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becandbooks's reviews
1118 reviews
Swing Time by Zadie Smith
3.0
I am so torn by this book.
The key thing I want to say is the writing is gorgeous. Smith has a way with making her words into sentences that absolutely got me from the first page.
But the problem is sometimes I was focusing too much on how pretty the sentences sounded rather than what the story was.
Don't get me wrong. Swing Time addresses so many hard hitting issues in this book, that combined with her writing style MAKES you feel, for a time, that you are reading an incredible book. And I'm sure for some people that is what it is. From race, gender, celebrity culture, third world poverty, political culture, mum issues, drugs, and alcohol, and relationships. This book covers SO MUCH.
But I feel that among all this the story got lost. There was no real plot. I have seen some reviews describe the book as a journey rather than a book with an end. Which I find accurate. I also found it unsatisfying as a reader.
Covering so many topics across such a broad time frame, there was a lack of focus. By the time I was getting immersed in one issue Aimee was tackling in her life, we were done and off to another one. I felt like the story was always 'off track'.
The chopping and changing was used too much, between countries and time frames and the current issues, making it difficult and confusing and sometimes just a headache to read. So often I felt it was difficult for me to grasp where the story was at.
And despite covering the entire 400+ pages up close and personal with Aimee and all of her life struggles, I felt no connection to the MC. I never pitied her, or wanted to support her, or was angry at her. I just felt no emotional connection. Which really feels like a missed opportunity for the author.
I admire the ambition of the book and adore Smith's way with words and sentences. And because of this, Swing Time will not be the last Zadie Smith book for me. But all in all, I won't be revisting Swing Time again.
The key thing I want to say is the writing is gorgeous. Smith has a way with making her words into sentences that absolutely got me from the first page.
But the problem is sometimes I was focusing too much on how pretty the sentences sounded rather than what the story was.
Don't get me wrong. Swing Time addresses so many hard hitting issues in this book, that combined with her writing style MAKES you feel, for a time, that you are reading an incredible book. And I'm sure for some people that is what it is. From race, gender, celebrity culture, third world poverty, political culture, mum issues, drugs, and alcohol, and relationships. This book covers SO MUCH.
But I feel that among all this the story got lost. There was no real plot. I have seen some reviews describe the book as a journey rather than a book with an end. Which I find accurate. I also found it unsatisfying as a reader.
Covering so many topics across such a broad time frame, there was a lack of focus. By the time I was getting immersed in one issue Aimee was tackling in her life, we were done and off to another one. I felt like the story was always 'off track'.
The chopping and changing was used too much, between countries and time frames and the current issues, making it difficult and confusing and sometimes just a headache to read. So often I felt it was difficult for me to grasp where the story was at.
And despite covering the entire 400+ pages up close and personal with Aimee and all of her life struggles, I felt no connection to the MC. I never pitied her, or wanted to support her, or was angry at her. I just felt no emotional connection. Which really feels like a missed opportunity for the author.
I admire the ambition of the book and adore Smith's way with words and sentences. And because of this, Swing Time will not be the last Zadie Smith book for me. But all in all, I won't be revisting Swing Time again.
The Incident on the Bridge by Laura McNeal
2.0
The story was okay. The backstory to the crime was good.
But I found the switching of POV a bit of a headache. I'll note here that I did read this as an audiobook - whether that took away from the story I'm not sure. But I was confused in the beginning of the book, kinda got it by halfway through but by then I wasn't invested in the story. And at the end I felt like summing up ALL the characters was tedious and I just didn't really care.
It was a fine story to pass the time, the writing style was enjoyable and comfortable if you took away the POV changes throughout the book. But there are other crime/mystery/thriller books that I would recommend before this one.
But I found the switching of POV a bit of a headache. I'll note here that I did read this as an audiobook - whether that took away from the story I'm not sure. But I was confused in the beginning of the book, kinda got it by halfway through but by then I wasn't invested in the story. And at the end I felt like summing up ALL the characters was tedious and I just didn't really care.
It was a fine story to pass the time, the writing style was enjoyable and comfortable if you took away the POV changes throughout the book. But there are other crime/mystery/thriller books that I would recommend before this one.
Lola by Melissa Scrivner Love
5.0
This book is great. Fantastic. Grand. Raw. Dark. Honest.
It is so god damn good.
It is so god damn good.
Through the Looking-Glass and What Alice Found There by Lewis Carroll
3.0
This book was just so much weirder than I expected. I mean really. I couldn't tell what was happening half the time with the instantaneous scene changes. But, I guess that is the point with Carroll.
There is nothing like a weird-ass classic. I admire this book for everything that it is. The book that upstaged all the strangeness in Alice Down the Rabbit Hole. The book that weirded me out so much that I had to keep reading to the end. The book that birthed a caterpillar which was Alan Rickman and a hatter which was Johnny Depp.
Don't expect an easy read, I will give that one caution. I'll be honest that I skipped through all the songs and poetry which I know from the movies (both classic and Disney). And it is great to finally know the original of what is now a story chopped and changed with its prequel so it makes some ounce of sense.
There is nothing like a weird-ass classic. I admire this book for everything that it is. The book that upstaged all the strangeness in Alice Down the Rabbit Hole. The book that weirded me out so much that I had to keep reading to the end. The book that birthed a caterpillar which was Alan Rickman and a hatter which was Johnny Depp.
Don't expect an easy read, I will give that one caution. I'll be honest that I skipped through all the songs and poetry which I know from the movies (both classic and Disney). And it is great to finally know the original of what is now a story chopped and changed with its prequel so it makes some ounce of sense.