pickI didn't read much of the blurb around this and so went in almost blind.
I found the story line very readable, it kept me guessing and imagining all the way through. I liked how self punishing Isa could be, her determination to simply not have fun yet her curiosity about those that do.
The brothers are really rounded characters and I liked the small amount of background we learnt. Eva was awesome! The history was unknown to me and very sad.
panI made it through! Honestly, I do not see how this novel works after being scrubbed of the fic. The emotional weight of it relies entirely on feelings readers bring to it from HP. Genuinely, nothing here for me. Very curious to see the wider world's reaction to Alchemised but I don't think I'll be reading it. I don't trust that the publisher invested in the editorial work this would have needed to stand on its own (if that edit were possible).
so-so#UnpopularOpinion
I appreciated what the author is trying to do here but for me she wasn‘t successful. I didn‘t buy the central relationship - there was too little to show how they came to care for one another. It‘s a trope I rarely enjoy or find convincing so maybe it‘s just me. The writing is good and the background story is really important. I‘m extra critical when I think a book could be truly great but misses the mark, so only a so-so.
Also, CONGRATULATIONS to The Safekeep for winning the Women's Prize for Fiction 2025!
This book is special.
Eerie, erotic, moving, unsettling... it was one of my absolute favourites of last year and I'm thrilled to bits that it won 🥰
For everyone protesting tomorrow please be safe, please be smart, please keep your eyes peeled and aware of your surroundings. I know I'm not the only person hearing rumors of agitators and disruptors
...dont let them scare you into sitting out. Signs are done a we are ready
I love this version of Woody Guthrie's "All You Fascists Bound to Lose." It's on repeat this week.
https://youtu.be/dWUa7aAIfLE?si=fVXtH4Oq2uiAAWSh
#tuesdaytunes @TieDyeDude
pick(no, I did not have any pears around)
So. This book. I'm lacking the words to describe what it did with me. To me. It totally drenched me, it drowned me, it spit me out. It took my heart and ate it. How am I possibly going to describe this feeling? I simply can't. Impossible. And maybe that's okay. Because sometimes we don't need words, we just need to feel.
We took almost nothing when we left. Mum kept saying, Don't worry we'll come back we'll come back so soon, and it was a lie. I think now to how they found that house with everything still in it, Papa's book still left open on the page where he stopped, and I am sick I am sick to my stomach. Whose stuff did they think that was? They must have known I can't imagine they didn't know. Who doesn't know a thing like that? They must've known.
A pretty deception 🍐
Isabel had never known loneliness like that, one that arrived without the promise of leaving. There was no one now, no one to walk through the door unannounced, no one to open and close a drawer in the other room 🚪🍽️
The Women‘s Prize for Fiction 2025 winner is announced on Thursday; here‘s my thoughts on the short list:-
The Safekeep, Yael Van der Wouden ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
All Fours, Miranda July ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Tell Me Everything, Elizabeth Strout ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Good Girl, Aria Aber ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Fundamentally, Nussaibah Yunis ⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Persians, Sanam Mahloudji ⭐️⭐️
Overall, as I‘ve seen so many others say, I‘m disappointed with the SL. I suspect All Fours will win!
