Fleishman is in Trouble - Taffy Brodesser-Akner

 61%

25.02.26

This is archetypal lit fic, in all senses. It's introspectively character driven with very little actual plot, and the New York setting almost a character in itself. It's vividly and wittily written, just on the edge of pretentiousness. It can be read at surface level or appreciated for its clever narrative device in which the omniscient narrator is a subtly critical friend of the protagonist. And the feminist message is fascinatingly complex. It's a book that can be admired and enjoyed but, while both are true for me, I don't think I'll remember much about it in a month.

Pineapple Street - Jenny Jackson

 56%

08.03.24

An admittedly illuminating glimpse into the lives of crazy rich WASPs, who are hard to warm to or care about even when they're trying to divest themselves of their millions. The three main women seem to be defined entirely by their relationships to men (and don't often pass the Bechdel test). And, apparently, rich people don't 'say' much - they tease, they admit, they muse, they spit. It does make me want to visit Brooklyn Heights, though, and not just because it really does have a district called Dumbo.

This Time Tomorrow - Emma Straub

 

60%

09.07.23

Despite the quirky cover and the '13 going on 30' (or 16 going on 40) premise, this was solid literary fiction that interrogated all the big questions. Its knowing references to the 'Back to the Future' tropes prevented it getting too bogged down in its own dynamics, but it still lacked cohesion in many place - and the characters (which included New York) weren't particularly interesting. But, overall, a fun and thoughtful read.

One Last Stop - Casey McQuiston

 

57%

24.10.22

McQuiston's YA novel, 'I Kissed Shara Wheeler', was delightful. This earlier book, in comparison, was crammed with entitled 20-somethings leading frankly rather meaningless lives and the central romance was drawn out until it became paper-thin. Clearly, readers are expected to fall for the quirky, cutsey characters but middle-aged me couldn't help wishing they'd just face reality and responsibility. Still, McQuiston gets points for carrying the (rainbow) flag for accessible queer fiction.    

Child's Play - Danielle Steel

 

29%

05.08.22

This read as if it was written in another language by a robot programmed in 1963 and then machine translated as some sort of experiment in AI. It was laugh-out-loud funny in many parts - unintentionally, of course.

Write My Name Across the Sky - Barbara O'Neal

 49%

21.07.22

I didn't get the point of this novel. More 'rich people drama' that shed no new light on anything. And there were so many continuity errors and 'But wait!' moments - not to mention the silly ending - that there was no chance of getting sucked into the story, such as it was.

I Feel Bad About My Neck - Nora Ephron

 51%

19.01.22

Nora Ephron was probably great fun to hang out with, full of wicked gossip and wry advice, but I'm not sure her writing entirely lives up to the hype. Her very specific brand of humour, based on her affluent New York lifestyle, is hard to relate to (as I found with her novel, Heartburn). There are some laughs but even more 'so whats?'.

Who is Maud Dixon? - Alexandra Andrews

 46%

11.12.21

Who cares? The most intriguing thing about this so-called thriller is why it doesn't seem to be edited properly. Oddly similar in many ways to the equally underwhelming Tangerine.

They Both Die at the End - Adam Silvera

 63%

23.09.21

I really didn't want to read this month's book club choice. Why would I, when <title>? Not that such an ending is unusual, but it is unusual for the whole book to be about that ending. And indeed it was brutal - but also intriguing to explore the idea of whether it's about the journey or the (final) destination.

The Plot - Jean Hanff Korelitz

 68%

25.08.21

I should have been reading something worthy but this exuberant journey into a writer's fragile psyche was much more fun. The eponymous plot wasn't all that exciting but the unlikely story of the (allegedly) stolen story unfolded and - importantly - ended pleasingly. Not high literature, despite its pretensions, but a good read.

Note: another new label: writers on writers. As good as this was, authors often fall back on what they know best: writing. When a character is a writer, you can't help thinking - enough self-reference! Get out and get some proper life experience!

City of Girls - Elizabeth Gilbert

 57%

23.05.21

This is a superficial book masquerading as a superficial book with hidden depths. It starts out engagingly enough, reviving a well-researched lost world, but loses its focus when most of the main characters are forgotten and new, less interesting characters take their place.

Deacon King Kong - James McBride

 

63%

19.04.21

Confident and very clever, this engaging story can be read on a number of levels. Is it political satire, crime, farce, romance, memoir, allegory or comedy? Well, yes. It's a vivid peek into the lives of those not often remembered these days, though it does lack the emotional depth needed for you to actually care about them.

Standard Deviation - Katherine Heiny

71%
21.08.18

This was fabulous! It immediately appealed in Waterstones, for some reason, and my instincts were good (for once) as it turned out to be unusually funny and quietly rather wise. One for recommending but with the warning that (spoiler about lack of spoilers) it doesn't really end properly; it just serves up a defined slice of life.