Tag Archive for: Literary Fiction

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Where The Crawdads Sing

Where The Crawdads SingTitle: Where the Crawdads Sing
Author: Delia Owens
Genre: Historical Fiction, Literary Fiction, Mystery
Format: Audio
Pages: 370
Length: 12h 12m
Narrator: Cassandra Campbell
Rating:

My Thoughts

I truly loved WHERE THE CRAWDADS SING until the last few pages. I think she would’ve confided in Tate about her past and the ending made it seem like she hadn’t. I feel it undid what the author was trying to say and/or show about who Kya grew to be after the trial.

While I’m a little miffed at the ending, I’m still glad I read it. I really loved Kya and I was invested in her life. I loved that she not only survived, but thrived despite the hardships she faced. I thought her story was beautifully told and emotional. I thought the dual timeline was the perfect vehicle for the story, especially the mystery aspect of it. I liked getting snippets of Kya’s life in the past as I wondered what lead to the present circumstances.

Beartown

BeartownTitle: Beartown
Author: Fredrik Backman
Series: Beartown #1
Genre: Literary Fiction
Format: Kindle
Pages: 496
Rating:

My Thoughts

BEARTOWN was a very hard emotional read. It was a thought-provoking story that deals with hard subjects like toxic masculinity, winning at all costs, and consent. The story’s sad but hopeful, and extremely maddening. At times, it was difficult to keep reading. Even though my heart hurts, it was worth the pain and sorrow. I absolutely had no idea that a book about hockey (but not really) would make me feel the way I did.

Backman’s stories are as good as they are because of his characters. Not only is he a master at writing emotionally charged stories, he’s also a master at writing a whole cast of round, complicated characters. The characters in BEARTOWN were no different. These characters were so easy to connect with because they felt like real people with real lives.

Remarkably Bright Creature

Remarkably Bright CreatureTitle: Remarkably Bright Creatures
Author: Shelby Van Pelt
Genre: Literary Fiction
Format: Hard Cover
Pages: 360
Rating:

My Thoughts

I’m so glad my book club chose to read REMARKABLY BRIGHT CREATURES. Otherwise, I might never have read it and I absolutely adored this book. As soon as I started reading it, I could tell it was going to suck me right in. I laughed, I cried, and I mostly smiled as I read this heart-warming story of love, loss, grief, and resilience.

I loved that it’s mostly told in a third-person limited POV and a charming first-person POV from Marcellus, the octopus–the star of the book. Marcellus is smart, snarky, a little bit cranky, and a delightful narrator. I especially loved his friendship with Tova, the main human character. Their friendship reminds us, not in a preachy way, that animals know more than they let on and they each have feelings and deserve our kindness and respect.

I also loved Tova. She was such a likable person despite being a bit closed off because of her grief. She reminded me a bit of my own grandmother whose family, like Tova’s, immigrated to the US while she was very young.

Anxious People

Anxious PeopleTitle: Anxious People
Author: Fredrik Backman
Genre: Literary Fiction
Format: Kindle
Pages: 341
Rating:

My Thoughts

I’m so glad I decided to read ANXIOUS PEOPLE because I absolutely adored this book. I was giggling from the outset and I was hooked from the get-go. I loved how it was written, that we got the story in parts. I wanted to keep reading so I could figure out how everything would play out.

After I finished it, I felt almost spiritually moved and like Backman had spoken to me through his characters on a deep personal level. Backman made me feel a gambit of emotions for every single character, including the grumpy know-it-all who thrived on causing conflict. It made me love every single one of them. He even made me have feelings for bridges.