Tag Archive for: Magical Realism

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The Sugar Queen

The Sugar QueenTitle: The Sugar Queen
Author: Sarah Addison Allen
Genre: Magical Realism, Romance
Spice: 1 / 5
Format: Kindle
Pages: 276
Reason Read: Book Club
Rating:

My Thoughts

I didn’t know what THE SUGAR QUEEN was about, but when I saw that all the chapters were named after sugary treats, I wasn’t sure I wanted to read it. To be perfectly frank, I was worried one of the characters was always going to be eating delectable goodies, making me crave them, and I don’t need that in my life. Fortunately, the story didn’t make me crave sugary goodies.

I actually ended up really liking the story. I loved the magical realism and how it was part of the characters’ everyday lives. It made me wish books would just appear out of thin air (as long as they’re books I want to read, lol).

I liked that the story followed two MCs instead of just one. There were a few side characters as well. To be honest, I didn’t really care about the side characters. Okay, mainly just Josey’s mother but I was thoroughly invested in both Josey’s and Chloe’s happiness.

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Landline

LandlineTitle: Landline
Author: Rainbow Rowell
Genre: Contemporary, Magical Realism
Format: Kindle
Pages: 319
Reason Read: Book Club
Rating:

My Thoughts

I really loved LANDLINE. I thought it was an honest look at marriage and relationships. I felt for the MC in regard to the consequences of her choices. While I understood what was happening to her marriage every time she put work before her husband and daughters, I know it’s difficult to see the dissolution of a relationship when you’re that close to the problem.

I thought Rowell’s bit of magical realism in the story was a great way to show how the relationship went from what it was to what it is. I really enjoyed that aspect and going down memory lane with the MC as she decided whether her marriage was worth saving.

I’m a bit disappointed by the ending because it wasn’t everything I wanted it to be, but it felt more realistic than what I had imagined / wanted, and my disappointment isn’t enough to ruin the book for me.

Update: One of the quotes from this book has been my motto for marriage ever since: “I love you more than I hate everything else.”