Thanks for review. Really interesting selection of books. I have read Nunez's What are you Going Through and enjoyed it although I thought the storyline rambled a bit. I will look out for the one you mention here. I loved the Copenhagen Trilogy from Childhood to Dependency. Thought it was devastating the way she progressed into addiction whilst trying to carve out a writing career and identity. I have recently read Greek Lessons by Kang and enjoyed it but wasn't blown away by it. This new book is getting very good reviews including from a serious reader in my Bookclub. As it's based on historical events I want to read it soon. Toddling off to our local library to get a copy.....
I do think The Last of Her Kind probably does meander a little, but I found that each of the asides did add up something to the whole! Really enjoyed it.
And I hope you enjoy We Do Not Part. I was really surprised by it considering how I wasn't blown away by her other work.
Wow what a good month! This May reads contrasts so starkly with mine in a way that gives me hope (I always find after a bad reading month I loose faith a little bit in reading, but it always comes back!) It was nice to read so much praise about so many books! Super interested in reading The Last of Her Kind - I recently acquired the my first Nunez in My Friend.
I would echo your love for Childhood specifically in the trilogy - I read it last year and was so taken with the whole trilogy, but felt Childhood was absolutely the strongest. Imo Youth and Dependency are carried by the setting up of herself, her desires and her family that she does in Childhood. The way she writes about how she perceived things as a child still sits with me today - so bold and introspective at such a young age it is literally remarkable. It was devastating in so many ways to watch that fade away as the trilogy continued.
Adding The Autobiography Of My Mother to the tbr! Ever since I read and loved Annie I want more Kincaid BADLY. She is so good.
& I am very intrigued by We Do Not Part! I have read The Vegetarian but honestly, for reasons I am not entirely sure of, I have never felt massively pulled back to her work. I have a sneaky suspicion it might be because Kang is so often talked about in popular and admirable tones, my subconscious decided to avoid it. Anyway your review has made me seriously reconsider going back and I think I will start with this one!
I read A Passage North a few years ago before I think my obsession w the craft of writing really uncovered itself and I remember not liking it very much. I feel quite compelled to revisit it after your review because I can't help but feel like I missed something... I am getting vibes of right book wrong time perhaps.
And, finally, I am gutted and appreciate your review of The Parisian. I think everything you said makes sense - its her debut, we have read SUCH remarkable work from her more recently that it definitely sets up an expectation for that novel that is perhaps unfair. I think I would go into The Parisian expecting another Enter Ghost in many ways too. I think I will read it one day, but it is good to know I should try and scrub the expectations I have of it rn from my brain and be more open to taking it for what it is, how Hammad used to write, not how she does now!
I think we've swapped vibes because I'm now having a bad reading month! And I feel your pain from May. It's amazing how irritable it makes me lol.
I think I'm going to try The Friend next, but based on absolutely no evidence whatsoever (apart from my reading of Last of Her Kind), I have a feeling I'm going to like Nunez's older work more. But let me know when you read it and maybe we can try it together!
I'm glad to hear you agree about Childhood. I was like... is what I'm noticing real, or is my childhood bias in literature just that strong? But I did think the writing was truly remarkable in that first volume.
I felt the same really about Kang! I wasn't entirely sure why so many people loved her work? And I hadn't really got on with it before, like really clicked with it. So I was surprised by We Do Not Part in the best way. I think it might have been a right book, right time thing as well. I was just ready to get my teeth into all that imagery. I can imagine another reader being like... what the hell is going on here haha.
So interesting about A Passage North! I definitely liked it first time round, but really loved it this time. I think it's all about finding the lilt of its sentences. I can see where they might be alienating (and lord knows I don't love a stream of consciousness style that much) but I think once you get inside it, it becomes really powerful.
And yes, so interested to see what you think of The Parisian when you get to it! I can't remember whether I mentioned this in my review, but I think her next novel is also going to be historical, so I do appreciate having read it because I can (hopefully!) see where she has improved in the new one. It's worth a read for that reason. Still, lots of people do really love it and find themselves able to get lost in it, so it may be a bit of a me problem, too. I think I've lost some of my patience for these big rambling novels that cover many years in my old age!
