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Option B: Facing Adversity, Building Resilience and Finding Joy
Adam Grant and Sheryl Sandberg
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From Facebook's COO and Wharton's top-rated professor, the #1 New York Times best-selling authors of...
Ivana A. | Diary of Difference (1171 KP) rated Hippie in Books
Nov 26, 2018
Full review on www.diaryofdifference.com
Hippie is the autobiography by Paulo Coelho, told in third person. This is a story about people that travel the world, wear funny clothes and flowers in their hairs, and believe in peace, love and freedom.
I have read many of Coelho’s books, even since I was a teenage girl. And all of them share something in common – the path of finding yourself. After reading Hippie, I believe that this is the the best one that covers this subject quite perfectly.
‘’He was a human being, with all the fragility that entails, he didn’t understand everything that happened in his life, but he truly wished to believe he was travelling in search of the light.’’
The book is a story of two people, Paulo and Karla. Paulo, a Brazilian guy, searching for freedom and travels. Karla, a lady born and living in Amsterdam, wanting to find herself so badly in the world. When she hears that a hippie bus is going all the way to Nepal, she is willing to go if she meets her ideal companion.
‘’She wished they could see her for her beauty, but all anyone ever saw was the hurricane, and they never sought shelter from it. They preferred to flee to safer ground.’’
Their adventure begins in such an adorable way, only hippies can relate to. Their search for what they want and need feeds with every stop and every destination. A beautiful story about friendship, love and travel.
I actually wished that they had spoken more about the travels and less about some individual stories that didn’t quite correlate to the plot. I also wished that they actually reached out the final destination the way they are supposed to (this was not a spoiler).
‘’Our travels teach us everything we need to know for the rest of our lives, as long as there’s no need to explain this to our parents.’’
Even though a sad end, it is a realistic story about a way of life before, where people loved to be free, and were free to find love, in a world of peace, love, marijuana and travels. A place where no one cares what you look like.
Right now, hippies are a normal thing, people that we all secretly enjoy reading about, and listening to their stories, but in the past, these people fought so hard to change the system of how people’s minds worked, the system people were stuck in, to make people realise that they have the freedom to believe in anything they think is right, to do anything that makes them happy, to be happy, and share this with the world. To live in a world full of happiness, love, peace, to travel and see places, discover places and people, see new cultures, explore people’s minds and customs.
‘’The sun had come out, as though to say that finally the Renaissance was making a return, to change everyone’s habits and customs – and one day very soon, people would no longer depend on the opinions of others but rather on their own ways of seeing life.’’
The one thing that I couldn’t enjoy was the constant religion mentioning in this book. All religions were mentioned, and with such intensity, that peace and love and freedom and the hippie meaning started to be in relation to religion, which is something I personally don’t want to put together. I am aware that lots of hippies believe in God in their own way, but I also think that love and peace should gather them together as a group, not religion. And this point was clearly states a lot of times throughout the book. Not enjoyable, at least for me.
For all of you out there, the hippies, the ordinary people that love travelling, love, life, happiness, music – this is a book for you. Another amazing Paulo Coelho novel, full of wisdom and quotes to underline.
Hippie is the autobiography by Paulo Coelho, told in third person. This is a story about people that travel the world, wear funny clothes and flowers in their hairs, and believe in peace, love and freedom.
I have read many of Coelho’s books, even since I was a teenage girl. And all of them share something in common – the path of finding yourself. After reading Hippie, I believe that this is the the best one that covers this subject quite perfectly.
‘’He was a human being, with all the fragility that entails, he didn’t understand everything that happened in his life, but he truly wished to believe he was travelling in search of the light.’’
The book is a story of two people, Paulo and Karla. Paulo, a Brazilian guy, searching for freedom and travels. Karla, a lady born and living in Amsterdam, wanting to find herself so badly in the world. When she hears that a hippie bus is going all the way to Nepal, she is willing to go if she meets her ideal companion.
