Alexandra > Recent Status Updates

Great writing and interesting story but my Lord, what an unlikable cast of characters. I’m a feminist but even I’m exhausted by the feminist sermonizing and Elizabeth’s inability to understand or respect anyone while demanding that everyone understand or respect her. Not sure what’s supposed to be so funny about this book either. Oof.

What is this - Forest Gump if he was traumatized by a serial killer? This guy is a pirate, painter, bank thief, detective, and now he’s building a house? What’s he going to do next, start a shrimp restaurant in honor of Grace?

God, this could have been a short story but the author keeps inserting entire scenes and monologues from Shakespeare that go on and on. Also speaking as a British lit/theater double major, I didn’t quote Shakespeare to my friends AT ALL and yet these characters do so constantly, even to say goodnight?! So freakin pretentious but I’m too far in to stop now.

Not going to lie - pretty dull so far. Just a series of mundane conversations organized by topic, sometimes grammar, spelling, accents, etc. I thought it would go farther into grammar and why these conventions exist, but instead it’s just small anecdote after small anecdote. I’ll keep reading though because it’s a good book to make you sleepy when you’re trying to get to bed.

Perhaps because this is written by a journalist rather than a historian, I am finding the structure of this book a little confusing. The writer doesn't lay down the difference between racism and castism until Chapter 6 or 7, or provide an intro to the Indian Caste System until that time. I wish that came earlier in the book but, being a reporter, leading with the illustrative anecdotes before the theory makes sense?