Today, I’m discussing three more books that I’ve recently read. All three of which were totally hyped up, and in my humble opinion, not worth the buzz or glowing reviews — or TV show in one case from today — that each book received. Welcome to another installment of Overrated Reads, here on Peonies and Bees.
OVERRATED READS | VOLUME NO. 11
Beasts of Extraordinary Circumstance by Ruth Emmie Lang
Backstory: every year, Book of the Month holds a Best Book of Year Award with five finalists, one of which will be crowned the winner. Of their 2017 selection, I’ve read 4 of the 5 novels and loved them all. The four other finalists were: Little Fires Everywhere, The Hearts Invisible Furies (the 2017 winner, much deserved), The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, and Sing, Unburied, Sing. Beasts of Extraordinary Circumstance was the last one I read from the BOTM list, and I had high hopes considering how much I loved the other finalists.
Spoiler alert. I didn’t love it at all. In fact, it was somewhat of a slog to get through. I found myself enjoying it less than half the time. I could only read like 5 pages at a time and had to force myself to pick it up night after night. I didn’t really see the point of the story. I found it slow and somewhat tedious. It didn’t come together for me, or give me that spark of joy like so many other people got. Idk. Maybe it’s just me?
Home Fire by Kamila Shamsie
Home Fire was tough for me. For those who don’t know, Home Fire is supposed to be a modern retelling of the Greek tragedy Antigone, and the book had a ton of potential. The author had a cast of really interesting characters, however, not a single one was explored or fleshed out in a way that made me connect with them nor the story itself. It felt cold, flat, and very two dimensional. In fact, overall the writing was pretty cringe worthy. Loose ties were left dangling in the wind and the story felt so incomplete. Rushed, yet painful to get through at times. I know that it won all the awards last year, but I truly think that because the subject matter was tackling a hot topic (terrorism, racial profiling, politics in a modern world, etc.) it was a cheap way for the author’s novel to come across as an ‘important’ piece of work. I was really disappointed. Love the cover art though!
Sweetbitter by Stephanie Danler
This was last months book club pick, and while I am glad I read it, it wasn’t a great story and the writing was a bit odd at times. When it was released in 2016, everyone was talking about how it was a ‘must read’ for those who have worked in the restaurant industry. As someone who waitressed for a year post undergrad, I can tell you, it’s not. It’s a pretty gross exaggeration. While some things made me chuckle (and reminded me of how glad I am to have passed that phase in my life), it was a bit much. The characters were so bizarre and out there that it was hard to take seriously. And lastly, I cannot understand how or why the book was turned into a TV show.
And that’s it for today! I’m curious to know whether any of my readers enjoyed any of these three books? Am I constantly the unpopular opinion?