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His Favorites
His Favorites: A Novel | Kate Walbert
23 posts | 26 read | 42 to read
From the highly acclaimed, bestselling National Book Award finalist and author of A Short History of Women, a timely and propulsive novel about a teenaged girl, a beloved English teacher, and his dark, open secret. It seemed harmless enough. They were having fun, three teenaged girls speeding on a golf cart through the greens, at night, drunk. The cart crashes and one of the girls, Stephanie lands violently in the rough, killed instantly. Neither the driver, Jo, nor the other friend is physically injured. Joan instant social pariahflees her hometown and enrolls in Hawthorne, a prestigious boarding school, far away from the stigma of the accident. Her past weighing on her conscience, Jo is determined to make things right. Then she encounters the charismatic English teacher. This fiercely urgent story reveals the interior life of a young woman reeling from trauma and trying to make sense of her treacherous new world and its betrayals. Walbert, who brilliantly explored a century of womens struggle for rights and self-fulfillment in her award-winning A Short History of Women, limns the devastating, all-too-common violations of vulnerability and aspiration. From the publisher of the classic A Separate Peace, His Favorites is a taut, heartbreaking novel by a wickedly smart writer (The New York Times Book Review) whose work is fascinating, moving and significant (The Washington Post).
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review
MMFinck
His Favorites: A Novel | Kate Walbert
Pickpick

Very very good. Did not see the end coming!

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vlwelser
His Favorites: A Novel | Kate Walbert
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Mehso-so

This had a great summary. But there isn't much of anything else to it. It's like seeing a movie preview where they show all of the best scenes.

#BookSpinBingo square 4
@TheAromaofBooks

TheAromaofBooks Great review! I hate it when that happens! 4y
29 likes1 comment
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Megabooks
His Favorites: A Novel | Kate Walbert
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Mehso-so

This book is an odd 🦆 Nowhere near as good as My Dark Vanessa, this novel is also about a teacher that rapes his students. It has none of the emotional gravitas that MDV has.

Apparently the narrator is writing this book to support other women raped by this teacher, but it isn‘t clear who is asking her about it. There is no chronology that makes sense. There are more details included about friends and gym class than the teacher. Totally weird.

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nomadreader
His Favorites: A Novel | Kate Walbert
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Pickpick

This slim novel is complex and the writing is at times perfect, which perhaps left me wanting something slightly more. Glad to finally read Walbert and will read more ⭐⭐⭐⭐ #ATY2020 (can be read in a day) @BarbaraBB [And now I've finished the February challenge prompts!]

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nomadreader
His Favorites: A Novel | Kate Walbert
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Starting this slim read next for #ATY2020 (in honor of Leap Year, a book that can be read in a day) @BarbaraBB #booksandbooze

BarbaraBB I‘ve never heard of this one but it sounds good 👌 5y
17 likes2 stack adds1 comment
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TheNerdyProfessor
His Favorites: A Novel | Kate Walbert
Mehso-so

This is a very short novel that covers a lot of ground. At it's heart, this is a book about sexual assault and the ways in which power can shield men from the consequences of their actions. Although this is an important story - one we have heard so often in the past two years - I found it lacking in detail and character development. At times, I found the writing disjointed as the author jumps time in a haphazard way. At the end, I wanted more.

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alyssthebooksniffer
His Favorites: A Novel | Kate Walbert
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Pickpick

Timely. Artful. 💔.

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LauraBeth
His Favorites: A Novel | Kate Walbert
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Pickpick

Kate Walbert can write a hell of a story. I found this to be both rage-inducing and heartbreaking - because you‘re reminded once again that the effects of abuse linger over the entire arc of someone‘s lifetime.

“Do not live your life in the subjunctive mood,” he said... Do you understand the subjunctive? To write in the subjunctive mood is to write out of reality in a cloud of wishes, in a haze of emotion—“

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LauraBeth
His Favorites: A Novel | Kate Walbert
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Afternoon reading 🌨🍁☕️

