Eleanor > Recent Status Updates

Great so far

Going to have to put this thing on hold. It's actually destroying my will to write 😅

Her portrayal of writing is so depressing

Not loving all the god talk

This book was recommended to me years ago when I was attending a writers' group. I remember trying to read it at that time and don't recall whether or not I actually finished it. Probably not a good sign. At any rate, despite a few useful tidbits, I don't think it's working for me. It has a distinctive American boomer feel to it. Perhaps the author's experience is just too remote from mine for this to connect.

When the grandmother finally gets to have a conversation with someone closer to her own age, there's a brief window where this book is interesting. It's at this point that her frustration, lack of fulfillment and feelings of being caged are most productively conveyed. But it's too little too late

I wanted to like this, but it's absolutely turgid. The writing style feels more appropriate for a children's book. It's not profound. The musings about god don't move me. The child is insufferable and the grandmother is also irksome. The characters seem to endlessly annoy each other and resultingly the whole book is an irritation. For a short book, it's a slog. Really want to DNF it but I've only about 40% to go.

At least the grandmother seems somewhat aware of her granddaughter's antisocial nature

Uncompromisingly dull. The prose reads like a children's book.

This six-year-old is unbearable. She has sociopathic tendencies - rejecting another child when her hair gets messed up and her hair is the only thing she liked about her, throwing cats out into storms, constantly talking about her grandmother dying. She does nothing but whine and say quite nasty things. It's not quaint or cute or whimsical. There's a problem here.

A line I liked - "children have a lot of ape in them"

Why go back to Basgiath and be forced to share any information you discover about Andarna and Irids with potential enemies? This whole overarching plot is in the wrong order

I'm confused - Violet just led a rebellion out of Basgiath, and realised how exploitative and brutal the place is, but now she's willing to end her relationship with Xaden to abide by the Basgiath code of conduct? This makes no sense

Holy fuck, this is a hard one to get through.

Excruciatingly boring so far