May break reading

 I haven’t done anything to do with books or writing for such a long time! The last time I posted anything was in August 2021. I blame an academic year which included the return of GCSEs- it is just as time consuming as I remember it to be and so, so exhausting, leaving very little time and energy for writing and reading things that aren’t student essays.

Last week was the first time I was able to immerse myself in some really decent bookish time. I went to Rhodes for a week and spending my days next to the pool or on the beach meant I was able to read 5 books in relatively quick succession of one another. So, I decided I would write a little review of my holiday reading. I have tried to avoid any spoilers below but apologies if anything slips the net!

Klara and The Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro

First of all, on absolute shallow level, the front cover of this book is so aesthetically pleasing. I had taken a lot of orange bikinis and clothing with me- and had painted my nails orange- and was vainly pleased with how well the book matched my holiday outfits. But, as we all know, books aren’t to be judged by their cover.

Naturally this book came with high expectations. I really enjoyed Never Let Me Go and The Remains of the Day. I enjoyed Klara and the Sun, but unfortunately, it didn’t feel like it was quite on the same level as the aforementioned books. The story was engaging and I felt like it was a while since I had read anything a bit more Sci-Fi and was enjoying that aspect, but it felt like it was missing something. What it was missing, I couldn’t tell you. That being said, I did still feel somewhat attached to Klara by the end of the novel and did feel a twinge of sadness at the end. 

The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett

I won’t go into too much detail as wouldn’t want to spoil the plot but I really enjoyed this book. Even though it didn’t feel like much happened, I really liked the development of the characters and the generational element to the story. I liked how it included a range of issues in quite a subtle way and how a lot of things are not actually resolved in the text making it feel more realistic and believable. 

Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng

I found myself quite torn with this book- both in the way it made me feel and my enjoyment of it. I imagine this is deliberate, but I found it really difficult to know who I felt most sympathy for with the storyline underpinning the plot (the trial determining the custody of the baby). Linda’s story and her struggle with becoming a mother was heart-breaking, but equally, I felt desperately sad for Bebe. There was also the added complication of Mirabelle/ May potentially being disconnected from her heritage and culture which really unsettled me. I think Celeste Ng introduced and explored this topic within the novel really well, however, I wasn’t as captivated by the Richardson and Warren families. I found them all unlikeable (which may also be deliberate) but it was to the point where I felt like I couldn’t engage with them or the sections about them. I preferred Klara and The Sun and The Vanishing Half to this novel, but I think I will still give the TV series a watch. I could see how it lends itself to a series and could almost picture an onscreen adaptation as I was reading. 

The Paper Palace by Miranda Cowley Heller

I knew the least about this book before I started reading. It was also my least favourite. The writing style was good. It was detailed, immersive and engaging at points. The description of Cape Cod was excellent; I could really imagine being there- but the place seemed sort of thrown into the story and seemed somewhat irrelevant. Alongside, the affair (which isn’t really a spoiler as it is mentioned in the blurb and is described on the very first page). Most of the novel was actually about sexual assault- and there was a lot of it- without any kind of warning. I had no idea that book was about this on picking it up and there isn’t any clue in the blurb or anywhere on the book before I started reading. I think it needs a warning because the description of the various forms of assault in the novel are either dropped in very casually or are vividly described in detail to the point where it actually felt quite sickening and I kept having to put the book down to have a little break from it. I read somewhere on the book that it is compared to the Where the Crawdads Sing- I would not agree with this at all and it is certainly not on the same level as Delia Owens’ book. Not even a little bit. 

The Beekeeper of Aleppo by Christy Lefteri

Despite exploring deeply unsettling topics and highly emotional and harrowing events, I felt like Christy Lefteri dealt with this in a much more sensitive and respectful way than The Paper Palace. I liked how the book balanced Nuri and Afra’s experiences and the aftermath of their horrific journey as they seek asylum in the UK with the journey itself. This added a lot of depth and reminds readers that it isn’t just over once refugees arrive in England. I feel this novel gave me a lot to think about and really made me empathise with a range of characters alongside the protagonists.

Overall, I would rate the books in the following order (1 being the book I enjoyed the most to 5 being the least).

1. The Vanishing Half

2. The Beekeeper of Aleppo

3. Klara and the Sun

4. Little Fires Everywhere

5. The Paper Palace

Have you read any of these books? Tell me what you think by commenting below.