‘’She wished they could see her for her beauty, but all anyone ever saw was the hurricane, and they never sought shelter from it. They preferred to flee to safer ground.’’
Their adventure begins in such an adorable way, only hippies can relate to. Their search for what they want and need feeds with every stop and every destination. A beautiful story about friendship, love and travel.
I actually wished that they had spoken more about the travels and less about some individual stories that didn’t quite correlate to the plot. I also wished that they actually reached out the final destination the way they are supposed to (this was not a spoiler).
‘’Our travels teach us everything we need to know for the rest of our lives, as long as there’s no need to explain this to our parents.’’
Even though a sad end, it is a realistic story about a way of life before, where people loved to be free, and were free to find love, in a world of peace, love, marijuana and travels. A place where no one cares what you look like.
Right now, hippies are a normal thing, people that we all secretly enjoy reading about, and listening to their stories, but in the past, these people fought so hard to change the system of how people’s minds worked, the system people were stuck in, to make people realise that they have the freedom to believe in anything they think is right, to do anything that makes them happy, to be happy, and share this with the world. To live in a world full of happiness, love, peace, to travel and see places, discover places and people, see new cultures, explore people’s minds and customs.
‘’The sun had come out, as though to say that finally the Renaissance was making a return, to change everyone’s habits and customs – and one day very soon, people would no longer depend on the opinions of others but rather on their own ways of seeing life.’’
The one thing that I couldn’t enjoy was the constant religion mentioning in this book. All religions were mentioned, and with such intensity, that peace and love and freedom and the hippie meaning started to be in relation to religion, which is something I personally don’t want to put together. I am aware that lots of hippies believe in God in their own way, but I also think that love and peace should gather them together as a group, not religion. And this point was clearly states a lot of times throughout the book. Not enjoyable, at least for me.
For all of you out there, the hippies, the ordinary people that love travelling, love, life, happiness, music – this is a book for you. Another amazing Paulo Coelho novel, full of wisdom and quotes to underline.
Sophia (Bookwyrming Thoughts) (530 KP) rated Hullmetal Girls in Books
Jan 23, 2020
<b><i>I received this book for free from Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.</i></b>
<em>Hullmetal Girls</em> was both painful and fun to read, with machinery and body modification in space. Skrutskie's latest novel is quite different for those who have read her <em><a href="https://bookwyrmingthoughts.com/mini-reviews-part-1-emily-skrutskie-marie-lu-and-others/">The Abyss Surrounds Us</a></em> duology, but just as good.
No cute sea monsters though. 😞
<h2><strong>What can you expect from <em>Hullmetal Girls</em> then?</strong></h2>
Because that's what you're really here for. (That, and well, prime book shoving from one of your favorite book dragons.)
<h3>Space and machinery</h3>
<em>Hullmetal Girls</em> is kind of cyborgs in space but not exactly cyborgs as Scela are people who are enhanced with machinery to be stronger and better. There's a huge price to pay, but also rewarding for those who make it to the top. I found it interesting to see how the Scela worked both during the process of becoming one and training.
<h3>Very painful beginning</h3>
Skrutskie introduces us to Aisha, a girl who decides to undergo surgery to become Scela, an enhanced soldier who is stripped of humanity to protect the Fleet ruled by the General Body. We're in the process of the surgery with her, and it'll be a painful read as she is being taken apart and put back together.
<h3>Strong sense of family</h3>
Family is a huge theme from the beginning of the book until the end. Aisha risks her life to become Scela to provide a better life for her remaining family and to give her younger brother the best care for his sickness. Throughout the book, we see this as her motivation to get through basic training and to be a part of the best Scela, even though she probably doesn't care or want to be there. She's not the only one though, as one of her teammates undergoes the procedure to help her sister become the best researcher she can possibly be. If anything happens to the people they love, they're in a void of nothing, trying to figure out what their meaning of life is.
