck is on my TBR and so was Extinction of Irena Rey until I read a bad review but now yours is giving me hope it might still be worth it
the translations of W&T and post horn were done by the same woman, which i thought was interesting because of how different they were as reading experiences and in their tones! she also translated 'is mother dead,' which i'll have to get to soon.
at least one friend whose taste i am usually aligned with didn't like 'extinction of irena rey' either, clearly it's a divisive book! it's a very indulgent book (as in, self-indulgent; some strange excesses etc). enjoyment of it is going to depend on how well that works for you!
I read Jill Ciment’s memoir and felt the exact same way. I wanted her to engage more with the questions she posed to the reader. I also *love* The Body in Question, so I was a bit disappointed that I didn’t feel the same way about Consent.
Consent felt almost half baked. Like she wanted to talk about it but was still holding back? On reflection, I realized she never even clarifies when they got married - not that a wedding has to big a big deal, but where and when did they decide to do it? Meanwhile Body in Question is so excellently constructed I was surprised to find this so half formed.
Totally agree! The Body in Question is such a powerhouse that I expected the same from Consent. It felt like she pivoted away from her original questions about halfway through the book after she examined the passages from her original memoir. I did feel like the ending was very tender in a way that I appreciated.
Lmao I agree about Julia’s drinking and all round mischief in TNWBL because it does not add to the plot. I was waiting for it to have significance? I think once you let the technical go it is much easier to enjoy the thrust of the book. I’m glad to hear you read it just as fast as I did! I thought it was a lot of fun to read and I often do not read ‘fun’ books.
Also I know the book world does not revolve around me, nor am I the only person in the world to read and recommend these books to you, but I am feeling very warm and happy reading about how you found 4 books I’ve enjoyed SO much in the last year (ex little luck which was last summer but I digress). I could not believe how much I loved W&T when I read in Feb, no A Little Luck which I cried a lot when I finished. I think your criticisms of bellies are valid in the sense that it’s all a bit too perfect. A friend and I had this conversation about [redacted]’s death. It felt like a ridiculous plot point just to make them all come together and resolve all the issues going on. I thought it was lazy writing. I found it hard to perfect that point in the review without ruining anything so I ended up not going w it for ease (maybe I am now the lazy writer…?) it felt v tropey in a lot of ways.
This was def a Summer of Martha - because I'm a library person and not really a long TBR person, I put things on hold and their availability from the library dictates when I read them. I have a few more books you recommended on my coffee table. A credit to your strength as a reviewer and selector of books!!!!
And yes, I totally agree with Bellies. That was one of the things that made it feel like a young perspective, because it just did not feel "true" to have these people reconcile so early and so easily without an event like that -- and in my experience those events do not always bring people together.
I LOVED W&T. peak anxiety novel. the translator should win an award. a little luck is on my TBR and so was Extinction of Irena Rey until I read a bad review but now yours is giving me hope it might still be worth it
the translations of W&T and post horn were done by the same woman, which i thought was interesting because of how different they were as reading experiences and in their tones! she also translated 'is mother dead,' which i'll have to get to soon.
at least one friend whose taste i am usually aligned with didn't like 'extinction of irena rey' either, clearly it's a divisive book! it's a very indulgent book (as in, self-indulgent; some strange excesses etc). enjoyment of it is going to depend on how well that works for you!
me any time you share a book rec ✍️✍️✍️
if you haven’t read hjorth yet she’s an extremely worthy addition to the nordic train!!
post horn is sitting on my coffee table, eyeing me as i add another libby hold to my kindle app…..
i’d encourage you to read it but those libby holds won’t last forever
I read Jill Ciment’s memoir and felt the exact same way. I wanted her to engage more with the questions she posed to the reader. I also *love* The Body in Question, so I was a bit disappointed that I didn’t feel the same way about Consent.
Consent felt almost half baked. Like she wanted to talk about it but was still holding back? On reflection, I realized she never even clarifies when they got married - not that a wedding has to big a big deal, but where and when did they decide to do it? Meanwhile Body in Question is so excellently constructed I was surprised to find this so half formed.
Totally agree! The Body in Question is such a powerhouse that I expected the same from Consent. It felt like she pivoted away from her original questions about halfway through the book after she examined the passages from her original memoir. I did feel like the ending was very tender in a way that I appreciated.
Lmao I agree about Julia’s drinking and all round mischief in TNWBL because it does not add to the plot. I was waiting for it to have significance? I think once you let the technical go it is much easier to enjoy the thrust of the book. I’m glad to hear you read it just as fast as I did! I thought it was a lot of fun to read and I often do not read ‘fun’ books.
Also I know the book world does not revolve around me, nor am I the only person in the world to read and recommend these books to you, but I am feeling very warm and happy reading about how you found 4 books I’ve enjoyed SO much in the last year (ex little luck which was last summer but I digress). I could not believe how much I loved W&T when I read in Feb, no A Little Luck which I cried a lot when I finished. I think your criticisms of bellies are valid in the sense that it’s all a bit too perfect. A friend and I had this conversation about [redacted]’s death. It felt like a ridiculous plot point just to make them all come together and resolve all the issues going on. I thought it was lazy writing. I found it hard to perfect that point in the review without ruining anything so I ended up not going w it for ease (maybe I am now the lazy writer…?) it felt v tropey in a lot of ways.
This was def a Summer of Martha - because I'm a library person and not really a long TBR person, I put things on hold and their availability from the library dictates when I read them. I have a few more books you recommended on my coffee table. A credit to your strength as a reviewer and selector of books!!!!
And yes, I totally agree with Bellies. That was one of the things that made it feel like a young perspective, because it just did not feel "true" to have these people reconcile so early and so easily without an event like that -- and in my experience those events do not always bring people together.
rapidly becoming one of my favourite newsletters tbh
💖 💖 💖
here on this earth to opine