u/Present-Ear-1637

I thought this book was fantastic.

It wasn't on my radar at all, but I found it at a used bookstore and the description sounded very intriguing.

I wasn't disappointed. I love how completely unhinged it was, and how totally brutal. The religious intensity was a real treat, and so was the setting over all.

It was a very strange book for sure. The plot was all over the place, and I don't mean that negatively. It really did come across like a collection of diary entries. I had the urge once I finished it to flip back to page one and start it again.

If I had to compare it to any other work, it reminded me both of The Road and The Handmaid's Tale.

I also really appreciated the story taking place in a world destroyed by climate disaster. I would love to read a prequel where more information is given about the societal collapse.

I have never read Tender is the Flesh but I may have to pick it up because I thought this book was awesome.

Interested to hear anyone else's thoughts as well!

Hey everyone,

Spoilers ahead

I just completed my reading of Tess of the D'ubervilles, and I'm curious if anyone else had a similar experience to me.

First off, I am very compelled by the philosophy of Schopenhauer, and it is my understanding that Hardy was greatly influenced by him. I definitely could pick up on that in this book. There were some passages that really struck me as powerful, the main one being the description of the reaping-machine. I found that quite haunting.

The story started out very fascinating. The absurdity of Tess' parents' behavior, and their obsession with their defunct family name. Coercing Tess into a bad situation without any reflection or skepticism. The nightmarish experience Tess had with Alec. The plot moved quickly and with clear purpose. I really, really enjoyed what I was reading.

After Tess' baby dies, I found the plot to lose momentum considerably. Tess and Angel falling in love was not interesting to me, simply due to the enormous amount of pages dedicated to this one plot point. I found myself becoming increasingly annoyed with everyone in the novel.

I think Hardy did a great job when comparing Angel to the rest of his family and using this as a way to criticize dogmatic worldviews. But the enjoyable moments were few and far between. Sometimes tediousness in a plot works well towards the final result, as is the case with much of Kafka, but I didn't get that experience here. I just found the remaining 3/4ths relentlessly boring.

I hoped the plot would pick up again after Tess revealed the truth to Angel, but alas, I didn't feel that way at all. I ended up finishing my reading and thinking "meh", which is a shame considering how strong it started off. I actually found the murder of Alec somewhat ridiculous.

All in all, I really appreciate what Hardy was going for, and his courage in writing this at the time it was published. I appreciate the themes explored and the philosophical implications. I didn't love the execution... At all.

What do you think? Agree or disagree?

Thanks for reading!

Eualia!

I am reading through the Redwall series for the first time this year. Somehow these books never came across my radar when I was a child, but my wife found a large amount of them at the thrift store and I'm slowly making my way through.

I finished Redwall and decided to follow it up with Mattimeo since it is a direct sequel, featuring the same lovely cast of characters. I thoroughly enjoyed the first book, but I was really blown away by Mattimeo.

In my opinion, this book improves on the first in every way, while keeping all the same elements that worked so well.

I was almost expecting this book to rehash the same narrative as the first one, but I was so wrong about that. We see the world greatly expanded, and our relationships with the characters are deepened. Rather than being just a story of a siege, we are given elements of questing and exploration. An incredible rescue mission. I also think that Slagar is a much more compelling and complex villain than Cluny.

The battle at the river between the Redwall crew and the rat archers was amazing and epic. Then we have a dungeon crawl at the end with more epic battles. General Ironbeak's assault on the abbey. This book felt so cinematic that I am almost begging for a proper film adaptation.

As the title of my post says, this is a sequel done the way sequels should be executed. Improving upon the source material in scope and emotion. Loved this book.

Favorite characters: Basil Stag Hare, Orlando the Axe, Slagar, Matthias, Constance Badger

Any recommendations on where to go next?

Thanks for reading!