Thanks for review. Really interesting selection of books. I have read Nunez's What are you Going Through and enjoyed it although I thought the storyline rambled a bit. I will look out for the one you mention here. I loved the Copenhagen Trilogy from Childhood to Dependency. Thought it was devastating the way she progressed into addiction whilst trying to carve out a writing career and identity. I have recently read Greek Lessons by Kang and enjoyed it but wasn't blown away by it. This new book is getting very good reviews including from a serious reader in my Bookclub. As it's based on historical events I want to read it soon. Toddling off to our local library to get a copy.....
I do think The Last of Her Kind probably does meander a little, but I found that each of the asides did add up something to the whole! Really enjoyed it.
And I hope you enjoy We Do Not Part. I was really surprised by it considering how I wasn't blown away by her other work.
Wow what a good month! This May reads contrasts so starkly with mine in a way that gives me hope (I always find after a bad reading month I loose faith a little bit in reading, but it always comes back!) It was nice to read so much praise about so many books! Super interested in reading The Last of Her Kind - I recently acquired the my first Nunez in My Friend.
I would echo your love for Childhood specifically in the trilogy - I read it last year and was so taken with the whole trilogy, but felt Childhood was absolutely the strongest. Imo Youth and Dependency are carried by the setting up of herself, her desires and her family that she does in Childhood. The way she writes about how she perceived things as a child still sits with me today - so bold and introspective at such a young age it is literally remarkable. It was devastating in so many ways to watch that fade away as the trilogy continued.
Adding The Autobiography Of My Mother to the tbr! Ever since I read and loved Annie I want more Kincaid BADLY. She is so good.
& I am very intrigued by We Do Not Part! I have read The Vegetarian but honestly, for reasons I am not entirely sure of, I have never felt massively pulled back to her work. I have a sneaky suspicion it might be because Kang is so often talked about in popular and admirable tones, my subconscious decided to avoid it. Anyway your review has made me seriously reconsider going back and I think I will start with this one!
I read A Passage North a few years ago before I think my obsession w the craft of writing really uncovered itself and I remember not liking it very much. I feel quite compelled to revisit it after your review because I can't help but feel like I missed something... I am getting vibes of right book wrong time perhaps.
And, finally, I am gutted and appreciate your review of The Parisian. I think everything you said makes sense - its her debut, we have read SUCH remarkable work from her more recently that it definitely sets up an expectation for that novel that is perhaps unfair. I think I would go into The Parisian expecting another Enter Ghost in many ways too. I think I will read it one day, but it is good to know I should try and scrub the expectations I have of it rn from my brain and be more open to taking it for what it is, how Hammad used to write, not how she does now!
I think we've swapped vibes because I'm now having a bad reading month! And I feel your pain from May. It's amazing how irritable it makes me lol.
I think I'm going to try The Friend next, but based on absolutely no evidence whatsoever (apart from my reading of Last of Her Kind), I have a feeling I'm going to like Nunez's older work more. But let me know when you read it and maybe we can try it together!
I'm glad to hear you agree about Childhood. I was like... is what I'm noticing real, or is my childhood bias in literature just that strong? But I did think the writing was truly remarkable in that first volume.
I felt the same really about Kang! I wasn't entirely sure why so many people loved her work? And I hadn't really got on with it before, like really clicked with it. So I was surprised by We Do Not Part in the best way. I think it might have been a right book, right time thing as well. I was just ready to get my teeth into all that imagery. I can imagine another reader being like... what the hell is going on here haha.
So interesting about A Passage North! I definitely liked it first time round, but really loved it this time. I think it's all about finding the lilt of its sentences. I can see where they might be alienating (and lord knows I don't love a stream of consciousness style that much) but I think once you get inside it, it becomes really powerful.
And yes, so interested to see what you think of The Parisian when you get to it! I can't remember whether I mentioned this in my review, but I think her next novel is also going to be historical, so I do appreciate having read it because I can (hopefully!) see where she has improved in the new one. It's worth a read for that reason. Still, lots of people do really love it and find themselves able to get lost in it, so it may be a bit of a me problem, too. I think I've lost some of my patience for these big rambling novels that cover many years in my old age!