Nicki Freitag > Recent Status Updates

Anachronism about musical roads in Denmark. Set in 1960s but they were first created in the 90s. Hmmm. Also huge ass bombs for Mars to see?

There's a lot of sinks in this book. Also that whole court chapter was super funny and tropey

The dialogue is so stilted. Rudimentary kinda dull

Idk how to say this without coming off like a dick but if you're going to write a book that involves someone being Harvard, you're going to want that character to act like it. I don't care if they're pretentious or a nepo or what. Fucking show me they're smart to be there 👏 👏 not because they're from the east coast 🙄 and know stuff about Pennsylvania

I did not know this but I looked up that blue bird story referenced. Came across that the blue bird symbolizes happiness. In search of happiness.

Why does this book seem too simplistic for the kind of story its trying to tell?

It's like asexual bioessentialism

Bro at this point I am realizing this is not for me at all. I am so bored 😴

Also this is hard hard hard science. Like realistic science. Idk how politically accurate it is though. Seems too altruistic or hopeful. Not to mention the corruption in politics/class not really addressed.

Also at this point I'm just barely making out what's going on through my audiobook. It might as well be in the background.

This is the longest novel to what I describe as very Huxley-esque. Difference is Huxley made the society in Island fail from corruption

I mean the more I think about it the more that this should be in the perspective of Omelogor, like completely. Maybe a smaller perspective from Kadiatou or Chiamaka but honestly I don't think that's needed

If this was more about Kadiatou and Omelogor and the other two women. Chiamaka and Zikora, were in the background or have less of a narrative it might have made more sense 🤔 I feel like there's too many characters for what I believe the themes are. Two POVs is the max I personally can handle for this type of story

This whole sermon talk about "human works" makes no goddamn sense. Maybe because I wasn't raised Christian but this whole convo is so useless in this book. Why are we talking about this? Just say there's a lot of coal, praised be to God or whatever not have half a page dedicated to saying yay to sacrificing Jesus.

It is blatantly lazy in it's proselytizing, the dialogue is hammy and unrealistic. The writing is very bland. I thought this would be more interesting since The Orphan Train was a real thing. It's definitely trying to put a plastic sheen on everything about it

I love my grandma but she was blessed with the taste of a Christian Boomer. Once in a while I'll get a Debbie Macomber or Nora Roberts book from her, and I'll read them and feel alright about them. But she also has given me some very mediocre and kitschy Christian fiction. I think this honestly is one of the most badly written book I've come across from the beginning.

Borderline action thriller. Kinda odd that this was chosen as a Booker

This girl is so tiring. She doesn't want to face the truth, she wants to run away. But like how is this a compelling novel then? This is just an annoying character flaw that doesn't have any consequences, she doesn't reflect or understand why
I'm convinced she'll be a terrible mother.this is a novel about cyclical generational flaws.

This whole plot point with Ethan and Robert is middling and obnoxious. I keep rolling my eyes everytime April spends time with Robert saying they love each other. Give me a break, how old is this man running around with a 19 year old? I don't find this endearing, I find it sickening that Ethan isn't batting an eye about this relationship. This guy sucks too.

Adam talked about getting SA by his stepmother and ironically having statury with a minor. Why was this backstory here if Adam wasn't going to find out? Wtf why have that there then April wasn't going to tell him she was 16 anyway. What a lame excuse. I wanted Adam to feel extremely guilty about this relationship, I'm dead serious about it. It would have slightly changed April's dynamic with men but not that much

Honestly if this was the late 60s and early 70s I would have forgiven this book for its many weird plots. Like I would think it's awful that April was with a guy twice her age but at least it wouldn't be idk as troubling as it is when it's the. 90s? Or at least having someone anyone acknowledge that this dynamic and her dynamic with older men is unhealthy and predatory and gross.

Also maybe I'm the asshole for not liking Bob Dylan that much but folk in the 90s seem a lot more indie/alternative than whatever she's working with. Alao soap opera in the 90s is kinda dated too? The only 90s media she talks about is Ren & Stimpy. I was hoping she was as apathetic as maybe Elliot Smith or at least a bit more interesting like Jewel but she seems dated? Like Bob Dylan.

I don't mind a imperfect main character. I'm even interested if they're a bit of asshole. What doesn't help is when they are never called out on their bullshit. This book is too sour in positivity over April that it doesn't seem to understand why she's a flawed character. I was hoping for more about her music career but it seems disinterested in that aspect. More showing that she's songwriting than showing her workin

Oh my bad 1949 so 30 in the 70s, 20s in the 60s. No that still doesn't make sense. She would have had her kid in 1971 so she'd be 22. There's no way she wouldn't have known who the grateful dead are unless she lived in her Swedish basement. Also I looked up if Washington had anything like a 50s nostalgia club in that state and it's possible but it's still weird 😐

OK, I can kinda buy that Tova doesn't remember Debbie Harry or Blondie, they're a mid 70s band and she's born in 1959 in Washington state, I would have figured in her teenage years she'd be into folk or something. Growing up listening to Berry and Lil Richard as a kid, I buy. But as an adult, going to a club in the 70s and doing the jitterbug?!? Huh?!