Curtis > Recent Status Updates

Last 15 pages of book 1 actually have plot! Also started book 2 & it seems promising? I'm still a bit tentative that the meandering approach will continue, but it seems we're setting up a proper conflict between clans, partisans, royals, as well as interpersonal moral struggles! Rooting for this book to turn things around. Will likely be mostly sticking to the (different) audiobook version going forward.

I'm really gonna need some progress to happen fast, because this series of unrelated events is too much for what's meant to be an epic character study. Yes, I see that Wart's time turning into animals is gonna teach him about different perspectives & things to help him be a leader (learning about the perils of racism/nationalism from ants; border abolition from the geese, etc) but it's not enough to keep me invested.

Very episodic (which explains why the Disney version felt like a series of shorts). Hoping that's only for the first book, and that the latter parts are more forward-moving. Still fun, reminds me of Narnia but better written. Eager to progress with the actual sword in the stone stuff!

Really charming so far! I'm liking the inklings of Wart/Arthur's principles--retrieving the lost falcon, not taking a chance to escape Mim if it means leaving Kay. Also found out different versions exist! I'm getting the best of both by using an audio and physical copy. Original version more kid-friendly--reminds me of Harry Potter when I was expecting Lord of the Rings in terms of tone. Prefer prose here though!

A pretty casual, decent read! Basically Don Quixote in miniature--similar tone, Candide & his sidekicks have similar dynamic, grand romance lampooned in same way. You can see enlightenment ideas in the story's anti-moral (anti-colonial, anti-slavery sentiment expressed too). Since it's such a classic, so short, and pretty accessible, it's definitely a good book to try!

Globetrotting adventure--was expecting something confined to a much smaller setting. Lots of humour; was laughing out loud at part where Candide gets violent. Often dark too. Book lampoons 'optimism/divine plan' ideology but has its own type of optimism--everyone has their problems & sufferings, & even if they're not part of any cosmic plan, you can find solace that its up to you what you do with what you're given.

Themes & concept interesting--characters not so much. Lots of techno-babble/unnatural dialogue, especially early on. Surprised how conventional ending was. Almost felt restrained after how high stakes became. Still a decent read! The taoist/eastern stuff was cool, as well as the way plot repackages monkey's paw/time travel concepts to revolve around dreams. Unsure whether it's worth going out of your way for, though.

Allusions to Taoism/Buddhism, solipsism, meditation. Mountain imagery at start subverted enlightenment imagery when Orr turned it into horseshit in one of his dreams. Even cover alludes to transcendence imagery. Also sleepily says he thought LeLache was 'from the east' (hidden reference to eastern philosophy). Plot similar to time travel--things changed retroactively, we see results. New Age popular at the time.

Instant 'movie would be better' vibes. First 60 pages has interesting hook, but dominated by techno-babble exposition. Halfway through ch. 5, things started to level out with first big status-quo change. Hoping it maintains the momentum after the uneven start. Definitely an interesting concept with lots of potential, with hints on where it may go (attempts at solving racism coming up?) to keep you reading. Excited!

Holy shit o.O;; This book is NOT for the feint of heart D':
But so, so good! Didactic, melodramatic at times, but drenched in atmosphere, full of tension, great range of characters (maybe too many), great snapshot of a time & place while still being broad enough to be relatable today. Even the bleakness/outrage really connected with me; you get the sense Zola wrote certain passages with gritted teeth. Essential.

Again, very shocked at how suspenseful & intense this book can get. Maybe too much--some humour early on would have maybe helped it feel more real as opposed to a didactic novel about the horrors of mining/labour in industrial France. For what it is, it's incredibly effective, with many interesting characters.It has been an incredible ride, possibly best thing I've read all year. Finishing it tonight!

Pretty fun, very 80s Hollywood at times, but the ending is a bit more misanthropic & thoughtful than I was expecting a book like this to have (even if it doesn't totally make sense). Of course it is quite dated by romanticized depictions of indigenous, manly-man misogyny, corny dialogue & plot, but that mostly just made it more entertaining for those that like cheese. Not worth going out of your way for, but decent!

Shockingly intense. Character tensions coming to a peak, strike becoming desperate--very surprised by how graphic the violence is! Not to mention the sex. It makes the book seem a lot more modern than it is. The bleakness of things is overwhelming but mostly organic--only slightly melodramatic in spots. I honestly have no idea how it's going to end & am very curious to see how far this book will go in the climax!

Oh god, there's a love interest.