MicheleinPhilly Bitsy needs a pedicure! 6y
LeahBergen @MicheleinPhilly 😂 I thought that, too. I had to line up a bunch of cheese and give my last dog a piece for each toenail I clipped off. He showed his teeth through the whole ordeal. 😆 6y
LauraBeth @MicheleinPhilly and @LeahBergen she definitely needs a spa day! I‘m not doing it because she hates having her feet touched! 6y
See All 16 Comments
DebinHawaii Hi Bitsy! 😘🐶 6y
LeahBergen Does she get a bandana when she has a spa day? 😆 6y
MicheleinPhilly @LeahBergen @LauraBeth Thankfully Pickles runs enough that she basically files them herself. We just have to do the 2 inside nails and we wait until she‘s asleep. 6y
TNbookworm Hey Bitsy👋👋 6y
LauraBrook Hello to both you and the sweet Miss Bitsy! 😚😚 6y
Erinreadsthebooks I'm excited about that book. I hope it's as good as I'm expecting! 6y
LauraBeth @LeahBergen I wish! The place that gives out bandanas will crate the dogs when they‘re done and awaiting pickup but the place that doesn‘t give out bandanas lets all the dogs run around loose and play together - she seems to prefer the latter 😂 6y
LauraBeth @MicheleinPhilly and @LeahBergen I may need to leave them as they are so she has a defense against Teeny Ginger 😈 6y
LauraBeth @TNbookworm Bitsy says 👋 to you and your kitties! 6y
LauraBeth Well hey there sister! 👋 @LauraBrook 6y
batsy Bitsy's thinking face always cheers me up 😊❤️ 6y
100 likes3 stack adds16 comments
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LoLo_and_The_Dude
His Favorites: A Novel | Kate Walbert
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I Won! Perfectly rainy day for this new arrival! Thank you @ScribnerBooks !

9 likes1 stack add
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Bookmarkie
His Favorites: A Novel | Kate Walbert
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review
Jillsmith
His Favorites: A Novel | Kate Walbert
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Pickpick

Very quick read. I liked the style, would have liked more!

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moarbookspleaze
His Favorites: A Novel | Kate Walbert
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Just starting this.

KarenUK I loved it💕💕💕💕 6y
32 likes2 stack adds1 comment
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ReaderthenBlogger
His Favorites: A Novel | Kate Walbert
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Pickpick

I have posted my review of this book on my blog. I gave it 3.5 Stars. Thank you @ScribnerBooks
https://readerthenblogger.wordpress.com/2018/08/09/his-favorites-by-kate-walbert...

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KarenUK
His Favorites: A Novel | Kate Walbert
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#abbainaugust #whenikissedtheteacher
These girls really shouldn‘t want to become one of this predatory teachers‘ favorites...
The writing is sparse and exact, yet I really connected with 15yr old Jo. A tough read, and unfortunately Jo‘s treatment and experience is all too familiar. As Jo is told ‘Make big waves, and you‘ll swamp your own boat‘ by those who should be caring for her well being, my heart just broke for her.
(Release date is 8/14/18)

Cinfhen Sounds 💔 6y
Kalalalatja #Stacked 💔💔 6y
Mdargusch Wow this one sounds very Moving! 6y
See All 6 Comments
Meredith3 I‘m interested! 6y
Reviewsbylola This one is new to me! Sounds good. 6y
emilyhaldi A lot of heavy teacher kissing themed books out there huh?! 6y
55 likes5 stack adds6 comments
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Mirandareads
His Favorites: A Novel | Kate Walbert
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Pickpick

I really connected with this story. I thought it was wonderfully written and a timely story even though it takes place in the 80s.

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EH2018
His Favorites: A Novel | Kate Walbert
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Starting this one now...hoping it‘s a good one! Has some nice reviews

EH2018 I guess I expected more from this one. Interested to hear what others thought... 6y
14 likes1 stack add1 comment
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KarenUK
His Favorites: A Novel | Kate Walbert
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Pickpick

As Jo narrates her tragic tale of when she was 15, she wanders off course, memories materializing vividly, often veering away from the chronology. It‘s as though she cannot bear to get to what happened to her. This kept me gripped, anxious to discover her story.
The writing is sparse and exact, and I really connected with Jo. A tough read, all too familiar. As Jo is told ‘Make big waves, and you‘ll swamp your own boat‘.... my heart just broke...

minkyb Great review! 6y
58 likes1 stack add1 comment
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KarenUK
His Favorites: A Novel | Kate Walbert
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#nextup This slim little #ARC .... I know nothing about it.... just read some great blurbs on the back including one comparing Kate Walbert to Virginia Woolf and Muriel Spark!

ReadingVampire Aussie pictures!! 💜💜💜 6y
Felso Aussie alert!! ❤️ 6y
49 likes2 comments
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KarenUK
His Favorites: A Novel | Kate Walbert
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Picked up 3 exciting #ARC s this week at work..... Top two were already on my #TBR , but hadn‘t heard about the Kate Walbert .... It caught my eye after reading some impressive blurbs on the back cover comparing her to Virginia Woolf and Muriel Spark!

EvieBee I want Dear Mrs. Bird so much! Preordered the Audible book. 6y
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MidnightBookGirl
His Favorites: A Novel | Kate Walbert
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Panpan

I wanted to like this book and I did like the plot- a 15 year old girl accidentally kills her friend, parents split and she lands in a boarding school where an English teacher preys upon his favorites. I just found the writing style annoyingly insufferable, the constant bouncing back and forth, so much left unsaid, unexplained. It's a quick read, but it could have been so much better.

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Liberty
His Favorites: A Novel | Kate Walbert
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Afternoon reading. ❤️

KarenUK Just starting this one today.... 6y
114 likes6 stack adds1 comment