<h3>Friendship and teamwork</h3>
After Scela survive their procedure, they are placed into squads who they will be with from training and into their careers as the Fleet's protective body. From early on, Aisha and her squadmates: Key, Wooj and Praava are all thrown together and have to figure how they can work together as a team. They learn that if they all want to accomplish their goals, they'll have to meet somewhere in the middle. It's not something they get ahold of easily and without some challenges, though, but they get there eventually.
<h3>Open-ended ending</h3>
<em>Hullmetal Girls</em> has an open ending but brings everything together to a satisfying closure that leaves some imagination to the readers of what could happen to the characters after the book ends.
<h2><strong><em>Hullmetal Girls</em> is different from Skrutskie's debut novels, but just as amazing with the technology in space, the friendship that develops and the sibling relationship that drives some of the characters.</strong></h2>
<a href="https://bookwyrmingthoughts.com/hullmetal-girls-by-emily-skrutskie/"; target="_blank">This review was originally posted on Bookwyrming Thoughts</a>
<em>Hullmetal Girls</em> was both painful and fun to read, with machinery and body modification in space. Skrutskie's latest novel is quite different for those who have read her <em><a href="https://bookwyrmingthoughts.com/mini-reviews-part-1-emily-skrutskie-marie-lu-and-others/">The Abyss Surrounds Us</a></em> duology, but just as good.
No cute sea monsters though. 😞
<h2><strong>What can you expect from <em>Hullmetal Girls</em> then?</strong></h2>
Because that's what you're really here for. (That, and well, prime book shoving from one of your favorite book dragons.)
<h3>Space and machinery</h3>
<em>Hullmetal Girls</em> is kind of cyborgs in space but not exactly cyborgs as Scela are people who are enhanced with machinery to be stronger and better. There's a huge price to pay, but also rewarding for those who make it to the top. I found it interesting to see how the Scela worked both during the process of becoming one and training.
<h3>Very painful beginning</h3>
Skrutskie introduces us to Aisha, a girl who decides to undergo surgery to become Scela, an enhanced soldier who is stripped of humanity to protect the Fleet ruled by the General Body. We're in the process of the surgery with her, and it'll be a painful read as she is being taken apart and put back together.
<h3>Strong sense of family</h3>
Family is a huge theme from the beginning of the book until the end. Aisha risks her life to become Scela to provide a better life for her remaining family and to give her younger brother the best care for his sickness. Throughout the book, we see this as her motivation to get through basic training and to be a part of the best Scela, even though she probably doesn't care or want to be there. She's not the only one though, as one of her teammates undergoes the procedure to help her sister become the best researcher she can possibly be. If anything happens to the people they love, they're in a void of nothing, trying to figure out what their meaning of life is.
<h3>Friendship and teamwork</h3>
After Scela survive their procedure, they are placed into squads who they will be with from training and into their careers as the Fleet's protective body. From early on, Aisha and her squadmates: Key, Wooj and Praava are all thrown together and have to figure how they can work together as a team. They learn that if they all want to accomplish their goals, they'll have to meet somewhere in the middle. It's not something they get ahold of easily and without some challenges, though, but they get there eventually.
<h3>Open-ended ending</h3>
<em>Hullmetal Girls</em> has an open ending but brings everything together to a satisfying closure that leaves some imagination to the readers of what could happen to the characters after the book ends.
<h2><strong><em>Hullmetal Girls</em> is different from Skrutskie's debut novels, but just as amazing with the technology in space, the friendship that develops and the sibling relationship that drives some of the characters.</strong></h2>
<a href="https://bookwyrmingthoughts.com/hullmetal-girls-by-emily-skrutskie/"; target="_blank">This review was originally posted on Bookwyrming Thoughts</a>
Veronica Pena (690 KP) rated Call Me By Your Name in Books
Jan 18, 2020
I loved this book and then I hated it and then I loved it again. Let me back up. I love everything about the way this book was written. I think that if I were going to write a book in a similar fashion, it would look a lot like this. The way Elio thinks and sometimes overthinks is very similar to my own. I think that it's very obvious that this book is written about a European boy in the way that he talks and thinks about love and sex and the grand scheme of life. At one point in the novel, Oliver asks him if he's always been this wise and Elio shrugs and says he knows nothing and I think that is so far from the truth. You would never find an American 17-year old that talks and thinks about love and sex and life in the way that Elio does - at least I don't think - and I loved that. I read a lot of American and English authors and novels and it's nice to be transported to a different place - the very serene cottage that Elio's family lives in - and live vicariously through him and Oliver.
