What I've been reading lately - reviews
The Waiting Time by Sara Banerji
My rating: 2/5
The Waiting Time is quite an odd book. It seems like the author went to a lot of trouble to fit in as many elements as possible (childhood trauma, war, terrorism, identity issues, domestic abuse, culture changes – to name a few), but they didn’t quite sit together right for me. The basic plot revolves around a child who creates a time capsule with her brother containing their most treasured items, along with some documents stating their identity. She then witnesses her parents’ deaths as the result of a bomb, and is later separated from her brother in a foster home. As an adult, she wants to go back to her childhood home but needs to find those documents she buried in order to prove it belongs to her, but of course it’s not as simple as that.
When I read the blurb it seemed like this book had so much potential, however, to put it bluntly, it didn’t live up to my expectations. Firstly, I found it so difficult to connect with any of the main characters. I empathised with them as children, but as adults I felt absolutely nothing except for occasional pity. Secondly, the excessive use of profanity almost stopped me from finishing the book – I know that Banerji was using it as a way to show an element of a character’s personality, but it gets to a point where it’s just too much. Lastly, the ending was quite disappointing to me. I can forgive a book many things if the ending is spectacular, or well written. This was neither.
I think the flashbacks were this book's saving grace and the reason I gave it an extra point. They were interesting, emotive, and kept me reading.
The Very Thought of You by Rosie Alison
My rating: 3.5/5
The Very Thought of You is a book about relationships, set during World War 2. The protagonist is a young evacuee called Anna who is relocated along with other children to a manor-turned-school in the countryside. If you’re a bit of a romantic like I am, you’ll love the idyllic setting of the manor and the shenanigans that happen there. Although it’s a bit unrealistic (the book makes it seem as though faithful partners are as rare as pixie dust), I did enjoy reading this, however if you're looking for a feel-good novel I'd pick something else to read. Again, I wasn’t keen on the ending – it wasn’t too bad, but it didn’t end the way I would’ve liked!
The Time of My Life by Cecelia Ahern
My rating: 3/5
Hello, chick-lit! I'm completely unashamed to say that I do enjoy the odd dive into this genre when I’m looking for something quite easy and light-hearted to read, which this book certainly was. I seem to have issues with characters in books, because to be honest I didn’t like the main character in this one either – but unlike the others, I gradually warmed to her after a while. The plot was predictable, but it was an enjoyable and quite funny read that also comes with a bit of general life advice!
Obstacles to Young Love by David Nobbs
My rating: 3/5
I’ll be honest here and say that I really don't know what to say about this book. It wasn’t quite what I expected it to be: the blurb doesn’t prepare you for the amount of religious discussion that occurs (which was important to the book, but still felt a bit much at times), and I’d actually say it was more about love and life in general as opposed to young love as the title hints toward. However, the author is a great storyteller - he seems to have a good grasp on people and human nature, and it was certainly quite an interesting read.
So that’s it! I know I’m not the most eloquent or thorough of reviewers, but hopefully you found this at least mildly interesting - if you've read any of the books I've mentioned, let me know what you thought of them.
My rating: 2/5
The Waiting Time is quite an odd book. It seems like the author went to a lot of trouble to fit in as many elements as possible (childhood trauma, war, terrorism, identity issues, domestic abuse, culture changes – to name a few), but they didn’t quite sit together right for me. The basic plot revolves around a child who creates a time capsule with her brother containing their most treasured items, along with some documents stating their identity. She then witnesses her parents’ deaths as the result of a bomb, and is later separated from her brother in a foster home. As an adult, she wants to go back to her childhood home but needs to find those documents she buried in order to prove it belongs to her, but of course it’s not as simple as that.
When I read the blurb it seemed like this book had so much potential, however, to put it bluntly, it didn’t live up to my expectations. Firstly, I found it so difficult to connect with any of the main characters. I empathised with them as children, but as adults I felt absolutely nothing except for occasional pity. Secondly, the excessive use of profanity almost stopped me from finishing the book – I know that Banerji was using it as a way to show an element of a character’s personality, but it gets to a point where it’s just too much. Lastly, the ending was quite disappointing to me. I can forgive a book many things if the ending is spectacular, or well written. This was neither.
I think the flashbacks were this book's saving grace and the reason I gave it an extra point. They were interesting, emotive, and kept me reading.
The Very Thought of You by Rosie Alison
My rating: 3.5/5
The Very Thought of You is a book about relationships, set during World War 2. The protagonist is a young evacuee called Anna who is relocated along with other children to a manor-turned-school in the countryside. If you’re a bit of a romantic like I am, you’ll love the idyllic setting of the manor and the shenanigans that happen there. Although it’s a bit unrealistic (the book makes it seem as though faithful partners are as rare as pixie dust), I did enjoy reading this, however if you're looking for a feel-good novel I'd pick something else to read. Again, I wasn’t keen on the ending – it wasn’t too bad, but it didn’t end the way I would’ve liked!
The Time of My Life by Cecelia Ahern
My rating: 3/5
Hello, chick-lit! I'm completely unashamed to say that I do enjoy the odd dive into this genre when I’m looking for something quite easy and light-hearted to read, which this book certainly was. I seem to have issues with characters in books, because to be honest I didn’t like the main character in this one either – but unlike the others, I gradually warmed to her after a while. The plot was predictable, but it was an enjoyable and quite funny read that also comes with a bit of general life advice!
Obstacles to Young Love by David Nobbs
My rating: 3/5
I’ll be honest here and say that I really don't know what to say about this book. It wasn’t quite what I expected it to be: the blurb doesn’t prepare you for the amount of religious discussion that occurs (which was important to the book, but still felt a bit much at times), and I’d actually say it was more about love and life in general as opposed to young love as the title hints toward. However, the author is a great storyteller - he seems to have a good grasp on people and human nature, and it was certainly quite an interesting read.
So that’s it! I know I’m not the most eloquent or thorough of reviewers, but hopefully you found this at least mildly interesting - if you've read any of the books I've mentioned, let me know what you thought of them.
Personally, I'm curious: how many books would you rate with a 5/5? Any examples? I enjoy good books too, but I think I need a 5 to get into it.
ReplyDeleteThere aren't many...I do get into lots of books but to me a 5 has to be something pretty special. I loved the Girl With The Dragon Tattoo series, Harry Potter (bit of a no-brainer) and the Chronicles of Narnia while more recently I really liked Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close, Little Women and the Lost Art of Keeping Secrets. I think it very much depends on your own tastes though, for example Alex isn't a big reader but he loved the Black Magician Trilogy by Trudi Canavan. They're the only books he's ever been into!
ReplyDeleteIf you're looking for something to read have a look on goodreads.com - you can see other people's reviews, book ratings and have a look through some recommendations which can definitely help to give you an idea about whether or not you'll enjoy a book before you get it :)