Agree! The one character’s sections were really challenging. Not sure why they were written that way. I heard lazy criticism that said it was because she was uneducated, but the sentences weren’t ungrammatical; they just lacked any periods. Ending was super unsettling.
I keep on bumping this one forward on my library loans. Should I get to it?
Not @greenbutton, but I say yes. Even though challenging, it’s a remarkable book!
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I am a fan, for sure. You have to approach it like a classic Irish story – it meanders along, at a fairly leisurely pace , but everything makes sense eventually. I read blurbs that described it as “hilarious” and I don’t think that is a good description, but it is a heckuva read. (The unpunctuated sections got a lot of coverage, but I did not even notice that until well into them)
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Me too! I put it on my Holds shelf a year ago in August but kept hitting “Deliver Later” as its length just seemed so daunting! Finally when I noticed there was no longer a wait list for it earlier this summer, I canceled my hold and just tagged it on my Interested shelf. Maybe this winter when I have more time for leisurely weekend reading!
I started listening to “The House of the Cerulean Sea” audio book on a July road trip. Had to return it before completion, so I’m tickled to have it off the wait list (again) today.
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I preferred Dear Edward to Hello Beautiful. It was more story-driven than character-driven, so you might feel the same way.
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Today I finished listening to the audio version of “Apples Never Fall” (Liane Moriarty). It really held my interest… interesting characters, lots of twists and turns. Probably it was on my library hold list based on recommendations here - thanks!
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Fyi in case you want to go word->screen, it’s been adapted into a drama series on Peacock (Annette Benning, Sam Neil).
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I just finished The Ministry of Time, by Kaliane Bradley. Definitely one of the best books I have read in a long time. Gorgeous writing, great characters, fascinating plot. I usually avoid time travel books like the plague, but this one was recommended by a writer who also does, and it worked for me (I did get a little lost in the last fifty pages or so, but I think if I were to re-read, I’d follow it all). It makes great points about responsibility, both individual and collective, how we view history, and a lot of other thoughtful stuff. Definitely recommend wholeheartedly.
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I loved this book too and have been recommending it to my whole circle.
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This has been on my library hold list for ever and it still says about 7 weeks to go! I saw it on someone’s book list… don’t remember whose. Also not a great fan of time travel books (though I have enjoyed some, including “Sea of Tranquility” which I read recently), but will read if recommended by someone I know usually enjoys what I do.
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I had to reread the last fifty pages or so.
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I love time travel books, was not a big fan of Ministry of Time.
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It’s really not a time travel novel, is it? I love time travel books (looking forward to Elly Griffiths’ take for instance) and beside the earlier comical moments which were wonderful this isn’t really about time travel as the genre typically sees it.
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Agree, and that’s why I could read it!
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Read a great book called First Lie Wins by Ashley Elston. It is a modern mystery, thriller and I never got bogged down or bored at all. Which made it a pretty fast read. Highly recommend.
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I just finished an audio version of a good memoir - “The Beauty of Dusk - on vision lost and found”, written and read by NYT journalist Frank Bruno. He has lost sight in one eye and is at risk of losing sight in the other eye too.
I started it with a bit of trepidation, since I have pre-glaucoma (under control with eyedrops) but ended up finding it more uplifting than expected. I liked his optimism about life events and aging, and not surprising he is an excellent writer.
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He is such a good writer! I haven’t read the new memoir, but I really enjoyed his Born Round from a few years ago. Memoir of growing up in an Italian family and his time as NYT food critic.
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I recently finished “I Have Some Questions for You” by Rebecca Makkai. Mystery set at a New England boarding school. Very well written.
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