Helpful Score: 1
The only reason I am giving this book 2 stars is because I finished it, though I'm not sure why. Since I reserve the 1 star rating for books I absolutely cannot bring myself to finish, this technically doesn't qualify as a 1 star book.
I was hoping for a quirky comedic story about a booklover. The book starts off with the main character Victoria reading A Little Life and hating it. I thought A Little Life was fantastic, but I disregarded the red flag and kept reading. Victoria has a rich imagination (perhaps because of all that reading she does!), and makes up back stories for random people she encounters in public places. Unfortunately, everything she imagines is negative and everyone is more sad and pathetic than she is, and she is very nasty about the physical appearances of other people. ("It was strange how some women held their weight, like a faux-pregnancy, all out front, yet their rear ends were snubbed, flat, forgotten nothings.") She also uses borderline-offensive stereotypes, such as "that Asian girl with the seven D&G bags" and "Jewish mother."
The reader is supposed to feel bad for Victoria because although her husband is an up and coming attorney whose income allows her to spend the majority of her day sitting in a cafe judging people, it is a loveless marriage and apparently her husband has nipples that are puffy and therefore repulsive. (Again with the meanness over the bodies of others!) Victoria does have a job as a massage therapist, but she only ever seems to see one client named Bernadette, who she of course finds repulsive and pathetic. Perhaps Bernadette is her only client, because after their brief session Victoria's schedule always seems to permit her reading time in the coffee shop afterwards.
The criticisms about A Little Life continue throughout the book, with Victoria referring to it multple times as "torture porn". She also takes a dig at John Sandford's long-running "Prey" series. My criticisms of Bookworm could similarly continue, but at this point I just want to read something that is not so horrible.
I was hoping for a quirky comedic story about a booklover. The book starts off with the main character Victoria reading A Little Life and hating it. I thought A Little Life was fantastic, but I disregarded the red flag and kept reading. Victoria has a rich imagination (perhaps because of all that reading she does!), and makes up back stories for random people she encounters in public places. Unfortunately, everything she imagines is negative and everyone is more sad and pathetic than she is, and she is very nasty about the physical appearances of other people. ("It was strange how some women held their weight, like a faux-pregnancy, all out front, yet their rear ends were snubbed, flat, forgotten nothings.") She also uses borderline-offensive stereotypes, such as "that Asian girl with the seven D&G bags" and "Jewish mother."
The reader is supposed to feel bad for Victoria because although her husband is an up and coming attorney whose income allows her to spend the majority of her day sitting in a cafe judging people, it is a loveless marriage and apparently her husband has nipples that are puffy and therefore repulsive. (Again with the meanness over the bodies of others!) Victoria does have a job as a massage therapist, but she only ever seems to see one client named Bernadette, who she of course finds repulsive and pathetic. Perhaps Bernadette is her only client, because after their brief session Victoria's schedule always seems to permit her reading time in the coffee shop afterwards.
The criticisms about A Little Life continue throughout the book, with Victoria referring to it multple times as "torture porn". She also takes a dig at John Sandford's long-running "Prey" series. My criticisms of Bookworm could similarly continue, but at this point I just want to read something that is not so horrible.
Based on the title, cover, and description, I expect to be the reader for Robin Yeatman's debut novel, Bookworm. However, sadly, I am not. Unfortunately, I do not find it funny, and I do not find the main character at all relatable or likable. For me, books are a way to travel the world, see alternate realities, and imagine other possibilities. Unfortunately, I was not the right reader to travel that road with this book.
Read my complete review at http://www.memoriesfrombooks.com/2023/12/bookworm.html
Reviewed for NetGalley.
Read my complete review at http://www.memoriesfrombooks.com/2023/12/bookworm.html
Reviewed for NetGalley.