The rapid and constant cutting between Jason & the "Indian's" perspective was very disorienting. I'm assuming the book had proper line breaks between each perspective shift, & I wish the audiobook would have some kind of signal when that happened. Anyway, some pretty suspenseful scenes, & author is aware of limits in his skill so keeps prose simple but effective.

Very suspenseful string of chapters, including excellent one about Catherine & gas. Author also doing well at humanizing the mine's managers as their upbringing makes it impossible to understand worker's plight, & strike solidarity from necessity throws their own social isolation into stark relief. Etienne also not just the ideal revolutionary--he has an arrogant streak & possibly violence prone. Really enjoying it!

Welp, I was probably gonna end up on a watch list anyway lol

Cheesy but fun horror. Fast paced (a massacre within first 2 chapters), compulsive enough to make you wonder what's gonna happen next despite minimal characterization--but very dated as well, with its spooky indigenous folklore. Though the tiny, critical allusion to the abuse of residential schools was enough to show that the author is more ignorant than malicious with his appropriation.

Translation too 'British;' sometimes forget it's set in France. Didactic messaging but forgivable since socialism was popular among miners at the time & is what led to unions cropping up fast. As someone who's been around coal mines, depiction is accurate. Love how first third covers just one day then time speeds up. Family drama building, little seeds sown & BAM suddenly action begins! Excited for what's to come.

Unapologetically uncomfortable at times--sex being one case, with kids being active from young ages. Brilliant scene where mom/dad get into it downstairs while daughter upstairs presumably knows what's going on, then next scene loses virginity in dark parallel of what her parents did. Rhetoric of wealthy about poor very similar as today--bootstraps, etc. You get impression Zola has seen/experienced this life closely.

Thank god it's over.

Those last 3 parts are torture. The most insufferable waffling about the tiniest semantic minutiae. There is some interesting stuff here but it gets completely eclipsed by the last stretch. I cannot imagine reading City of God by this guy--early 4 times as long and I'm sure written in the same extremely ponderous way,

Super bleak, but loving how aggressive the social critique is. Also seems to jab at high society novels--we cut to unknown wealthy family straight out of Pride&Prejudice not knowing their connection to story, but it's slowly revealed. Then we find out this is the family Maheude was trying to beg food from in previous chapter. Very stark way of framing this interaction. Not much has happened but I'm very invested.

A promising start! The first miner Etienne sees has blacklung, mines described in very bleak way. Loved the first descent into mine, though having trouble picturing all of the workings mentioned. The Maheu family has a ton of characters but I think I can keep track of them. Very atmospheric immediately, reminds me of john Steinbeck. Dark but still lots of humour & colour. Apprehensive about possible love subplot.

Meh.

Pretty fun and whimsical so far, but kinda wish I'd found this as a kid. Full of little motivational quotes weaved in to help kids understand, aimed at praising curiosity and thinking differently/asking questions/wanting to understand, etc. Still speaks to me.

Very underwhelming. Paint-by-numbers horror with a big gory climax that feels weirdly short. Nevill seemed hedged between a twist ending & not a twist, so the 'reframing' that happens isn't substantively different from what we were assuming all along. Prose remains embarrassingly bad throughout; even during climax I had a few laugh-out-loud moments that completely took me out of it. Some good scenes & ideas though.

Rough copy of Pet Semetary except clumsier execution. Stuff is really happening now though! Entertaining but very hokey--unintentionally funny in places & Nevill continues to overuse similes at inappropriate times: someone angrily gets in Tom's face, spittle hits his face like ocean spray). Logistic issues show Nevill puts little thought into scenes--stopping car to check if someone's dead on way to hospital? What???

Okay, it's finally becoming a horror book, & easier to ignore the prose. It's still fairly paint-by-numbers so I can only assume whatever makes this book notable happens in the last act. Characters flat; we don't learn anything about them outside of their basic utility to the story--hobbies, interests? What does the wife want? What led her to agree to move in the first place? At least it's more readable now!

Some plot developments help make things interesting, but still hard not to be distracted by the bad writing. Lots of things told instead of shown; sometimes narration contradicts what we've seen (Tom says Gracie's been scared & clingy since moving there even though the literal previous scene was her happily exploring deep into the woods. She's been confident & curious. Minimal character development, tropey.

I’d love to comment on the story, but the prose is distractingly bad. Overwritten, melodramatic, pretentious; author describes like a thesaurus. Like nails on a chalkboard at times. Also, main characters act ridiculous. Not greeting neighbors after 2 days in the house, but Tom says he’s used to knowing all his neighbors? Buying a massive fixer-upper project of a house you can’t afford? Dummies. Gonna be a rough read!