The parts that I didn't like in this novel have nothing to do with the characters or the dialogue or anything pertaining to the story really. I think the trouble of writing a novel from this specific perspective is that Elio's thoughts can get away from him, especially at good parts where you just want the story to keep progressing. Overall though, they always find a way of meaning something and bringing you back in.
Finishing this novel left me with these mixed emotions of euphoria and heartbreak. I love the way that Elio talks about Oliver and frames him to be the great love of his life, essentially, and Oliver does the same thing years after their last encounter together. I find the way that Elio thinks about him and loves him to be magical and all-encompassing and I think if you've ever experienced that overwhelming feeling of love and desire of another person in every way, you can just put yourself in Elio's shoes and you're transported back to that feeling and it's really magical. I think that's what books should do for you.
I was also surprised at how much I enjoyed the time jumps that happen at the end of the novel. Sometimes I think that they are unnecessary and just annoying because you want to think about the characters having lived this certain way and when it's given to you, it can sometimes be disappointing but I didn't feel that with this novel. I appreciated them, I liked where they went, and I liked that there was and probably always will be this unspoken deep, unresolvable love between Elio and Oliver.
This novel is written almost as if Elio is dying and someone asked him about the love of his life and he remembers it so vividly and with so much love that he's lying back and telling this story and just reminiscing and falling in love with Oliver all over again - at least that's how I read it. I loved this novel. The last paragraph just really pulls it out of you and I just. It's great. I'm not sure what else to say other than it's great.
The parts that I didn't like in this novel have nothing to do with the characters or the dialogue or anything pertaining to the story really. I think the trouble of writing a novel from this specific perspective is that Elio's thoughts can get away from him, especially at good parts where you just want the story to keep progressing. Overall though, they always find a way of meaning something and bringing you back in.
Finishing this novel left me with these mixed emotions of euphoria and heartbreak. I love the way that Elio talks about Oliver and frames him to be the great love of his life, essentially, and Oliver does the same thing years after their last encounter together. I find the way that Elio thinks about him and loves him to be magical and all-encompassing and I think if you've ever experienced that overwhelming feeling of love and desire of another person in every way, you can just put yourself in Elio's shoes and you're transported back to that feeling and it's really magical. I think that's what books should do for you.
I was also surprised at how much I enjoyed the time jumps that happen at the end of the novel. Sometimes I think that they are unnecessary and just annoying because you want to think about the characters having lived this certain way and when it's given to you, it can sometimes be disappointing but I didn't feel that with this novel. I appreciated them, I liked where they went, and I liked that there was and probably always will be this unspoken deep, unresolvable love between Elio and Oliver.
This novel is written almost as if Elio is dying and someone asked him about the love of his life and he remembers it so vividly and with so much love that he's lying back and telling this story and just reminiscing and falling in love with Oliver all over again - at least that's how I read it. I loved this novel. The last paragraph just really pulls it out of you and I just. It's great. I'm not sure what else to say other than it's great.
Heather Cranmer (2721 KP) rated The Summer of New Beginnings (Magnolia Grove #1) in Books
Oct 21, 2018
Very Realistic Characters (3 more)
Well Written Plot
True Life Events
A Feel Good Story
All the Feels!
I had heard of the author Bette Lee Crosby before, and I had been meaning to read her books. Many people had actually recommended her books to me. After a Facebook live party, I finally decided to read her women's fiction novel The Summer of New Beginnings. I'm glad I did because it was so good!
