FrancescaJ , to bookstodon group
@FrancescaJ@mastodon.nz avatar

I mostly keep track of books on so I was a little surprised after finishing All The Light We Cannot See by that of all the people who answered ‘Flaws of characters a main focus’ only 38% said Yes 🤔 I mean Werner is a complex sympathetic character but the ways he is complicit in Nazism is a major driver of the plot. If that ain’t a character flaw I don’t know what is! Nevertheless that complexity is part of why it’s a great book that avoids cliche @bookstodon

The cover of All The Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr. A boy runs down a cobbled alley, wearing black leather shoes & a grey coat - clothing from the WW2 era. The alley is narrow & grey but the end of it creates a vertical plane of light in the picture. The boy is running towards the light

FrancescaJ OP ,
@FrancescaJ@mastodon.nz avatar

@bookstodon @diazona I 100% agree with you on both. That question could be interpreted many ways. Werner’s unease over his actions as a member of the German army is absolutely the driving force of his section of the novel though!
As to other ways character flaws can drive a novel: I just read The Prestige which has an unreliable narrator and 91% said flaws are a main driver of plot. Plus it is a great book.

diazona ,
@diazona@techhub.social avatar

@FrancescaJ @bookstodon Oh interesting, I'll have to check that one out, thanks!

sarahmatthews , to bookstodon group
@sarahmatthews@tweesecake.social avatar

I’ve just finished The Light Years by Elizabeth Jane Howard, 1990, a truly memorable family saga set just before the Second World War and I’m so glad it’s the first of a series of 5 books! Some more thoughts on it here @bookstodon
https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/4f0860f2-821a-49e5-8741-38eb3ff6e80c

sarahmatthews OP ,
@sarahmatthews@tweesecake.social avatar

@bookstodon I’ve just finished Confusion by Elizabeth Jane Howard, 1993, the third in the Cazalet Chronicles series and once again I was gripped by this family drama set during WW2. Some more thoughts on it here
https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/12212e3b-f542-4bd6-8e4c-6cc4e62fa211

sarahmatthews OP ,
@sarahmatthews@tweesecake.social avatar

@bookstodon I’ve written a few thoughts on Casting Off, 1997, by Elizabeth Jane Howard, the fourth in the Cazalet Chronicles series, in which the family adjust to peacetime living in a changed England. I’m so glad there’s one book left as I’m not done with this family yet!
https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/fc02b491-e86c-413f-80e5-bc6f932ddd4a

sarahmatthews , to bookstodon group
@sarahmatthews@tweesecake.social avatar

I’ve written some thoughts on Blind Spot: Exploring and Educating on Blindness by Maud Rowell, a short book that packs a punch! These essays are so insightful, writing about issues I’ve been thinking about recently in a far more eloquent way than I could ever manage #BookReview @bookstodon @disability
https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/84af5c9d-cede-4358-9941-9651cc1497c9

sarahmatthews , to bookstodon group
@sarahmatthews@tweesecake.social avatar

I had a sudden craving for Barbara Pym last week and thoroughly enjoyed rereading A Glass of Blessings, 1958, in which we follow Wilmet’s life in her suburban London parish. Full of quirky characters, it’s a great read! @bookstodon
https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/e7b574c0-ecaf-4a84-a30f-d3021490ad35

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