FourFoursin2021

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Third & final book in the Seeking Mansfield trilogy, this one was MUCH better than Shoot the Moon! It's a riff on Emma that was actually done really well. As with Seeking Mansfield, Watson comes up with some great ways to update the characters & their situations while remaining true to their personalities & motivations. Emma is my least-favorite Austen (yep, even behind MP) so ironically one of the reasons I didn't LOVE this one is because the ⬇️

TheAromaofBooks (cont'd) author did such a great job capturing the essence of the original haha

This one can totally be read independently of the other two books, although a lot of the background of the characters will be richer if you reading Seeking Mansfield first. I'm happy/aggravated to say that Shoot the Moon literally had nothing to do with this book, so it can be skipped entirely - oh that I had!

I did think this one got a little polemic from time to ⬇ 4y

TheAromaofBooks (cont'd) time, especially considering the people who are going to read a YA modern adaptation of Emma probably already have thoughts on women's rights, so I felt like I didn't need paragraphs of conversations explaining how “men just shouldn't rape“ etc.

Still, all in all in a fun story & definitely recommended to fellow #PemberLittens who enjoy modern/YA variations.

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rockpools

The Bones of Grace | Tahmima Anam

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Zubaida‘s adoption has only ever been mentioned once. But as she leaves her palaeontology research in the US, and accepts the life/marriage she‘s been brought up into, it becomes more important. And then there‘s Elijah, the American she met briefly at a Shostokovich concert, an obsession or the love of her life?

This is a slow read - the pacing made it feel much longer than it is. The audio, read by Tania Rodrigues, however, was excellent-

rockpools Zubaida‘s long letter to Elijah made it feel like you‘re being told a story, and, despite the numerous tragic events, kept the tone relatively light. Zubaida - and the people around her - are flawed and messy and selfish and human. The story takes us from Cambridge, Mass. to the archaeology of Pakistan and the ship-breaking yards of #Bangladesh. Like Zubaida herself, there‘s lots to love here - but it‘s far from perfect. And the ending? Hmmm. 4y