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Robotswithpersonality
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Panpan

Mostly mourning the lost potential in the premise.
Despite the extensive amount of the story delivered by an unlikeable narrator, I can see so much here that would have really worked for me if handled differently.
The author writes well, but seems to often choose to write in an attempt to shock the reader, but in ways I've encountered before, that only leave a bad taste in my mouth. 1/?

Robotswithpersonality 2/? Opening with post-WW2 tensions: white supremacy and eugenics still viable ideas to some people, so many who have suffered violence and trauma in war, the 'place of women'.
Then the story within the story of a second mate ostensibly transported from a place and time where he had a past serving aboard the Argo with Jason, in recounting his tale focusing on the Lemnos incident, parallels the fact that he and the listening passengers and crew are
(edited) 7d
Robotswithpersonality 3/? aboard a ship in the 1940s unexpectedly paused in its own journey.
One more layer is apparent in a Nordic tale recounted that foreshadows Jason and Medea's own dark endings, told both to the Argonauts and the 40s listeners.
The unlikeable narrator has the potential for farce, because he appears to have a Polonius/Mr. Collins level of clueless chatter that sucks up to his benefactor, and tells people things for their own good and criticizes
(edited) 7d
Robotswithpersonality 4/? everyone in the least tolerant manner possible.
There's also a strong theme of sexual violence against women and seeing women only as insatiable sexual objects, which is disturbing in itself, but also because it never really feels like the author did the work to explain the linkage between the problems with the latter and the perpetration of the former.
(edited) 7d
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Robotswithpersonality 5/? Perhaps the idea was that with such an unlikeable narrator, anything he said you'd understand to be distasteful and not an attitude the reader should take forward, but it's all the messier when Caeneus, the second mate, acting as the narrator for the story within the story is at once catering to the needs of a good portion of the women of Lemnos without valuing them beyond sexual desire, and recounting his own assault at the hands of Poseidon (edited) 7d
Robotswithpersonality 6/? when he was a woman who wished to become a man after this ordeal.
There's a single page that suggests a sci-fi/fantasy element that might explain why Caeneus from ancient mythic Greece is in the 20th century, but for the most part this is a bizarre mashup of historical and myth-retelling.
(edited) 7d
Robotswithpersonality 7/? It ends much too quickly for my taste plot-wise, with no real resolution, but too slowly considering some of the uglier discussion topics, and worse, the detestable narrator appears in better state than he started. Again, I've read books where these writing choices are made, before, and I remain baffled as to what the point was. I'm afraid my brain is pretty good at dumping the junk when it's in the realm of fiction, so if the idea was to make (edited) 7d
Robotswithpersonality 7/7 it memorable because it pushed buttons, it failed there too. 🤷🏼‍♂️

⚠️Racism, xenophobia, misogyny, dismemberment, SA, child death
7d
3 likes7 comments
blurb
bibliothecarivs
The Icelandic Saga | Peter Hallberg
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Recent acquisition for our personal library.

review
Hooked_on_books
The Night Guest | Hildur Knutsdottir
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Pickpick

A woman is having some challenging symptoms and thinks increased exercise might be the key. But then he pedometer watch shows an amount of walking that seems impossible. Moving through the investigation of her own behavior is both interesting and steadily increasing in dread. I did find the ending a bit odd and too abrupt, but overall I liked this one.

49 likes1 stack add
review
Suet624
The Night Guest | Hildur Knutsdottir
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Pickpick

A woman wakes up exhausted every morning, limbs aching, with unexplained bruising. She eventually finds out that she‘s sleepwalking. Strange things are happening - cats start to run away from her - and she tries to ascertain what is happening. It‘s a short read, a bit creepy, and one that keeps you hooked. The ending? Yeah, who knows what happened but I have several theories and I‘m okay with that. #offtheshelf #bookspin

Cathythoughts Sounds good. I have a sample on my kindle .. I‘ll try it 👍🏻😁 2mo
CBee This was definitely creepy. Normally I can‘t do sad animal things but, for some reason I could with this book? And after a minute of being mad about the ending, I decided I was okay with it 😂 2mo
Suet624 @CBee I know what you mean about the sad animal thing. She just breezes over it so quickly that it kind of didn‘t sink in as hard as it could‘ve. 2mo
CBee @Suet624 that‘s exactly it! Didn‘t have time to really ponder it before it was over 🤷‍♀️ 2mo
TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!! 2mo
56 likes1 stack add5 comments
review
she.hearts.horror
The Night Guest | Hildur Knutsdottir
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Pickpick

🖤🖤🖤🖤

18 likes1 stack add
review
Shemac77
The Night Guest | Hildur Knutsdottir
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Pickpick

Excellent audio

blurb
Shemac77
The Night Guest | Hildur Knutsdottir
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Next audible
Featuring deer in the middle of the night looking sketch

Cathythoughts Beautiful pic ❤️ 2mo
LeahBergen Haha! I love this! 2mo
dabbe 🤩🦌🤩 2mo
tpixie Love it!! You caught them before they ran away!!! 2mo
30 likes1 stack add5 comments
review
sarahbarnes
The Night Guest | Hildur Knutsdottir
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Pickpick

An entertaining read. Definitely a page turner - I love psychological thrillers. Like others have said I don‘t really know what happened at the end, but a pick nonetheless.

Suet624 This one is in my pile of books just waiting for me to grab it. 3mo
sarahbarnes @Suet624 If it wasn‘t I‘d offer to send you mine. Hope you enjoy it when you get to it! 3mo
52 likes1 stack add2 comments
review
Jess861
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Mehso-so

I debated between giving this book a pick or a so-so. It is an extremely quick read and I did enjoy the end and how it brought everything together. I also enjoyed the setting of a wintry, 19th century Iceland. I was a bit confused by all the characters but the end wrapped it up nicely and the pieces all fall into place. I'm glad I read this book but just feel a little underwhelmed by it. Probably won't stick with me, but it was worth the read.