Teela Klekotka

Stunning

Revisado: 01-10-25

My heart! This book is beautiful. I admit I struggled with the first third of the book, as I adapted to the narration, the language and regarded her bleak childhood. Then, when Jane got to Thornfield Hall as the governess, I was captivated for the remainder of the tale. It is written beautifully and read so well. This has become a new favorite ❤️❤️.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

One of my favorite classics, narrated perfectly

Revisado: 05-06-23

This is one of the most emotionally complex, poignant, outstanding books I’ve ever read. I love it. The narrator did an amazing job of evoking intense emotion! He had good pacing and clarity. Some classics on Audible have been hard to listen to because of the language, accent, pacing etc, but this the best piece of classic lit I’ve listened to (easiest to digest and absorb without trying too hard not to miss key events/thoughts). I’d recommend this to anyone!

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

As Diamond said in an interview, “It is a horrific story at times, but also absolutely magical.”

Revisado: 02-11-23

Such a remarkable story. Diamond “..wanted to share the magic and the darkness” of her childhood and she absolutely delivered. I was engrossed in her story, listening for hours at a time. This is a moving, captivating travel memoir/kinda true crime story and I will recommend it to many! Narrator was perfect too.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

esto le resultó útil a 21 personas

Brilliant and so original. Nothing like it!

Revisado: 05-23-22

Perfume was brilliant. I loved everything about it. Grenoille the perfumer is a sociopath like Patrick Bateman and a misunderstood soul like Frankenstein. A monster that you can't help but care for. You could call it dark romanticism because the humanity of it is so uncomfortably real. You could also call it magical realism because his sense of smell is so UNreal. There is crime and horror as Grenoille indulges in scent in unusual ways, but when you see the art behind his crime.. the crime isn't the focus anymore. The focus is on his perfume - the smells that he needs to possess to fulfill his destiny. .. Can you possess a human essence?

As a lover of perfume, satire, horror and lyrical prose - this was the perfect book for me! I'll be reading it again and recommending it to anyone who will let me. Anyone who I think can stomach it ;-) Anyone who has a shelf of perfume and a bit of a filthy mind.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

Great southern gothic story

Revisado: 05-03-22

This was a captivating read! It totally fits the genre of southern gothic and I can’t wait to read more like this, because I’ve only enjoyed this genre on TV with shows like True Blood, Ozark and True Detective. So you can imagine the mood - a haunting presence, odd family traditions, neighborhood secrets, questionable churches, crime, folklore, isolation and redemption.
This story is about Stella, who was born into a family of revelators that commune with a mysterious God residing in a mountain cave. The church community is isolated, strange and full of secrets. Stella doesn’t know who to trust as she processes the extent of the “gift” that’s been bestowed on her and the women who came before her. The God is creepy bc I can’t figure out what it IS! Supernatural? Part animal? Part human? With descriptions of its multiple, tangled limbs, I kept imagining it as a glowing white demon that appears as half human half spider - and that gave me the creeps! Haunting, atmospheric, very cool! Would recommend to anyone who likes southern gothic. Excellent narration.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

esto le resultó útil a 4 personas

Touching, laugh out loud funny and relatable

Revisado: 02-11-21

This is the cutest, sweetest story I’ve ever read. It’s also the first book to ever make me laugh and cry. We all know someone with a rough exterior who can come off as a bit of ..well, an ass. Then we feel a sense of pride when we also their true soft side, like we’ve been let in on a secret. Sometimes the grouchiest people have the biggest hearts. That is Ove. His story touched my heart. It makes me want to hold on tight to my loved ones and cherish all of their imperfections. It also makes me want to learn a few practical things about construction or cars because, as Ove points out, no one knows how to do a bloody thing anymore except take lunch breaks and sit on computers. I think this is a must-read for anyone who’s ever loved or lost, known a curmudgeon or been a bit of one themselves.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

Twisted. Bleak. Loved it.

