Jasmine Goodger > Recent Status Updates

A very captivating beginning! Very flowery language which I’ll have to get used to as it is a stark contrast from my previous read, but I’m excited to invite a little whimsy into my life with this exciting fantasy!

Reading this book at the right age; at the precise moment God intended me to.

What a terrible person Cathy/Kate is, but what a brilliant character Steinbeck has created. The reader is granted the opportunity to see her for who she is from the start, and yet, I am still surprised at the lengths to which she reaches to inspire pain in others. I am proud of Adam, after feeling angered by his disassociation, he is free

I tried to read this book many years ago after a fellow university student told me it was his favourite book, but I never seemed to get anything from it. The story couldn’t land. My mind grew confused and tired and restless when I read it. But now, perhaps due to the passing of time and after experiences of hardship, I have cultivated a mindset that can understand the words on these pages. I cannot put it down.

Narratives don’t normally explore the lives of older women, but this book has surprised me. In society older women are devalued, as a woman’s value is determined by appearance and youth. I find Jones’ writing fabulously transgressive. It explores the dichotomy between what we think a woman over the age of 50 should be and what a woman over the age of 50 really is. It’s messy, SHE (the MC) is messy. I love it.

Currently waiting for there to be an indication of the slightest imperfection regarding the main character. The side characters seem to have more depth than her right now, but I’m hoping that this is building the tension for a dramatic downfall

I read a review earlier today that said Harvey barrages the reader with lists, and now, I cannot think of anything else whilst reading, because it’s the truth: she adores a list. To me, it just feels like TMI. I like the dialogue, when it is present. Speech is easier to digest and the story develops when we get to touch base, fleetingly, with the characters.

I love the way Maté writes. This book feels less like non-fiction than any non-fiction I’ve ever read, and I mean this that in the most positive sense possible.
If it weren’t for Maté’s humorous commentary, and his interjections of self-criticism, this would feel like a trauma narrative. That isn’t a negative observation, it is simply the nature of the subject matter and is unavoidable.

Harvey writes with intellect and passion. The language she uses is, for the most part, beautiful and picturesque, however, the more I read on, the more her writing feels distractingly like ‘purple prose’. There seems to be little in the way of actual STORY and more fluff that poses as philosophical commentary. I hope it improves, because it’s starting to feel pretentious, and I’m losing the will to read more.