I always read the Booker winner, but I had a hard time finding this one. Hubby found it in a bookstore in Ireland. It arrived yesterday all the way from Galway. I hope it was worth the hunt. It‘s on my TBR for those lazy holiday pajama days. #BookMail
pickThis was helpful, a bit eye opening and a lot of common sense that you know, but flies under the radar until it reveals itself so plainly to you. Aka, good and necessary to hear. My particular favorites included the assessments and learning about the four parenting types - emotional, passive, rejecting and driven. Helped me understand not only my own parents but also as a parent myself. Nice one to listen to on audio!
so-soI loved the first third of this NBA longlister for Fiction in Translation.
Then it got VERY repetitive and long-winded.
The final third was more interesting but I‘d already guessed what was going to happen, although not the ultimate ending, so that lessened the impact a bit. That, and the fact that i5 was all rather depressing, kept this as a so-so..
pickThe book follows Istvan through various stages of his life. He says little more than “yeah” or “okay.” In one sense it‘s easy to read; very short blunt sentences, little in the way of dialogue. In another sense it‘s hard to read; who is Istvan, what is he thinking? Yet of course, this is the point. Definitely a book that benefits reading a review or two as you go along I think. In short - odd and intriguing, glad I read it, glad it‘s finished.
pickA good story about the five children who survived a cult, four of whom have spent 15 years trying to make sense of it. Chapters from the past and chapters from the present culminate in the discovery of what really happened all those years ago. I had to suspend my sense of disbelief to get to the end of this one. A soft pick as the characters didn‘t really resonate with me, yet the mystery kept my attention.
This is why I follow the Women's Prize each year more than any other.
pickThe multiple POVs were a little much at times, and I found the miscommunication trope that drives the "heartbreak" part of the story a little ridiculous. Overall, though, I found the story engaging and readable. This was my October #Bookspin @TheAromaofBooks
pickI enjoyed this. As others have said the writing style is paired down and sparse. I think that reflects both the idea of the Eastern European and the Man. This is a character study and can be taken quite philosophically.
It is also a bit depressing! István goes along to get along and that leads to some really unfortunate situations. I really appreciate how Szalay portrayed mental health in aan we would assume avoids it.