The pacing moved at a very relaxing, consistent style. Not once did I grow bored wishing the pacing, nor did I find myself too lost because it was too fast. The pacing was just perfect.
I enjoyed the plot and world building of The Summer of New Beginnings very much. It felt very true to life and very believable. I won't rehash the book synopsis because it describes what happens so beautifully. I loved watching the sisters grow and seeing how they dealt with the hardships the life threw at them. Although this book is mostly focuses on Meghan, the younger sister, The Summer of New Beginnings gives us glimpses into how older sister Tracey is dealing with her problems (and boy, does she have a big one in the form of Dominic) as well as the girls' mother Lila having to deal with her husband's death and looking after her girls. Miss Crosby had me hanging on every word she had written in this book. The way she writes is magical! I was instantly transported to the world of Magnolia Grove every time I would start reading The Summer of New Beginnings.
Every single character in The Summer of New Beginnings, whether they were minor or major, felt like a very real person. I would even dare to say that characters in this book felt more alive than any other book I have read! I loved every character in The Summer of New Beginnings, except for Dominic, but only because he was a jerk, not due to how he was written! Meghan was definitely my favorite. I loved her caring attitude and how she always made sure everyone was taken care of. She was so loving and selfless. I also loved Sox. He sounded so adorable and sweet. I wanted to just snuggle with him myself. I loved reading about Tracey finally taking some responsibility although it's a shame she had to put up with what she did. Lila was such a lovely mother doting on her girls no matter how old they were or what they had done wrong. Tom was such a nice guy. It was hard to find fault with him, and I never did! Gabriel had overcome something major, and it was nice to see him give back to his community to help out. Lucas was so sweet. I fell in love with that little boy right away. It probably helps that I have a little boy of my own too, ha! As I've said before, all of the characters in The Summer of New Beginnings were fantastic!
The Summer of New Beginnings is a pretty clean read. Nothing was too graphic or drawn out. Trigger warnings include kissing (not steamy), mild swearing (only a couple of minor swear words that I noticed), drinking (only a glass of wine here and there and Dominic being drunk a few times), and the death of Meghan's father in the beginning of the book.
Overall, The Summer of New Beginnings is just a feel good read. It's just super sweet, and the whole book is written beautifully. I would definitely recommend The Summer of New Beginnings by Bette Lee Crosby to everyone aged 15+. I know it is considered Women's Fiction, but I think a lot of men who read would like this one too.
The pacing moved at a very relaxing, consistent style. Not once did I grow bored wishing the pacing, nor did I find myself too lost because it was too fast. The pacing was just perfect.
I enjoyed the plot and world building of The Summer of New Beginnings very much. It felt very true to life and very believable. I won't rehash the book synopsis because it describes what happens so beautifully. I loved watching the sisters grow and seeing how they dealt with the hardships the life threw at them. Although this book is mostly focuses on Meghan, the younger sister, The Summer of New Beginnings gives us glimpses into how older sister Tracey is dealing with her problems (and boy, does she have a big one in the form of Dominic) as well as the girls' mother Lila having to deal with her husband's death and looking after her girls. Miss Crosby had me hanging on every word she had written in this book. The way she writes is magical! I was instantly transported to the world of Magnolia Grove every time I would start reading The Summer of New Beginnings.
Every single character in The Summer of New Beginnings, whether they were minor or major, felt like a very real person. I would even dare to say that characters in this book felt more alive than any other book I have read! I loved every character in The Summer of New Beginnings, except for Dominic, but only because he was a jerk, not due to how he was written! Meghan was definitely my favorite. I loved her caring attitude and how she always made sure everyone was taken care of. She was so loving and selfless. I also loved Sox. He sounded so adorable and sweet. I wanted to just snuggle with him myself. I loved reading about Tracey finally taking some responsibility although it's a shame she had to put up with what she did. Lila was such a lovely mother doting on her girls no matter how old they were or what they had done wrong. Tom was such a nice guy. It was hard to find fault with him, and I never did! Gabriel had overcome something major, and it was nice to see him give back to his community to help out. Lucas was so sweet. I fell in love with that little boy right away. It probably helps that I have a little boy of my own too, ha! As I've said before, all of the characters in The Summer of New Beginnings were fantastic!
