Pedro

Its alright - may need to re-read

Revisado: 10-21-24

I think the overarching large questions are interesting. The relationship between the robot and the human is interesting. but, I just need more than I got from this. I will have to reread this.

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Solid story from Alderman! Highly Recommend!

Revisado: 10-21-24

So here’s the thing: This book is different from Alderman’s works. It was futuristic—so much more than the power. But I liked the way it ended—the way it glimpsed into the majority of some of the unanswered questions of what happens to greed if left unchecked. I gave it four stars because it was about how to get those wanting change in a room so they could work together for the people and not against them.

Wonderful dialogue builder in this book. It is an opportunity to look at ourselves.

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4.5 stars for an overall solid read

Revisado: 10-21-24

4.5 stars.

Jolene is a moron. This book pissed me off something fierce simply because Jolene is truly not put together. And yet, as I was reading this in bed and cringing at her escaped words, I could not help but hope as a character, she would find her way.

Emotionally, this book is super charged with moments that may resonate for folks. Sooooo much fo this book speaks to me, especially the ending. We spend so much time with work folks not to be somewhat involved in their lives.

A solid read. Loved the ending in particular.

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4 stars over all

Revisado: 10-21-24

I knew of the word, Jezebel, and eventually knew of the history of the term. This retelling makes it more nuanced, and dramatic. The lines between duty and desire, and what it means to make the tough decisions in the face of those who are unwilling/do not understand the true tolls of power. Great retelling, likely one I will re-read later on.

And it needs to be said, if this is as close to the truth of it all as it can get, Jezebel's actions in this book were what any *man* would have taken, had they been as politically savvy. Jezebels only fault in this particular story was the body she was born into.

Again, great retelling and the narrator of the audiobook was 5 stars.

4 stars for the overall story and writing.

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Entertaining.

Revisado: 07-13-24

Love when the background sounds and music do not interfere with the spoken text. This was a good ride. Brendan and the woman captain were great. As was the Russian guy. My heart goes out to Valentina.

4 stars.

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Wow.

Revisado: 06-12-19

All I have to say is wow. What call my by your name could not do, this book does. Wow.

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A tragic ending to a good series

Revisado: 05-17-18

3 out of 5 stars

The Story - the story was interesting. Interesting in that it picked up on the planet of origin for Themis. But for me, that was about it. I found the story to be entirely too political, and it weighed down the many possibilities that could have been.

The Planet and Its Inhabitants - what I found most frustrating here was the lack of creativity with the structure of the society. there was nothing giving it an alien feel/vibe. Instead, these were humanoid aliens with a high moral compass, who's knees reversed in the other direction. I could see not much of a difference between the societies. The council and the empress were throwaways for me, serving no purpose.

Of the three books, this was my least favorite. I compare this book in particular to that of the second SATC movie - noncanon. It is of no use to the series. It pits the characters in ways that do not seem linear to their original storylines. Dr. Rose all of a sudden becomes a strategist? No. Eva has become a wild n out teenager who has seemingly lost her accent? No. Vincent has become an overbearing individual who can't seem to have some sense?

The ending was in some way a deus ex machina, and not one that I think should have been added unless there was an intention for there to be a 4th book.

My favorite character was the crazy Russian woman. She was annoyingly sweet at the beginning, which was clearly fake, but a nice new addition.

why 3 stars? Because it was a clear depiction of what humanity would do in the face of uncertainty from a set of variables they literally could not control. The concentration camps? The classifying of alien blood? the cold war-esque tactics to scare other countries? Classic american/world stuff. For that reason, I thought the book was well versed in the stupidity of people when in panic mode.

3 stars though. I expected better.

