The book has an interesting collection of short stories. I’ve never read crime related short stories before, and I really enjoyed the twists in these The book has an interesting collection of short stories. I’ve never read crime related short stories before, and I really enjoyed the twists in these tales. As a true crime junkie, these quick reads were a guilt free indulgence. There were a couple of issues I had with the readability of the language/style but that seems more like a me issue than an issue with the book itself.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily....more
What even was the point of this book? I was thoroughly bored. The only thing that saves the book a little bit is the description of BOOKSTAGRAM LIED!
What even was the point of this book? I was thoroughly bored. The only thing that saves the book a little bit is the description of the scenes. But totally avoidable....more
3.5 out of 5! I struggled a bit with this book in the beginning, when I was just listening to the audiobook. I kept getting lost and found it difficul3.5 out of 5! I struggled a bit with this book in the beginning, when I was just listening to the audiobook. I kept getting lost and found it difficult to focus with the names dropped and the constant switch between the history lectures and the present. Then I bought the ebook and I started following what was actually going on.
The story is narrated by Sadie Smith (not her real name) who is a freelance spy who manipulates everyone to get her way. After being fired from the FBI for entrapment, she is now employed by anonymous powerful people to infiltrate a commune of suspected eco-terrorists in a remote French village. I love unreliable narrators and absolutely enjoyed Sadie’s character. I loved her confidence and ruthlessness and how she remains so focused on her mission, come what may!
And then there is Bruno Lacombe! I loved the dynamics between these characters that was imagined by Sadie and was deeply touched by his backstory and all the post-war violence that he suffered.
I also enjoyed Kushner’s incredibly intelligent writing - the way she uses this noir styled spy novel to explore the capitalist doom as well as the farce of the radical left is sheer brilliance.
The only problem I had with the book was with the last few pages. I found Sadie’s change of character quite unconvincing and also the fair incident (to not give out anything) was a bit too convenient. With all the built up towards the event, what activity happened kind of fell flat for me.
This was my first book from Kushner but I look forward to reading the others! ...more
The Safekeep by Yael van der Wouden is a tender tale of loss, grief, identity, self discovery, self acceptance, desire and obsession. Set in 1961 agaiThe Safekeep by Yael van der Wouden is a tender tale of loss, grief, identity, self discovery, self acceptance, desire and obsession. Set in 1961 against the context of WWII, the book explores the stories of two women, Eva and Isabel and the ghosts of their pasts.
The Safekeep was an exhilarating novel for me. There are a few intimate sex scenes described in detail that I felt was drawn out more than necessary, but when I think of the story as a whole, I suppose these were necessary. The book deals with the aftermath of war and switches perspectives - told from the POV of a Jew and a Christian. But it does this so cleverly, so intelligently, and it builds palpable tensions as the novel progresses. It was a beautiful reading experience and when I finished the book, I found myself empathising with the characters which I didn’t think would happen when I started the book. Most of the third part of the book was heartbreaking - the displacement and the collective generational trauma and discrimination that the Jews around the experienced, IMO, is a relevant reminder of our shared histories.
Considering that is the author’s debut novel, you can just feel the labor of love that this book was. It well deserves to be on the Booker shortlist! ❤️...more
So I decided to attempt reading Held yet again. I found it very difficult to get through the the first 25% of the book, just like last time. I pushed So I decided to attempt reading Held yet again. I found it very difficult to get through the the first 25% of the book, just like last time. I pushed through and there was a point in the book where I really thought that I’d judged the book prematurely and loved those parts of the book. Especially the portion with the studio and the photographs (not expanding further to not give away too much). But the last 40% of the book lost me again. I didn’t really follow what was going on and just wanted to finish it or DNF it again. I finished the book but I’m left feeling really underwhelmed.
I’m also slightly annoyed that this got shortlisted over My Friends. ...more
Loading...
