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stories_of_the_soul27's reviews
265 reviews
Miss Kim Knows and Other Stories by Cho Nam-joo
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
I am rating this 5 star not because it is an important book but because I thoroughly loved some of the stories to the heart.
It is a testament of a great writer to be able to evoke emotions and convey important message through short stories. I always feel I won’t connect with characters by reading about them in 20 or so pages. But that wasn’t the case here.
Each of the stories showed women of various ages and backgrounds and lifestyle with the underlying essence of womanhood and its demands by laid out by the patriarchal society. A hardworking underpaid woman is more likely to get milked and washed up rather than her male counterpart. A mother when she becomes grandmother is expected to care for her grandchildren without questions. The expected role of women to forever care (read : spoon feed) her husband, children (even when they have grown up and moved out) and grandchildren (because their kids are busy earning) made me so exhausted thinking that how the patriarchal society had devised the roles for women solely for the benefit of men. A feminist writer is hated and taunted wherever she goes by men and women alike. The complex relationship of mother-daughter-grandmother and how it creates rifts and barriers. A woman who took care of her siblings while growing up, then her own kids & grandkids is now bedridden and has almost no one to look after. The gaslighting story ending with the girl cussing her ex-boyfriend as a rat bastard was so satisfying to read.
But among all these, it made me hopeful to see that in little ways women are realising their worth. The Night of Aurora was such a heartwarming story that I cried reading it. The beautiful relationship of a DIL-MIL was portrayed and they had such a warm acceptance for each other and mutual respect as a woman to woman, a wife to wife and a mother to mother. The realisation that the focus should be on your growth and living life as an individual person and not as someone’s wife or mother was written beautifully.
I loved girlhood. I am loving womanhood. I don’t care if I am shunned for being outspoken and for being a feminist. I love being a woman. I feel for all the women. And days like these when I read books like “Miss Kim Knows” I feel validated and comforted.
It is a testament of a great writer to be able to evoke emotions and convey important message through short stories. I always feel I won’t connect with characters by reading about them in 20 or so pages. But that wasn’t the case here.
Each of the stories showed women of various ages and backgrounds and lifestyle with the underlying essence of womanhood and its demands by laid out by the patriarchal society. A hardworking underpaid woman is more likely to get milked and washed up rather than her male counterpart. A mother when she becomes grandmother is expected to care for her grandchildren without questions. The expected role of women to forever care (read : spoon feed) her husband, children (even when they have grown up and moved out) and grandchildren (because their kids are busy earning) made me so exhausted thinking that how the patriarchal society had devised the roles for women solely for the benefit of men. A feminist writer is hated and taunted wherever she goes by men and women alike. The complex relationship of mother-daughter-grandmother and how it creates rifts and barriers. A woman who took care of her siblings while growing up, then her own kids & grandkids is now bedridden and has almost no one to look after. The gaslighting story ending with the girl cussing her ex-boyfriend as a rat bastard was so satisfying to read.
But among all these, it made me hopeful to see that in little ways women are realising their worth. The Night of Aurora was such a heartwarming story that I cried reading it. The beautiful relationship of a DIL-MIL was portrayed and they had such a warm acceptance for each other and mutual respect as a woman to woman, a wife to wife and a mother to mother. The realisation that the focus should be on your growth and living life as an individual person and not as someone’s wife or mother was written beautifully.
I loved girlhood. I am loving womanhood. I don’t care if I am shunned for being outspoken and for being a feminist. I love being a woman. I feel for all the women. And days like these when I read books like “Miss Kim Knows” I feel validated and comforted.
কম্বল নিরুদ্দেশ by Narayan Gangopadhyay
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
এই চার পোলাপান এর কির্তীকলাপের কথা পড়তে আমার ভারি মজা লাগে।সেই বাচ্চাবেলার মধুর সময়ের কথা মনে করিয়ে দেয়। 🥹❤️
Cinder by Marissa Meyer
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
I picked up this book for the sake of an entertaining read and I was thoroughly entertained. I dedicated the whole weekend to finish this 400 page book after finishing up my chores. It took my mind off things. I was giggling and sitting at my desk just flipping through the pages. Sometimes that’s all I need from a book.
My another current read is a book on human psychology which is making me think about harsh stuffs and next read is going to remind me how misogynistic the society is. So before that I got my mind soothed with a book where we have a cyborg heroine shunned by society, a Prince charming and an evil Queen. However this book read like a first book of a 6 part instalment series and I am hoping to see more of this world and good progress of the story.
I liked Cinder a lot. I understand that she had to discover a lot about herself in just one book so I am keeping my hope of any development of hers in the next book. I liked Kai but that kid needs to grow a spine. I also feel giving the Lunars power to compel people at their whim and Lunars themselves being unable to fight their own illusion (except shells) seems too convenient for the sake of story building. The massive advantage the Lunar Queen has on Earthens and her still not waging war for years and only focusing on Commonwealth again seems way too convenient. A lot is of questions are building up. What is the extent of a Lunars power? How did they came to being? If there are cyborgs, androids and robots and netlink, then what other scientific marvel would we read about? The world building could have been more sophisticated. I’m still holding out my hope for the next book.
