|| IF Book Club : The Next Chapter # 2 || - Page 29

I haven’t gone through all the previous pages of discussion while I was away so if there are any new members, please introduce yourselves so that I can add your names on the first page.

Homegoing review

More than a fortnight later but here is my review.

A book like this is not what I normally would gravitate towards but ever since this bookclub started I’m trying to read stuff I otherwise wouldn’t.

The book is heavy in terms of the themes it dealt with and the time period it was set in. It’s not the sort of book you can finish in a couple of sittings unless, you are used to reading books like this.

It is the story of two half sisters leading very different lives because of their circumstances they find themselves in. It takes a look into the lives of the descendants of these two half sisters spanning over three centuries and how each generation has their own set of struggles and how things gradually changed for the people of Africa over a period of time.

Each chapter deals with a new descendant of each of the sisters and gives us a peak into their life and struggles at that point of time. Since each character’s story is about 20-30 pages long, the connect you feel as reader with each character is not as strong. Some characters like Esi, Ness and Kojo created more of an impact as compared to others. Maybe it’s to do with the fact that Esi’s line of descendants had it tougher as compared to Effia’s. The suffering and horrors they had to undergo was eye opening, but difficult to read.

Since it was a multi generational perspective into the lives of the descendants of the two half sisters, not every character was interesting to read about but had its relevance in terms of the story. There were some characters I would have like to read more of and some characters, not so much of, but in terms of a multi generational novel, I guess it was important to show the full arc - from slavery to a life of freedom.

The end felt a little convenient and rushed but the story had to be wrapped up and I guess it was the easiest way.

This is Yaa Gyasi’s debut novel and what a powerful first book. I’ll be looking to reading her next book when I want to read something with gravitas.

This book is not everyone’s cup of tea - it’s to be read when you are in the zone if reading something serious or over a period of time alongside some other less intense book.
This book gave me a renewed hatred for the Britishers of the earlier generations.

Homegoing was a 4 star read for me; it dipped towards 3.5 in the latter chapters, but as a whole, it’s a 4 star book.

I finished People We Meet on Vacations today, and once again I have an unpopular opinion😆

Originally posted by: 23Diya

I finished People We Meet on Vacations today, and once again I have an unpopular opinion😆

I expected too much from it I guess. The story is going very slow with no proper build up or development of characters. I am not liking the flow

Mexican Gothic (finally!😆)

The story revolves around Noemi. Her father receives a mysterious letter by Catalina--her cousin--who has been witnessing strange happenings in her house and claims that it's haunted. The father sends Noemi to go and help her.

After being disappointed with The Shining by Stephen King since that one didn't scare me at all, I had no expectations from this one. I was pleasantly surprised though, because I started reading it at night and there was one part right at the beginning of the novel which gave me goosebumps. After that, I could never read this at night again.

When I was reading reviews, people were saying that the novel is slow and takes time for the story to begin. It was slow, but I didn't find it that boring due to the creepiness and mystery of the haunted house, or maybe just because I had less expectations after reading reviews.

I really liked the bond which Noemi and Francis shared. One of the best element of the story. I never expected that Noemi would find love admist all the scary events happening in the house. Another favourite character has to be Catalina. She was mysterious throughout the whole story, from beginning to end.

I liked the ending. It left a happy and complete feeling in my heart after all the dark things that happened throughout the story.

I guess the only issue with the story is the pace. It could have been a little faster in the first half, and I would have liked more creepiness. The scarier, the better! (as long as I don't read it at night lol)

Rating: 3/5

That's a good review. Everyone's liking this book. I really need to read it. I keep picking up new books every time I'm reading it.😆

Originally posted by: 23Diya

That's a good review. Everyone's liking this book. I really need to read it. I keep picking up new books every time I'm reading it.😆

Thank you so much

It took me a long time to read it too😆

Can anyone recommend me a good book, preferably in the crime/thriller/mystery genre, set in Australia/Oceania?

Would you girls be okay reading a chunker (over 900 pages) over two months or would you like to read a book a month?

Originally posted by: Anam...

Would you girls be okay reading a chunker (over 900 pages) over two months or would you like to read a book a month?

One book per month