Welcome to Litsy!

I feel bad about this rating, because Jilly Cooper is a bit of a National Treasure, particularly so in Gloucestershire, the county she and I both live in. This third instalment in her Rutshire Chronicles is, on the whole, a good book: though it‘s bold and brash, at its heart is romance and true love. But I can‘t ignore the domestic violence and animal cruelty in it 😩

Book 20/60, Page 5,930/18,000 #Read2025
#SeriesLove2025

The last of three short translations that are heavier topics. This is written as a novel but seems to be the story of the author‘s friendship with someone now experiencing dementia, and her perceptions of the many changes and losses that dementia causes, both for the person afflicted and those around them. This is beautifully written with observations that stop you in your tracks.

In my opinion, this book was overhyped. I felt like instead of creating a great story for this dystopian world, the author focused mostly on how to make the next chapter more disturbing/disgusting than the last. Although I didn‘t completely hate it, I didn‘t love it either 🤷🏾‍♂️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I‘ve only read one other by this author- Cantoras, but I definitely will pick up her other books when I see them.

For fans of Sarah Waters and France‘s de Pontes Peebles. Historical Fiction that follows tango music‘s evolution in mostly Argentina, through the eyes of a young woman who chooses to disguise herself as a man in order to be accepted as a musician.

Slow moving but beautiful. Sapphic and sexy.

This borderlines violence for the sake of violence. Maybe that‘s THE POINT, but I‘m just not pessimistic enough for this I guess. Disturbing. 2/5

Wow - this book 🙌 I was reading it thinking how sad and harrowing it was to be experiencing Elena‘s Parkinson‘s and her grief at her daughter‘s death. And then Pineiro knocks you out as both Elena and the reader‘s eyes are opened to the underlying truths - the story behind the story. This is the sort of novel where you dont realise how clever it is until the end.
Photo: subterranean tunnel Waiheke Island

I'm sure this would have resonated a little more if I was more familiar with the Argentinian epic of Martin Fierro than just what I got from Wikipedia, but I think it stands on it's own very well. China Iron, or whatever name they're using at the time, is wonderful character. We're there for their coming of age and sexual awakening against the backdrop of the pampas.

Next up - #guiltypleasure #trashy

What do the living owe the dead? How do we deal with victims of mass killings? Families need closure and people deserve to be buried/put to rest with their names in places their loved ones can visit. We are human because we have rituals to honor the dead. All of these topics come up while Hagerty describes her profession of handling bones in Argentina, uncovering mass graves of victims of the genocide there. Sobering work but important.