My another current read is a book on human psychology which is making me think about harsh stuffs and next read is going to remind me how misogynistic the society is. So before that I got my mind soothed with a book where we have a cyborg heroine shunned by society, a Prince charming and an evil Queen. However this book read like a first book of a 6 part instalment series and I am hoping to see more of this world and good progress of the story.
I liked Cinder a lot. I understand that she had to discover a lot about herself in just one book so I am keeping my hope of any development of hers in the next book. I liked Kai but that kid needs to grow a spine. I also feel giving the Lunars power to compel people at their whim and Lunars themselves being unable to fight their own illusion (except shells) seems too convenient for the sake of story building. The massive advantage the Lunar Queen has on Earthens and her still not waging war for years and only focusing on Commonwealth again seems way too convenient. A lot is of questions are building up. What is the extent of a Lunars power? How did they came to being? If there are cyborgs, androids and robots and netlink, then what other scientific marvel would we read about? The world building could have been more sophisticated. I’m still holding out my hope for the next book.
A Murder is Fixed by Madhav Nayak
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.5
A solid debut by Madhav Nayak! This was an entertaining read. Solving a murder with the help of an old one eyed Umpire & and together with the Inspector-Constable duo, proved to be a thrilling, fun ride of discovering clues, going after suspects and performing good old police work. In between snacks and chai were not forgotten. There were good number of suspects who were all lying and being suspicious and a seemingly straightforward mystery did had it’s own set of twists and turns. To bring in the match fixing and cricket aspect into it made it all the more pleasing read.
But if you are a veterinary mystery/thriller enthusiast, then the clues become obvious in due time.
I am eager to see what the next book by Madhav Nayak is about!
But if you are a veterinary mystery/thriller enthusiast, then the clues become obvious in due time.
I am eager to see what the next book by Madhav Nayak is about!
Murder on St. Mark's Place by Victoria Thompson
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
It isn’t that I didn’t enjoy this novel. It was good and more fast paced than the previous novel. Sarah and Malloy’s relationship and personal lives were shown in more detail and it made my eyes moist and heart beat fast because of certain interactions. I loved the social commentary and the central theme of this book’s mystery. The reality of how a girl’s virtue is viewed in the society by her family/peers/neighbours and men, how they get exploited by the men around them because all the girls wanted were pretty things, how almost all men & women justified girls getting killed because they were asking for it (sadly this is still being said by so many in this day and age), wives without any protection given by law and society from their abusive husbands because marriage makes them their property. When I read historical novels, I am always left with s shuddering of how cruelly women, minorities and marginalised groups were made to live. Though we still have a long way to go to get rid of all the injustices.
Anyway, the book was 3.5 🌟 for me because the mystery and the plot twist felt rather flat to me. The personality of the killers were something borrowed and tried and tested in many novels and they were a pretty easy guess since the second half the story.
But it isn’t an issue. This book is not a miss. I’m still pretty excited to pick up the 3rd book.
Anyway, the book was 3.5 🌟 for me because the mystery and the plot twist felt rather flat to me. The personality of the killers were something borrowed and tried and tested in many novels and they were a pretty easy guess since the second half the story.
But it isn’t an issue. This book is not a miss. I’m still pretty excited to pick up the 3rd book.
The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
I saw the movie when I was in my teens and I am reading the book now that I am well into my adulthood. And even though it is a coming of age story, I am able to appreciate this after coming into age.
I like how the story really came into its own. I really love sweet sensitive Charlie and how he feels things and tells people that he loves them with all his honesty. He sees and observes and understands. It was gut wrenching to see him navigate this world with all his thoughts and fears but equally heartwarming to see people coming together to help him understand the world a little bit better. I keep on saying how hard it is being a teenager. There’s so much we discover while growing up and making mistakes - how to choose our friends, what we are learning from them, who to put up with, self esteem and how it affects our relationship etc etc. This life is difficult to live but if you are born into the right family, make good friends and right choices, I think it gets a little bit easier.
If We Were Villains by M.L. Rio
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
When I read this book back in 2021, I wasn’t aware of co-dependent friendship/relationship. Now that I do, I can appreciate this story more. I loved it then, I still love it now. I love the drama, tragedy, friendship, desire, despair, the sense of camaraderie & mutual understanding without any questions, conflict, confusion, jealousy, ego, rage, loose morality and sweet, naive Oliver.
Art is amazing. Art makes one so passionate and head over heels in love with something to the point of losing one senses. Art is saviour for many. Art kills and art saves.
M.L.Rio had recently on her Instagram Q&A said that if she had to write IWWV now, then she would make many changes and make it better. I believe her but it doesn’t take away the fact that any version of IWWV would be loved by me.
Alone With You in the Ether by Olivie Blake
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
[And what he asks, is the Truth?
That she will keep turning corners until she finds him.]
