Martyna > Recent Status Updates

Emma's character is difficult to root for; she's vain, temperamental and flighty... On the other hand, she's probably pretty young, and she is the product of her environment and her times, so it's hard to blame her. And clearly, communication wasn't a thing at that time, so it's hard to blame Charles for being dull and assuming Emma's perfectly happy.

This book is much funnier than I expected it to be. Zadie Smith has a great ability to be insightful and amusing at the same time :) Having a great time, can't wait to see where the Iqbals and the Joneses end up.

Finally picking up one of those big, influential classics - a fascinating (and mundane) look at a reasonably well off woman in the XIX century. Flaubert's insights were ahead of his time I'd think (a man acknowledging that running a house may be boring and not every woman's dream.. colour me impressed) and I'm looking forward to seeing how Emma will fare going forward

That book is more humorous than I expected :) very much enjoying Archie, Samad, their wives and kids

I was thinking this is unnecessarily long, but I see now how intricately Ifemelu's character and experience is drawn here. First her life in Nigeria and then in the US, the numerous challenges of immigration, cultural shock, discrimination, dispiriting, endless job search, expectations vs reality, etc.

This is really well-observed and entertaining.. What's the most thought provoking though is that this story written a hundred years ago and what it satirises still feel very relevant today

Still really intrigued, very much enjoy the characters and the storytelling style.. It's about to turn into a fish-out-of-water, immigrant story and I'm looking forward to that part.
And finally, I'm liking Ifemelu much more than Obinze - at least for now, there isn't much to him at all. I'm actually glad they'll break up 😅

Well, I already feel like this didn't need to be as long as it is.. But the writing is great, I'm intrigued by the story and the characters, so I'm carrying on

What an absurd story this is and with somehow everyone behaving quite incongruously.. There is quite a lot of pretty misogynistic sentiments as well - women being taken against their will, objectified, talked down to. I wonder if it's the sign of the times or was Kafka saying something through it?
Overall, I feel like I'm being taken on an absurd ride and just waiting to see where we'll end up

I keep speeding up the audiobook which is never a good sign.. maybe I just need more patience? Or maybe this book is not very well-paced..? I very much enjoyed the first 30% maybe 40% but now we've slowed down and the MC seems a bit aimless and the narrative is aimless with her.. 4 hrs left in the audiobook and it feels like a lot

Giving strong 'Maeve fly' vibes ;)

Listening to an audiobook and having a really good experience - the tone of the narrator makes things feel more light, I'd say. Overall, a look at the life of a history teacher, quite an average person, questioning if free will exists and why we are not more honest with each other. It's a nice story - let's see how it ends.

Hah..this is almost grotesque.. Mr Stevens seems more like an automaton than a human being and expresses that sentiment with pride 😅 only English would be so proud with being this frigid

Amazing character writing - Mr Steven's voice comes through so strongly, with all the complexity of his person: on one hand proud of his profession, responsible, self-possessed, polite, very dignified, on the other arrogant, judgemental, perfectionistic, self-righteous.. A fascinating look into the mind of someone who so unquestioningly and completely embodies their profession, in all its rigidity

I've paused it - it just happened; this wasn't what I wanted, I don't know if I'll finish it eventually or not, but I had no desire to pick it up again, so here we are

The writing drew me in from the start. Captivating family story with well-drawn characters. What's funny is even that far, I'm not sure what we're aiming at.. what the point or the end-game is.

This is not what I wanted.. the picnic and disappearances themselves are covered within the first 15-20% and the rest is just a boring aftermath in all honesty. People talk among themselves, go back to the Rock to do a search, argue, inform the parents, etc. Very mundane which kind of negates all the mystical vibe we had at first.. Now we have a typical classic dealing with social nuances and daily stuff. Eh

Ok, if I'm being honest, so far the book is a bit disappointing - I'm halfway and there is nothing not even vaguely scary or menacing or anything. The guys are hanging out in the house with the woman, there are a few vaguely suspicious things, but not even unsettling, nothing's escalating, we're just there and it's always sunny and her clothes fit all sizes 🤷
I hope we'll significantly step it up soon!