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esto le resultó útil a 6 personas

An Archie story if there were ever a real one

Revisado: 02-14-18

The Description
- Was more or less accurate. Complex family dynamics, and the relationships between siblings, and love.
- More or less spot on, but also, kind of vague
- 1 out of 5 stars – could have been more specific

The Story
- Leo plumb gets into an accident, and also with his hands in his pants
- Mom comes to the rescue but at the cost of everyone else’s sum of money
- Leo tries to do better, but no one knows how or why, so instead of trying to understand or see, they are blinded by their own financial woes
- Leo sees theres no way out from the eyes of the family he has let down, and makes an exit to be his own person and not bother facing his family
- Everyone moves on, not in a pretty way, but they all move on in some way
- 2 out of 5 stars – it had a lot of potential to really kick it off and be better, but it focused so much on everyone’s own struggle, it did nothing to address the namesake of the book. It should have been called “The Plumbs”, which would have better represented the focal point of the story, as the nest itself while consistently mentioned, didn’t do anything for the story at all.
The Characters
1. The Mom – what a bimbo. Spot on in my mind, the mom who wants to keep her status and also cares little about her children. The scene where mom was in her lingerie and trying to do a birthday party? Spot on to the moms who have all the money in the world, but still feel depressed about something and feel the need to take it out on their kids. Her character had little time in the story, but the effects of crappy parenting were definitely evident in all the characters’ development throughout. Also, I feel it important to note, her character is the reason the book even has a premise/namesake to begin with. The dad clearly had more trust in her than he should have. She liquidated all of these funds for the sake of keeping her surname clean. Girl, really? Shame on you.
2. Leo – Leo was probably my least favorite character and then at the same time, I felt for him. I give credit to the writer for making the character seem not relatable, but trying to see that he struggling to get his shit together, but he is not being given a break because of the bridges he has burned. His exit was simultaneously cowardly, but also in a way, the best way to have cauterized the situation with his siblings and make them rely on themselves. In the end, I respect what he did and how he did it. And good for him for being somewhat responsible and putting some money away. I can’t say I blame him for not wanting to pay his siblings back the money that was spent to bail him out. The accident was on him, and also, the mom is the reason.
3. Bea – Of all the characters, she seemed somewhat put together. Steady source of income. No need for the nest. And independent in her own right. Her generous gesture of using the money from the nest to help her siblings was fabulous. I felt for her and her inability to actually write or produce anything good. It seemed like she was just needing life to stimulate her in whatever way. I loved the ending for her. She was happy, and leo-less and had a new mans in her life. Good for her. And Good for Paul!!!!
4. Melody – Her character mildly annoyed me. Clearly the most stubborn. The whole thing with her daughters? Girl. Do better. The whole hissy fit about her house? Understandable. And also get over it girl. Do better. Keep it moving. Her ending was a bit bittersweet, and mildly predictable that she would have a accepting clarity moment.
5. Jack – Jack’s story was unfortunate. His financial mess was unfortunate. What happened with Walker was unfortunate. I felt bad for him the entire time, because he knew he messed up, and was trying to fix it. Still, towards the end, I feel like he basically made it out of the situation in the best possible way. Walker helped him out, but also, he was able to better position himself to be independent and not be accountable to anyone. His conversation about having kids and not wanting to be accountable to them, that is something I often think about as a gay man. I think walker may have overreacted a bit, but then again, when enough was enough, its enough, and its time to keep it moving. The last line about Walker moving in with someone and Jack being alone, GENIUS! While there was no bitter battle, in this way, I think Jack one something.
6. Stephanie – Her character was probably my favorite. Her caving about Leo and sex? I think well done. Why not. What happened with her for the rest of the story was a good character development. She understood she didn’t need someone else, nor want to deal with the idea of someone else co-parenting. Genius and well written. Jacks involvement in
7. The Twins – not necessarily useful to the story, but a nice distraction. Loved the speech about not being the same person and wondering how their unit identity has affected their development as individuals.

Overall, a good story with lots of potential, but needed more to make it well rounded.

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3 Stars for concept and performance

