Denise Dilworth

Sweet and beautiful

Revisado: 03-26-24

A tender story in an impossible place, with a man who was everyone and no one teaching chikdren who could not be contained. It doubled my imagination.

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“Real” characters in an epic story

Revisado: 03-17-24

The depth of the characters, the genuine affection they had for one another, and the realistic ebbs and flows in the evolution of their relationships added so much to an already epic story. I read this trilogy first, although it seems it’s a prequel. I feel sure the author matured into this one, so I’ll keep that in mind as I start on the Keepers saga. (But I secretly have high hopes…)

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Heartbreaking & beautiful — and I learned much

Revisado: 11-01-23

Man, I don’t know where to start.

The main characters, particularly, had depth & were easy to empathize with. Our culture is so…freakishly obsessed with body image, so willing to engage in pointless comparisons and cruel judgments.

As many good writers do, this one had me reflecting not only on my own feelings and interactions, but also my observations of the world & the people in it. There is no single “master story” about body types, weight loss/gain, and the ways in which people navigate what they see as “ideals” or their own “imperfections.” This story did an excellent job of unpacking the complexities of how body image (and, even in the cases of a few of the more minor characters, self-image) is shaped, internalized, and even institutionalized — all without preaching or shaming or leaning too far into stereotypes.

But for mentions of adult topics, this is one of those books that should probably be read with pre-teens of all sizes & shapes to help widen perspectives and develop empathy.

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Sweet, gentle, and wise — a tiny miracle

Revisado: 10-22-23

Thank you for this, Charlie. I listened to this lovely story right at a time when I most needed it. Your story of these four friends is a gift.

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Disturbing & difficult to follow

Revisado: 10-13-23

I’m not sure what part of this was AT ALL funny. Or entertaining. And the voices were sometimes too similar to distinguish one character from the other. Really sad I sat through this one.

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I need to read everything written by this author

Revisado: 05-21-23

My sister recommended My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She’s Sorry, which was one of the wisest, funniest books I’ve ever read. When I told her I wanted to read A Man Called Ove next, she said she’d tried some time ago but couldn’t get into it.

She texted me a few weeks later to change her answer.

Backman magically captures the complex, vulnerable, miraculously (sometimes heart-rendingly) beautiful beings that form impossibly meaningful bonds of love and friendship in a way that somehow doesn’t forget to make the reader laugh and cry and reflect — and recognize something of themselves in the telling.

Ove made me want to bang my head against the wall, even as I grew to love him (and that dear Parvana!) more with every tiny insight into how he became the loyal, honorable, maddening man he was. When I found myself groaning at and arguing with him, I knew I’d read anything of Backman’s I could find.

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Completely adorkable

Revisado: 05-21-23

Sooo corny. And funny. And delightful. And sweet. I’m not sure if the characters were easy to like because they were well-written or well-played — and I don’t care. (Although both things are true.)

A great way to spend a couple of hours laughing (and rolling my eyes). I sorta wish I knew these two in real life.

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Deeply affecting, rich, and beautiful

Revisado: 01-08-23

This is the second book I’ve read by Overington, and it’s just as engaging as the first. Her characters are complex, and the story is woven with cultural insights and critiques that manage to avoid out-and-out proselytizing while also exploring hard realities.

And, once again, the ending hit me right in the feels.

Where Jodi Picoult’s books have started to feel a little formulaic at times (still a devoted fan!), Overington’s storytelling is, to me, still fresh and poignant.

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Didn’t expect THAT

Revisado: 12-11-22

This is a beautiful evolution (and falling apart) of a an engaging cast of characters who manage to grow and adapt emotionally without losing their essential selves along the way. The story is raw and honest and tragic, and the ending…well, I didn’t put it together until Med’s very last line. And, yeah, I was an emotional mess. In a good way.

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So many Big Truths packed into this small book

Revisado: 10-02-22

Through the character of Elsie, Morrow gently and subtly probes ethical, moral, and emotional issues regarding the nature of identity, what defines independence, and the essence of our humanity in a new and imaginative twist on a familiar story.

Morrow dives even deeper than The Eternal Sunshine of a Spotless Mind, exploring what might happen when we try to protect ourselves from the things that wound us rather than heal them. She somehow keeps the story from tipping into the full-on horror the reader skirts with every chapter by telling the story through a heroine (not choosing that word lightly) whose empathy and intellect deftly lead us through the maze.

The ending left me gobsmacked.

And the overall story has me seeing my own memories — both happy & painful — in a whole new light.

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