Ordinary People | 
#MoviesInMay @Klou
Prompt: Donald Sutherland
I read Ordinary People in my high school English class. However, I never saw the movie. The book was good.
I really like covers that look like paintings. This is another great one! 😍
pickCompelling in its portrayal of the everyday numbness that creeps into love.
pickThe hardest part of life is the dailyness and this story certainly exemplifies this. The writing is extraordinary, the start is slow and I didn't care for the ending, but I loved the character development and the music references.
so-so#SoaringScores Day 1: I interpret #TheRingGoesSouth not as LOTR but more on failed engagements/marriages, and this novel has that. I found the sections on feminism and establishing a sense of distinct identity among the female characters to be quite interesting, although nothing terribly new. However, its truth and the need to untangle what constitutes I versus we would undoubtedly resonate with young women eager to define their evolving roles.⬇️
pick3.75 ⭐
I can see why people are loving this - it's a beautifully written book about real people. Personally, I prefer more dialogue in what I'm reading - I'm glad I did the audiobook because I may not have made it through the physical book. But it is really gorgeous.
pickI wasn‘t that into this for most of it but I really came around to it, so difficult to rate. I started off thinking ‘another book about millennial-ish couples who can‘t communicate for toffee having Modern Problems‘ which is a genre I really don‘t need any more of, and the writing felt a bit too ‘literary novel‘ at times, but I came around to the characters in a way I wasn‘t prepared for and the ending was more powerful and subtle than I thought.
pickI‘ve seen mixed reviews of this but I liked it. A sharply observed look at two marriages in crisis, overwhelmed by life with young children. In many ways this was a really perceptive, if bleak, look at the lives of ordinary people although the story does meander and wanders into a slightly odd supernatural storyline for a short time. I liked the sense of place and time with London being a major part of the story, and music references throughout.
Not the whole stack, just the one on the top! Enjoying it a lot already...
so-soThis just didn't take off for me. The ground felt too familiar, the writing loose and rambling and the characters not quite defined. In some ways it reminded me of NW by Zadie Smith, but a rather inferior imitation.
I despise Michael. Self-obsessed, self-pitying. I'm rolling my eyes so much I can hardly read
Hate errors like this, they seem to be getting more and more common.
so-soI wanted to love this book but I just couldn‘t get into it. Not sure if it‘s my mood or the book. Not sure how it got nominated for the Women‘s Prize ( which probably means my mood was the problem).
#womensprize shortlist readings in Cadogan Hall
Lovely people and talented writers! All extraordinary!
And the woman who read Milkman (and who did the audiobook) was incredible!
#womensprize2019
so-soRead this after Women‘s Prize for Fiction nominees: Sally Rooney & Oyinkan Braithwaite, so had high hopes. I enjoyed the soundtrack weaved in and thought it tackled grief and the underwhelming realities of adult life well. However, I agree with others that it was rather mundane. Stephanie felt underdeveloped and I was disappointed that Melissa‘s breakdown was glossed over, it felt like a missed opportunity to tell a more interesting narrative.
So lawn mowed and thought id grab a short window to carry on with another women's prize book and do a review (see next post). Im halfway through this book which is compelling but very uncomfortable in it's portrayal of a marriage falling apart. Not a barrel of laughs but i am definitely hooked.
pickTwo couples face change & conflict in their marriages. Loved the immersive story, vivid London setting & humour (though it‘s quite sad overall). Lyrical writing & observations of marriage & parenthood painfully accurate. But I also grew frustrated w the characters & found the descriptions of London & music references a bit overdone. Mixed feelings but a pick overall: the experiences of the Caribbean-British in London is vividly brought to life.
so-soA book about relationships when they‘re at that crucial point where they either break or continue forever. The two couples in this book have been together for more than 10 yrs and everyday life with kids have taken over.
I never connected with the characters. I finished to know what happened, but I wasn‘t rooting for the couples to star together or split up.
This is on the shortlist for Women‘s Prize for Fiction, and I hope this doesn‘t win.
My next read.
#womensprize shortlist ..... I‘m really sad not to see Sally Rooney on the shortlist 😕 I loved Normal People! But it‘s an interesting list as always...
Only read American Marriage so far, but will be trying to catch up on the rest.... 📚👍
Well, I wasn't expecting that.
#womensprize #shortlist
panWomen‘s Prize Longlisted Novel about 2 couples of color going through difficulty in their marriages living in London. Seton conjunction with Obama‘s election as president. Sadly this book doesn‘t work at all. It‘s hard to follow the places mentioned. Only Londoners or people who know London well will be able to relate. The book seemed to be all over the place and was often boring in places. Evans did not do what she wanted too.Don‘t recommend.
Early night for me ahead of Anzac Day dawn service, with this book - what a gorgeous cover! 📖😴
so-so#womensprize2019 Evans does a great job of capturing the discontent that often arises during that period in a couple‘s relationship when they have young children and their careers are starting to pick up. It‘s a challenging time, especially for women who have the added burden of being the ‘perfect‘ mom. Unfortunately, the book is bogged down by some superfluous plot lines and the writing is often of the telling variety and overly wordy. 3⭐️
so-soA pretty bleak portrait of unhappy lives & relationships/marriages. If you like plot based books then this might not be for you as it‘s really character based. I very much liked the first half of the book but then it just got a bit samey and a little bit dull, unfortunately. I appreciate that it‘s true to life and I think a lot of people could relate to the feelings of loneliness in marriage,👇
Great to see Diana Evans‘ ORDINARY PEOPLE on the Women‘s Prize shortlist — fantastic book deserving of way more attention than it‘s had, especially on this side of the pond!
so-soA realistic but rather disheartening story that delves into the mundanities and difficulties of two long-term relationships.
Read December 17-22
Book 51/51
My books from London have arrived and now I have to go on a book buying ban. 📚📚😂
This is my most recent “will-I-won‘t-I” Strand book stack.
I ended up walking away with just 4 but carried around all 8 for at least 2 hours 😁 #SHOWME
Purchased:
📚Ordinary People by Diana Evans
📚Housegirl by Michael Donkor
📚Graffiti Place by A. G. Lombardo
📚Devil‘s Mile by Alice Sparberg Alexiou
If you‘ve read one of the ones I DID NOT get and LOVED it, definitely tell me and I‘ll have to make a return trip. 🤓
bailedSecond book this week that didn‘t live up to its cover for me. Some vivid descriptions and moments of clear truth of everyday life. But, overall, for me, too much ordinary here. I wanted a more powerful plot or active showing. The number of adjectives in this volume is sky high. #netgalley
YASSSSS! Got a #netgalley wish today!!! I‘ve seen so much buzz about this one. Really excited to get this grab #ARCbrag #humblenothumble
When you buy a book purely based on the cover. 😍
so-soIt is a story about love/relationships. Two couples struggling with their married lives. Set in London post Obama's win in 2008.Themes of politics, race, parenthood, sex, greif, wanting more of life. It showed that marriage is never just easy, it evolves over time. I did find the book a bit too long, at times over descriptive.Most readers who have been in a longterm relationship will feel the familiarities of these characters stuggles. 🌟🌟🌟/5
Reading on a cramped late night plane
Delayed flights and storms and fun times, but at least I have a book or 12 to occupy me as I try to get home from #alaac18
GUYSSSS #BookCon is exhausting & overwhelming but I‘m so happy to have met and hung out with so many Littens! Last year I came alone and enjoyed myself but this year has been so special.
#BookHaul to come 🤓