Revisado: 01-19-18

1. Fantastic concept – the idea of chroming is genius. 5 stars for the concept and what it had to offer.
2. A bridge connecting 2-4 book universes – This book’s themes connected the following universes for me:
a. The Scarlet Letter – I never read it. But did see the movie.
b. The Handmaids Tale – the merging of church and state. How scary that is.
c. The Book of the Unnamed Midwife – read it to understand why. But in essence, the scourge in this book is similar to the epidemic that created hives back in the midwife book. It is almost as though When She woke picks up after the Midwife’s book series end, once the cure was found
d. Ready Player one – or any other tech advanced book that comes to mind.
3. Hannah – as a character, she was interesting. I enjoyed her sewing clothes for herself. It was something that made her really human, and unable to give up something so simple to her existence. I loved her towards the end of the book. She was strong from the beginning for sure.
a. I did not like how they made her a lesbian for five minutes. It added something cheap to her story, as though she had gotten a near death experience and all of a sudden she had an urging for women. Even if brief, it seemed out of sorts. I understand the purpose of this was for the sake of making her character grow, but there was a way to make it better than just a one and done, and so abrupt into her development.
b. Her relationship with Kayla – was cool. They trusted each other. I loved that this relationship grew so quickly because it was circumstantial.
4. Aiden – he was a punk. I didn’t expect too much from him as a character. I knew it was bound to happen. The ending solidified his being a punk. A minor heart attack because he felt so guilted to let everyone know, embarrass himself and his wife, and make it so that pretty much anyone could figure out who he had the affair with. Smart man this one.
5. The Finality of never saying goodbye to her family – it hurt me to read this. And while just a book, it really drove home that she had accepted that nothing would be the same if she had stayed, nor would the constant reminder of her past to allow her to better herself. I do feel bad for her dad though.

3 stars. A great concept, with the potential to create a universe to continue the story. Not great follow through on some character development, with pretty predictable tropes that cheapened the struggle of Hannah.

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Amazing Characters, Amazing Story

Revisado: 11-16-17

1. This was a surprisingly good read. I was surprised by it because I expected it to be something about a woman who was pregnant by another man, or something along the lines of affairs and such. But I liked it, a lot. The reading, the character development, and the loose ends, and the messiness.
2. Meghan – Her story is that of a very privileged woman who doesn’t seem to really appreciate the things around her. Her story before the baby getting taken is that of ignorance. Her story is sad in the despair of it all, for five minutes, and then she becomes annoying. I wonder if her character was written in this way on purpose, because it seems like she was someone who was arrogant on many levels. Even her use of the father to get her daughter into the school, and the way she essentially only went back to church because of what they did for her. I had issues with her character because it was clear she wasn’t going to learn from everything.
3. Agatha – her character was actually my favorite. She was the victim for sure, over and over again. And while the situation with Meghan was uncalled for, it was clear that the years of the sexual abuse and neglect from parents, coupled with giving a child up and not being able to conceive finally broke her. Her sadness was palpable. The creature who consistently made her rethink things was also something I could see as a splinter, a way she coped with her issues. The ending broke my heart in the best of ways: she didn’t die. But she learned to wait through the power of lying again, but this time to herself.
4. Elements of the story that were both bad and good and so bad that they were good:
a. Simon – that son of a bitch. Like dude, chill out. Come on. Let it go.
b. Jack – you know, I am not upset with him that he cheated. Because even though he tried to contain the truth, it came out, and he owned it once it was out. He was a complete moron for just giving the baby up like that. It was absolutely his fault. But his ease with giving his baby up was also indicative of his ignorance and level of comfort with his place in the world. The way he was so blaze about how the baby was taken, and meghan needing to forgive him and everything, I mean dude. But all in all, he did not bother me too much.
c. Meghan vs Agatha – who was worse. Its hard to say. I think the author purposefully pitted them against each other in this way. Agatha was psychologically in need of help. Yes. She was definitely someone who was not doing great things. But I can attribute some of those things to mental illness. Whilst Meghan was keeping one secret the whole time, from two men, and never fessed up to her screw up, AND had the nerve to feel betrayed. Like girl, really? Hard to say who was worse. The poor fool who could not do any better, or the fool who could do better, but actively didn’t.
d. The scene between Agatha and Megahn and getting Ben back was so well done. It felt awkward, and intense, and also heartfelt at the same time.
e. The ending was marvelous in its own way –
f. This film would translate well into a film, as long as none of the details were changed for the sake of cinematics
g. Something I wish was discussed more was Agatha’s mental health state. It would have been nice to have something definitive mentioned, even if only once.
h. Hayden – poor poor hayden. He loved her despite her flaws, but never said anything to help.
5. The book was amazing. And I loved how the characters were not diluted by fictional tropes, but seemed genuinely human and screwed up.
6. 5 stars.
7. MAKE THE MOVIE!
8. DON’T SCREW THE MOVIE UP – FOLLOW THE WRITING TO A T!!!!!!!!!

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