Rereading (listening really) this again. When I first read it it became one of my least favorite #Discworld books. But as as been happening a lot lately I am liking it a lot now.
so-soI couldn‘t really get excited about this book. It‘s long, wordy, repetitive in some places, and though it‘s easy to read, I always had a reluctance to pick it up. There are moments that show some brilliant writing - a soldier‘s diary written on the frontline for example, but it felt at times very twee, and the characters are mostly stereotypes. It makes some good observations on love and war, but it‘s a chore to get through
Over the last few days I kept falling asleep every time I picked this book up. I was getting super annoyed about it. Just found out I have COVID which explains a lot of recent events. It‘s a mild case, so all is well. Just sleeping a lot. 💤💤
My two mother‘s day books from my son. He is also going to do a lot of trimming in the yard, & weeding & planting in my garden. For someone who does not like to dig in dirt, it‘s an amazing & touching gift! Just saw my surgeon & as I guessed, I cannot do any kind of garden work due to my shoulder & bicep tear surgery last fall. Any sadness I was feeling after my MD appointment Friday has faded with this gift.
pickWhat a mesmerizing read. The writing is simply enchanting. Obreht uses folktales and magical realism in a thoughtful meditation on finding meaning among loss, war, and death. It felt a bit detached in the beginning of the book, but about halfway through it really started to come together.
“‘Violence, remember it‘s only the body that‘s fragile. You are unbreakable.‘”
#May2024
"I live in pain. I practically built a house there and set u0 a whole economy."
Yeah, I know that feeling ?
pickI wanted to finish this book, to find out what happened to Roman and Iris. And yet, I kept putting it down because I also didn't want to finish it as I knew, KNEW, my heart would be torn to shreds by the end.
And it was.
But I also have some mixed feelings about this book. While I enjoyed it, I didn't love it like I loved DR. DR will clearly be one of my favorite read of the year. This one will fall somewhere further down the list.
Really enjoying how global the viewpoint of this book is.
