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North And South

North And SouthTitle: North and South
Author: Elizabeth Gaskell
Genre: Classic, Romance
Spice: 0 / 5
Format: Kindle
Pages: 406
Reason Read: Buddy Read
Rating:

My Thoughts

My impression of NORTH AND SOUTH is that I spent an entire month reading it for what exactly? The most unsatisfying ending I’ve ever read! I know it was improper back then to have a kiss and I had already resigned myself to that fact when I started reading the book. But, I had hoped it would’ve had at least somewhat of a satisfying ending, like Margaret and Mr. Thornton getting married or something. It was definitely not one of my favorite reads. In fact, overall, I didn’t much care for it.

I disliked the absence of dialogue tags because it caused a lot of confusion. Gaskell also didn’t explain some things very well. And, what was the deal with the never-ending paragraphs? There were so many of them, some of them lasting for three or four pages. I also feel like there was a lot of content that would’ve been cut out had the book been written now because it added nothing to the story. And, finally, there were so many deaths. Seriously, no character was safe.

    In my opinion, the story had only one redeeming quality–the characters. I loved Mr. Higgins, Margaret, and Mr. Thornton. I enjoyed seeing how they all changed and grew over the course of the novel. I truly wish Margaret and Mr. Thornton had been given a more satisfying ending. Even though I didn’t really care for this book in the end, I’m still glad I read it. I’m also glad I’m done reading it.

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    Atlantia

    AtlantiaTitle: Atlantia
    Author: Ally Condie
    Genre: Dystopian, Fantasy, Romance, Young Adult
    Spice: 0.5 / 5
    Format: Hard Cover
    Pages: 320
    Reason Read: Just Because
    Rating:

    My Thoughts

    ATLANTIA led me to a world underneath the sea. I enjoyed exploring it while the characters went about their lives. The world-building in this novel was poetic and beautiful, just like Ally’s writing. Everything about it made me wonder what it’d be like to live in Atlantia and whether or not I’d choose to live in the Above or the Below.

    The religion Ally created was interesting and intriguing. I loved finding out about its truths and myths. It created a nice venue for the dystopian setting as the society in the Below and Above were governed by the religious leaders. Some were sincere and good people and some were drunk with power.

    I thought the ideas of the three miracles were especially fascinating and the bats and sirens intrigued me. I loved Ally’s portrayal of the sirens. I loved seeing the differences in each of their powers.

    I liked Rio and her story. I felt bad for her and all she had to go through. I do wish she weren’t so secretive and distrustful so we could’ve gotten to know the others a little bit better. Because of that, I didn’t feel like I connected with enough of the characters.

    I also wish that the romance were a little more fleshed out. It didn’t seem tangible enough to make a difference to the story. Rio could’ve ended up just as really good friends with “him” to help everything happen the way it did. The book was only 320 pages, so I felt like it could’ve been a little longer to help make the romance more of a difference to the story.

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    Out Of The Easy

    Out Of The EasyTitle: Out of the Easy
    Author: Ruta Sepetys
    Genre: Historical Fiction, Young Adult
    Format: Kindle
    Pages: 349
    Reason Read: Book Club
    Rating:

    My Thoughts

    I really enjoyed OUT OF THE EASY. I felt drawn to Josie and her life. I wanted her to make all her dreams come true. I wanted her to get out of New Orleans and start over. I’m glad she had a good support system so her life wasn’t all terrible.

    I loved all the characters, including the sleazy ones. They all helped make the story what it was. I loved seeing that most of the characters had two sides to them–one being where they lived or what they did in New Orleans and the other being who they really were. Mr. Lockwell, an uppity businessman, was rich and from the “good” part of New Orleans, but he was a scumbag who frequented the brothel and tried to seduce Josie. Willie may have been a brothel madam, but she was generous and kind and took care of those she loved.

    I loved being in New Orleans, especially in the 1950s. I wonder how much New Orleans is like how it was portrayed. Reading this story makes we want to go there just to experience the history.