[That to love a person was to forfeit the need to place limits on them, and therefore to love was to exist in a constant paralysing threat.]
[Every time you love, pieces of you break off and get replaced by something you steal from someone else. It seems like it’s the right shape but it’s slightly different every time, so that eventually, very very quietly and over days and days and days, you are transformed into something unrecognisable, and it happens so slowly, you don’t even notice, like shading scales and making new ones.]
She is the version of herself because of him, and vice versa.
I would be simultaneously terrified and exhilarated if I ever find myself loving someone like Regan and Aldo loved each other. They are co-dependent (a relationship I am slowly beginning to detect in stories). I do not know much about love but Regan & Aldo have shown me a new version of love and it’s deep, vast, free falling, scary, holy, uncertain but theirs to hold and cherish.
My favourite lines: Did it matter where it started, and would it matter where it would end? Either yes, it mattered very much, because everything was a consequence of something and therefore what became of them was somehow predetermined, or no, it did not matter at all, because beginnings and endings were not as important as the moments that could have happened or the outcomes that might have been. Either it was everything to know the whole story, to look back and see the shape of it while standing along its periphery; or it was nothing, because things in their entirety were less fragile and therefore less beautiful than the pieces within the frame.
It Ends with Us by Colleen Hoover
reflective
fast-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
2.0
I can understand why this book got so famous. I am in no place to judge or critically analyse a book on DV. I can only share what it made me feel. It was so painful and heartbreaking to see Lily go through that during her childhood and then in her own marriage. Lily and her mother’s conversation towards the end tore my heart apart. The whole discussion of what your limit is! It was powerful. I truly believe something - “It doesn’t matter whether you leave the 1st time or the 576884th time. What matters that you left!”
But having said that I have some issues with this book and some of the narrative.
The quote - “There is no such thing as bad people. We’re all just people who sometimes do bad things.” In any other story, I would have let it go. But not when the theme is DV. While it is true that you cannot categorise people in boxes all the time but to say this in a book where the man Lily loved and the said man loved her too, had physically abused her and where Lily’s mother had been physically abused throughout her married life, is just absurd and trying to be all philosophical unnecessarily! We humans become good and bad because of our choices! We could have a traumatic past or we could have a healthy past, you can factor all those and still I will say it our choices which makes us what we are. Because not everyone with an abusive or traumatic experience ends up doing bad shit. If we can categorise and label actions as good, bad, kind, violent etc. then why can’t we label the people doing those actions by the same adjectives?! Throughout the book and till the acknowledgment, Colleen Hoover had uphold this saying and that made me mad. So my version of the quote would be - Bad people choose to do bad things.
Another aspect which bothered me was how many times Lily kept telling that her choosing not to forgive Ryle was hurting him beyond anything and how regretful he was and that he was repenting every day. It can be seen as that no matter how much Ryle repents, that his actions had long lasting effect and he shouldn’t have done all this in the first place. I was so proud of Lily when her rage broke upon him. But honestly driving the same point home so many times only gave Ryle redeemable points and somewhere a girl reading this definitely will think or would have thought that she could have changed Ryle.
Third aspect that bothered me was how Ryle didn’t understand what CONSENT means. Lily said him NO so many times but dude continuously violated her personal space and did pathetic begging just so Lily would sleep with him! And nowhere in the story was it shown even once about how WRONG it was!
But mostly what bothered me was the fact that the reason Lily chose to leave Ryle was because she didn’t want her daughter seeing how Ryle abused her. She didn’t want her daughter knowing how her father beat her mother around and lose respect for him. I am sad that Lily didn’t leave Ryle for herself. That she deemed Ryle’s image as a father more important than her dignity and the fact that she deserves to be loved the right away. The last few lines completely negates every powerful thing Lily’s mother said to her. And as usual Ryle had to be made understood that leaving him is the right choice by using his daughter as an example because men simply do not comprehend a women’s POV unless his sister/mother/daughter/wife is brought into it!
I won’t go into the writing of this book. It was better than the other stuffs she wrote except some really tacky dialogues.
Lastly one part of the author note - “Because of this, I have utmost respect for parents who don’t involve children in the dissolution of their marriage.” I want to say that if someone chooses to involve their kids in their dissolution of marriage then they are completely okay to do that. I am in no position to judge her that despite seeing how her father behaved with her mother, she chose to keep a good relationship with her father. And I want to say if someone chooses not to do that then that’s okay too.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse and Physical abuse
Darling Girls by Sally Hepworth
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I bought the Kindle edition of this book on a whim upon seeing that it was on sale. I haven’t heard of Sally Hepworth before (this is a lapse on my part). I was very much surprised by this book. Initially, I thought it was a predictable story, but it surprised to me through and through to the end.
The story was so well thought out. The sisters really warmed my heart and seeing them grow out of their trauma bit by bit towards the end legit made me cry. I liked that despite it being a domestic thriller, the characters were written with care. Reading the acknowledgement part was equally heart touching.
I’m so excited to read her other books.