The ending got a bit boring but I really liked the rest
We love a book with a character list at the front 👏🏻 Or as it's referred to in this book, a 'Dramatis Personae' as the book is also split into Acts. Which is incredibly clever as the main focus of every person in this book at seems beginning seems to be on 'The Actor'.
I have to admit that I haven't really heard of Shteyngart previously but I really enjoyed this work of contemporary fiction so I will definitely check out more by him.
This book is set during the first Spring/Summer of C*VID and mentions mask wearing, social distancing, no hugging, bumping elbows, lockdown, home schooling, so is usually a book I would avoid at present but my mental health has been in a better place recently and I actually found it really interesting. I think the reason that I was largely okay with reading it was the character of Masha, who is overly safe in the same way that I am, and it made me instantly like her character.
Our Country Friends is very character-driven, with not a lot happening, and although I've come to realise I prefer a plot-driven story, I didn't hate it. It reminded me a lot of I Wish It Could Be Christmas everyday, another character-driven story where the characters are isolated... but this was more cultural.
There are explorations of gender identity, race, class, death and mental health in this book which I really liked. There was also romance (including some spice) and great friendships. And as a proper lovey (who has seen many many plays and been in a few) it definitely felt like I was reading a playscript made into a story, which links in really well towards the end. I'm also not usually a fan of political fiction but the way in which politics was gently sprinkled throughout the book really added another dimension to it.
Unfortunately I wasn't a fan of the ending, mainly because I found the repetitiveness of the dream sequences quite boring. But I really enjoyed it up to that point!
I have to admit that I haven't really heard of Shteyngart previously but I really enjoyed this work of contemporary fiction so I will definitely check out more by him.
This book is set during the first Spring/Summer of C*VID and mentions mask wearing, social distancing, no hugging, bumping elbows, lockdown, home schooling, so is usually a book I would avoid at present but my mental health has been in a better place recently and I actually found it really interesting. I think the reason that I was largely okay with reading it was the character of Masha, who is overly safe in the same way that I am, and it made me instantly like her character.
Our Country Friends is very character-driven, with not a lot happening, and although I've come to realise I prefer a plot-driven story, I didn't hate it. It reminded me a lot of I Wish It Could Be Christmas everyday, another character-driven story where the characters are isolated... but this was more cultural.
There are explorations of gender identity, race, class, death and mental health in this book which I really liked. There was also romance (including some spice) and great friendships. And as a proper lovey (who has seen many many plays and been in a few) it definitely felt like I was reading a playscript made into a story, which links in really well towards the end. I'm also not usually a fan of political fiction but the way in which politics was gently sprinkled throughout the book really added another dimension to it.
Unfortunately I wasn't a fan of the ending, mainly because I found the repetitiveness of the dream sequences quite boring. But I really enjoyed it up to that point!