Revisado: 12-11-20

Otessa Moshfegh’s writing is brutally honest. Her characters express raw emotions without sugarcoated pleasantries. This story was bleak, but entertaining. A privileged beauty in New York who’s so miserable, that she tries to medicate herself into hibernation, in hopes that she can sleep away her depression and indifference. Maybe 12 months on 20 prescriptions will do the trick.

I’d recommend this book to anyone who enjoys dark humor and cynicism. The writing is excellent. Moshfegh does an amazing job of immersing you into her narrator’s mindset of indifference. As someone who’s more of a glass-half-full optimist, I’ve never been so sympathetic with someone so jaded.

I’ve never read anything like this and now I’m on the hunt for more dark humor. I just started her collection of short stories, Homesick for Another World, and it’s more of the same – loneliness, cynicism, disturbing thoughts and hard truths. Delighfully absurd. Kinda nasty. Pretty funny. Maybe that’s Moshfegh in a nutshell, in which case, I’ll keep reading her.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

Tender and traumatizing.

Revisado: 11-30-20

 It’s such a good story, I loved it. It’s bleak and painful to read, at times, but the main character, Offred, tells her story so beautifully and intentionally, that it demands attention.

There is so much life in her, but everything worth living for has been stripped away. She once had a family. She once had things that we take for granted. Now she has nothing. Offred has lost her right to self-expression, but she has so much to express!

I think that’s what made my chest tighten with grief – those moments of forced silence and conformity. She has eloquent thoughts to share, but only permits herself to a scripted answer or a moment of eye contact. The only way she can speak to her best friend Is by hiding for 30 seconds in a bathroom. Don’t think or speak, don’t read or touch, don’t even look at another person. Just spread your legs when you’re told.

Offred’s story is heavy, but it’s so good. There are moments where all she can do is appreciate the little things (a memory, a dried flower, a pat of butter), and those moments are so poetic.

I was moved by her fighting spirit and her ability to beautifully reflect on the little things that keep her sane.

“Sanity is my most valuable possession. I save it so that I’ll have enough when the time comes.”

Worth reading & can’t stop thinking about it.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

esto le resultó útil a 1 persona

Emotional and haunting with a satisfying twist.

Revisado: 11-21-20

Eloquently written, with just the right amount of detail. The writing dives deep into the emotions of fear and passion and the relatability of these emotions, entrenched in mystery, kept me glued to the pages. I finished it in 2 days.
I'm captured by books with multiple perspectives. This book has 2: Theo Faber, criminal psychotherapist and Alicia Berenson, his silent patient. She is a successful painter and possibly a murderer. We don't know, because she hasn't spoken a single word since her husband was shot 6 years ago. We follow Theo in real time and we follow Alicia's past experiences through her diary.

I was struck by how much passion was exhibited in this writing. Alicia writes about her aching love for her husband and her thoughtful determination to complete her paintings. Theo analyzes Alicia with the same thoughtful determination - committed to "solving her."
I felt like I was observing three intense therapy sessions -two inside of the characters heads, one between Alecia and Theo. Definitely a "psychological" thriller with an exciting twist that I didn't see coming.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

Great storytelling. Thoughtful and diverse.

Revisado: 09-21-20

This book has so many intriguing elements to it. It's a crime mystery that examines race relations. It's historical fiction with a glimmer of romance. It looks at the devastating impact that drugs have on a community, then turns to the hope and healing power of faith. McBride is a wonderful storyteller. The main plot centers around the question, "Why did the old church deacon shoot this teenage drug dealer?" and as that mystery unravels, many tender side stories start to paint a picture of the community in the housing projects of Brooklyn.

This story is humorous and heart-warming, but also painful. It exhibits longing in a number of ways - longing for the way things were, for those we've lost, for a way out and for true love.
I loved the book for these reasons, but in the end, I wasn't satisfied. The storytelling was long-winded and didn't have enough of a reward for me. Some of my favorite side stories never got an ending. I felt confused and wanted more closure and clarity.

Nevertheless, the storytelling (and narration) is so good ... I find myself still wanting to recommend it to friends.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

esto le resultó útil a 16 personas