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FINISHED SINCE THE LAST UPDATE:
Oof. Sarah Sparrow’s novel is an odd story that is going to turn off a lot of potential readers. It takes a while for the story to pick up steam, so there are a few too many WTF moments in the beginning until things finally make sense. Then there are the copious trigger warnings that should be on the front cover. Anyone reading it should know that children’s murders are not going to be pleasant, but it is as if Ms. Sparrow deliberately chose methods of murder which are particularly gruesome and cover torture, rape, mutilation, as well as death. I honestly had to read the novel emotionally detached from it because I could not get through the story any other way. She does pose an interesting question about the idea of forgiveness as the ultimate restoration of balance, but I am going to have to sit down and ruminate on the whole story for a bit to figure out just how I feel about it and what I got out of it.
Long-time readers know I adore Molly Harper and the combination of her novels with Amanda Ronconi’s narration. They are ear candy for me, pure entertainment. No matter how bad my day is or how poor my mood is, they never fail to cheer me up. This last book in Ms. Harper’s Bluegrass series is exactly what I hoped it would be. There are some sexy times but most of it follows our heroine as she grows and becomes independent. Sassy without being impolite, strong, organized, and proud of her abilities, Kelsey is a reminder that we should never let others define who we are and how we feel about ourselves. I will reiterate that if you have never had the pleasure of listening to one of Ms. Harper’s novels, I cannot recommend them highly enough.
DID NOT FINISH:
Nothing yet.
CURRENT READ:
CURRENT LISTEN:
It has been decades since I first read this book, and I don’t remember being a fan. So many other people love it though, so I want to give it another chance.
NEXT UP:
March Review Copies:
So, what are you reading?
Yikes, the Sarah Sparrow book sounds like way too much for my fragile heart. It’s always weird when a book contains suffering in a way that feels — I don’t want to say exploitative because that may be putting it too harshly, but something in that genre. Because there’s part of me that wants to feel tough enough to handle difficult subjects in fiction, and it’s hard for me to disentangle that impulse from any criticisms I’m inclined to make of books that deal with difficult subjects at all.
(I am feeling generally okay about all this at the moment, as I just finished and really liked this book Freshwater, which was grim as all hell but not in a way that felt remotely exploitative or sensational.)
I am finding that I am okay with the Sparrow book the further removed I am from reading it. And I don’t know if it is exploitative because there is no gratuitous violence or suffering. What is included is almost necessary for her to be able to make her point. She actually includes it in a fairly graceful way – another thing I can see with time. I actually think this might be one you could read because I know you would be all for the weirdness but would be able to move past it as well.
ok so one to avoid for me. and I need more Molly Harper! I need to get her on my library list and binge all her books.
I am not going to be recommending it to a lot of people, that’s for sure!
I always want to binge listen to Molly’s books. I may just give in to temptation one of these days!
Confession: I’ve never read A Wrinkle in Time. I should probably at some point.
The WTF moments book is a hard no for me. That kind of stuff drives me crazy…see Behind Her Eyes.
I think the WTF moments in this particular book are more due to the fact that it takes some time to understand the magical realism elements. Until you do, all you can do is shake your head in confusion. If you are quicker on the uptake than I am though, those WTF moments are fewer.
The cover on Ms. Sparrow’s book is such a contrast to the title and what you say is inside. Odd that. And I have never read or listened to a book by Molly Harper. I’ll have to work on that. Ha! Have a good week!
The cover makes sense after you read the book, even if it is misleading. I think(?) that may be the point though. I will have to give this more thought.
Yeeks on the first book, definitely not for me! I’m reading ‘The Birthday Girl’ by Sue Fortin at the moment. Totally gripped!
Yes, if the description bothers you then I highly recommend avoiding it.
I hope your book remains gripping!