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      • 1 Star/Did Not Finish1 Star reads and books I didn’t finish. I use this for books I couldn’t finish. If I finished a book, it meant it was passable at least so deserves an extra star! It is very rare that I need to do this, I’m good at knowing my own taste. Usually if  a book got this rating I’d made a miscalculation when I picked it up! I have a whole post about how I rate books and my reading preferences.
      • 2 Stars2 out of 5 star  book reviews. I finished the book but it felt like a struggle, and I probably ended up skim reading a lot of it just to get though the thing. I have a whole post about how I rate books and my reading preferences.
      • 3 Stars3 out of 5 star book reviews. These are middle-of-the-road books. Nothing that got me excited, but they were fine and I probably had a good time reading most of it. I have a whole post about how I rate books and my reading preferences.
      • 4 Stars4 out of 5 star book reviews. I had a good time reading it, I felt like I got something out of the experience and I’d recommend it to other people. I have a whole post about how I rate books and my reading preferences.
      • 5 Stars5 out of 5 star book reviews. I got super excited about it! I’ll buy a hard copy for my library, and I’ll likely read it again. Sometimes for these books, I’ll write up a longer review with analysis. I have a whole post about how I rate books and my reading preferences.
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      • 1 Star/Did Not Finish1 Star reads and books I didn’t finish. I use this for books I couldn’t finish. If I finished a book, it meant it was passable at least so deserves an extra star! It is very rare that I need to do this, I’m good at knowing my own taste. Usually if  a book got this rating I’d made a miscalculation when I picked it up! I have a whole post about how I rate books and my reading preferences.
      • 2 Stars2 out of 5 star  book reviews. I finished the book but it felt like a struggle, and I probably ended up skim reading a lot of it just to get though the thing. I have a whole post about how I rate books and my reading preferences.
      • 3 Stars3 out of 5 star book reviews. These are middle-of-the-road books. Nothing that got me excited, but they were fine and I probably had a good time reading most of it. I have a whole post about how I rate books and my reading preferences.
      • 4 Stars4 out of 5 star book reviews. I had a good time reading it, I felt like I got something out of the experience and I’d recommend it to other people. I have a whole post about how I rate books and my reading preferences.
      • 5 Stars5 out of 5 star book reviews. I got super excited about it! I’ll buy a hard copy for my library, and I’ll likely read it again. Sometimes for these books, I’ll write up a longer review with analysis. I have a whole post about how I rate books and my reading preferences.
    • Review & Analysis
    • A guide to my ratings
    • Monthly Reading Roudups
    • Book Tags
    • Top Ten Tuesday
  • Life
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      • Digest BlogThese are semi-regular updates on my life. What I’ve been up to recently, what TV shows or movies I’ve been watching and whatever else is on my mind.
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Family Drama

Home » Family Drama
Last Summer at the Golden Hotel by Elyssa Friedland

Last Summer at the Golden Hotel by Elyssa Friedland

Posted in3 StarsNovember 1, 2024
Low stakes family drama makes an enjoyable audiobook - ⭐⭐⭐ 3/5 Stars
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Good Behaviour by Molly Keane. 3/5 stars. Genre: Classics, Family Saga, Historical Positives: + Masterfully written with sharp characters. + Niave, unreliable narrator reveals in what she observes but fails to understand. + Darkly Funny. + Captures the dying class of the Anglo-Irish aristocracy. Negatives: - The reader is always held at arms length and any sympathy for Aroon is short lived. - Became rather miserable reading after a while!

Good Behaviour by Molly Keane

Posted in3 Stars, Book ReviewsNovember 30, 2023
Well written but miserable family saga with a naïve unreliable narrator - ⭐⭐⭐ 3/5 Stars
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The House We Grew Up In by Lisa Jewell Genre: Mystery, Family Drama Positives: + Has the usual hallmarks of a Lisa Jewell that make a compelling mystery story. + Varied characters. + Balanced look at the impact of guilt & hoarding on the whole family. Negatives: - The mystery lacked twists or a climax. Really more of a family history. - I didn‘t care for any of the characters. - Lorelie herself I found more annoying than charming!

The House We Grew Up In by Lisa Jewell

Posted in3 Stars, Book ReviewsSeptember 11, 2023
Another reliably gripping mystery story, but turned out to be lacking in twists and a little anti-climactic - ⭐⭐⭐ 3/5 Stars
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The Husband's Secret by Liane Moriarty 4/5 Book Review

The Husband’s Secret by Liane Moriarty

Posted in4 Stars, Book ReviewsMay 8, 2023
Sharpe observations on everyday interactions, tightly woven plot but the central mystery is a little anti-climatic. ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4/5
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No One Is Talking About This by Patricia Lockwood Mini Review 2 out of 3 stars Genre: Contemporary Literature Positives: + Structure recreates the surreal effect of the social media doom scroll. + First half is funny Negatives: - Second half feels like it’s from a different novel. - Switch in tone is jarring and confusing. - I didn’t know what the plot was before reading, family tragedy is not my genre.

No One Is Talking About This by Patricia Lockwood

Posted in2 Stars, Book ReviewsJanuary 27, 2023
I enjoyed the experimental structure, but found it as a novel disjointed and disappointing. ⭐⭐ 2/5 Stars
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The Wallflower Digest is a personal blog written by me, Alice. These are just my personal thoughts, feelings and hobbies! I am not an expert in anything, but just a person trying to learn and make sense of the world!

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