The Summer of New Beginnings is a pretty clean read. Nothing was too graphic or drawn out. Trigger warnings include kissing (not steamy), mild swearing (only a couple of minor swear words that I noticed), drinking (only a glass of wine here and there and Dominic being drunk a few times), and the death of Meghan's father in the beginning of the book.
Overall, The Summer of New Beginnings is just a feel good read. It's just super sweet, and the whole book is written beautifully. I would definitely recommend The Summer of New Beginnings by Bette Lee Crosby to everyone aged 15+. I know it is considered Women's Fiction, but I think a lot of men who read would like this one too.
Matthew Krueger (10051 KP) rated Nosferatu the Vampyre (1979) in Movies
Oct 28, 2020 (Updated Oct 28, 2020)
The Vampire Among Them
Nosferatu The Vampyre- is a very slow movie. Very slow, for 90% of the time nothing happens and when some does happens its only for three minutes max. I always wanted to watch the oringal, never got a chance to, hopefully soon i will. As for this remake its so-so.
The plot: Jonathan Harker is sent away to Count Dracula's castle to sell him a house in Virna, where he lives. But Count Dracula is a vampire, an undead ghoul living off men's blood. Inspired by a photograph of Lucy Harker, Jonathan's wife, Dracula moves to Virna, bringing with him death and plague... An unusually contemplative version of Dracula, in which the vampire bears the cross of not being able to get old and die.
There are two different versions of the film, one in which the actors speak English, and one in which they speak German.
Herzog's production of Nosferatu was very well received by critics and enjoyed a comfortable degree of commercial success.
The film also marks the second of five collaborations between director Herzog and actor Kinski.
While the basic story is derived from Bram Stoker's novel Dracula, director Herzog made the 1979 film primarily as an homage remake of F. W. Murnau's silent film Nosferatu (1922), which differs somewhat from Stoker's original work. The makers of the earlier film could not obtain the rights for a film adaptation of Dracula, so they changed a number of minor details and character names in an unsuccessful attempt to avoid copyright infringement on the intellectual property owned (at the time) by Stoker's widow Florence. A lawsuit was filed, resulting in an order for the destruction of all prints of the film. Some prints survived, and were restored after Florence Stoker had died and the copyright had expired.
By the 1960s and early 1970s the original silent returned to circulation, and was enjoyed by a new generation of moviegoers.
In 1979, by the very day the copyright for Dracula had entered the public domain, Herzog proceeded with his updated version of the classic German film, which could now include the original character names.
Herzog saw his film as a parable about the fragility of order in a staid, bourgeois town. "It is more than a horror film", he says. "Nosferatu is not a monster, but an ambivalent, masterful force of change. When the plague threatens, people throw their property into the streets, they discard their bourgeois trappings. A re‐evaluation
of life and its meaning takes place."
Like i said its a decent movie.
The plot: Jonathan Harker is sent away to Count Dracula's castle to sell him a house in Virna, where he lives. But Count Dracula is a vampire, an undead ghoul living off men's blood. Inspired by a photograph of Lucy Harker, Jonathan's wife, Dracula moves to Virna, bringing with him death and plague... An unusually contemplative version of Dracula, in which the vampire bears the cross of not being able to get old and die.
There are two different versions of the film, one in which the actors speak English, and one in which they speak German.
Herzog's production of Nosferatu was very well received by critics and enjoyed a comfortable degree of commercial success.
The film also marks the second of five collaborations between director Herzog and actor Kinski.
