pickThis was a short, quirky read that I really enjoyed. Initially, it seemed that I wouldn‘t like it, but I grew to identify with and feel empathy for the narrator. The narrator relays her nearly constant litany of anxieties and obsessions, mainly about environmental changes, her family, our current political situation, and her own failings in life. She cares for her family, but is hapless in caring for herself. Humorous and sad in turns. 4⭐️
so-so#womensprize2020 #hoopla This was a traumatic story about a woman who was abducted during the Japanese occupation of Singapore in WWII for service as a “comfort woman”. A lot of the details of the families trying to survive during the occupation was sad and horrific, but the second, present day timeline seemed unnecessary to the story and just didn‘t appeal to me in the end. 3⭐️
so-soHaving read her wonderful book ‘Another Brooklyn‘, I‘m really disappointed with this one. It lacks the fluid and evocative prose of that book. This one is not bad in so much as it‘s just so very, very average. The characters were defined mainly by cultural or historical references, which made them lack depth. Maybe I just had too high a hope for this one, but it left me disappointed in the end. #womensprize2020 2.5⭐️
pickI‘m so glad I finally got around to reading this one. Very strong writing displaying a wide variety of nuanced female characters and their experiences. While I liked each chapter and the individual stories, I wasn‘t as much a fan of the ending. 4⭐️ #womensprize2020