While the basic story is derived from Bram Stoker's novel Dracula, director Herzog made the 1979 film primarily as an homage remake of F. W. Murnau's silent film Nosferatu (1922), which differs somewhat from Stoker's original work. The makers of the earlier film could not obtain the rights for a film adaptation of Dracula, so they changed a number of minor details and character names in an unsuccessful attempt to avoid copyright infringement on the intellectual property owned (at the time) by Stoker's widow Florence. A lawsuit was filed, resulting in an order for the destruction of all prints of the film. Some prints survived, and were restored after Florence Stoker had died and the copyright had expired.
By the 1960s and early 1970s the original silent returned to circulation, and was enjoyed by a new generation of moviegoers.
In 1979, by the very day the copyright for Dracula had entered the public domain, Herzog proceeded with his updated version of the classic German film, which could now include the original character names.
Herzog saw his film as a parable about the fragility of order in a staid, bourgeois town. "It is more than a horror film", he says. "Nosferatu is not a monster, but an ambivalent, masterful force of change. When the plague threatens, people throw their property into the streets, they discard their bourgeois trappings. A re‐evaluation
of life and its meaning takes place."
Like i said its a decent movie.
The Outside Edge: How Outsiders Can Succeed in a World Made by Insiders
Book
The brand new book from the international bestselling self-help author Robert Kelsey's...
With or Without You
8.0
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New York Times bestselling author Caroline Leavitt writes novels that expertly explore the struggles...
Sam (74 KP) rated Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine in Books
Mar 27, 2019
Eleanor Oliphant is odd. She speaks like an 80-year-old woman even though she’s only 30, leads a monotonous life and keeps herself to herself. No friends, no family (other than her mother), and no fun.
I got this book because it’s one of those ones that almost everyone is talking about. A lot of the time, I don’t actually like the really popular books, but this one was definitely worth it. It’s funny, mysterious and weird, and such a great read.
The novel follows the changes in Eleanor as she makes her first friend – Raymond, an IT Crowd worthy hilarious character who warms her heart and completely changes her personality.
I loved this because it was so different. I’ve got to admit, I couldn’t stand Eleanor when I first started reading it because I felt she was stuck up and found the whole ‘mummy’ thing creepy, but everything I disliked was explained later in the plot. She also became more likeable as she got closer to Raymond.
There are also multiple little twists throughout the book which kept me gripped the whole way through. It’s been a while since I read a book that had so many unexpected twists and turns in the plot.
It did remind me a lot of a more serious episode of the IT Crowd. Eleanor reminds me of Jen when she’s trying to be formal and Raymond is a definite cross of Roy and Moss. The serious turns, later on, take it away from this idea.
I also don’t think I’ve ever read a novel with an alcoholic main character, either. I feel like it makes Eleanor’s straight-talking narration more unreliable and some parts vague to their meaning.
It’s definitely worth the hype and worth a read.
I got this book because it’s one of those ones that almost everyone is talking about. A lot of the time, I don’t actually like the really popular books, but this one was definitely worth it. It’s funny, mysterious and weird, and such a great read.
The novel follows the changes in Eleanor as she makes her first friend – Raymond, an IT Crowd worthy hilarious character who warms her heart and completely changes her personality.
I loved this because it was so different. I’ve got to admit, I couldn’t stand Eleanor when I first started reading it because I felt she was stuck up and found the whole ‘mummy’ thing creepy, but everything I disliked was explained later in the plot. She also became more likeable as she got closer to Raymond.
There are also multiple little twists throughout the book which kept me gripped the whole way through. It’s been a while since I read a book that had so many unexpected twists and turns in the plot.
It did remind me a lot of a more serious episode of the IT Crowd. Eleanor reminds me of Jen when she’s trying to be formal and Raymond is a definite cross of Roy and Moss. The serious turns, later on, take it away from this idea.
I also don’t think I’ve ever read a novel with an alcoholic main character, either. I feel like it makes Eleanor’s straight-talking narration more unreliable and some parts vague to their meaning.
It’s definitely worth the hype and worth a read.