Read Online Gingerbread A Novel Helen Oyeyemi Books

Product details Hardcover 272 pages Publisher Riverhead Books (March 5, 2019) Language English ISBN-10 1594634653

Gingerbread A Novel Helen Oyeyemi Books Reviews

• I was taken in by the clever language in this book. I say clever rather than pretty because I was more impressed by Oyeyemi's sharp, clean insights into human nature than by beautiful descriptive prose. In the true spirit of magical realism, many of the stranger elements in the book (like Perdita's talking half-plant dolls) aren't exactly explained. They are just accepted.
  
  Many reviews state that the plot of the story is difficult to follow. I did not necessarily find this to be true, especially after the first two chapters. However you should be prepared for quick, sometimes improbable plot twists. And don't expect to have all your questions neatly tied up with a bow on top by the end of the book.
  
  Other than that, enjoy the treat!
• I loved the NYTimes review of this book; I even loved the writing for about two-thirds of the book because it forces a reader to pay attention rather than skim -- something the Times' reviewer indicated was the case. After a while, the writing -- especially the stream-of-consciousness style seemed contrived -- and I just grew tired and bored by it all. I stopped caring about the human characters and only wanted to read what the dolls had to say. I only have about 40 pages left and I can't bring myself to finish it. Maybe one day, I'll look at a doll and get inspried to finish it, but until then...Perdita, Margot, Gretel etal will stay closed away in my copy as I move on to other things.
• This is gonna be a love-it-or-hate-it read for many people. Fans of Oyeymei know that she's always got something up her sleeve so this one, which is sort of kind of a retelling of Hansel and Gretel (but not) is fun to read even when you're a little confused about what's happening. Harriet and Perdita, the mother/daughter leads, are terrific characters. What's up with Drushastrana? Hmmm. How to explain this one? I'm not sure. I do know that the writing is lovely and while the plot might not be immediately accessible, it's a fun read. Thanks to edelweiss for the ARC. This is worth a try for fans of literary fiction and interesting language.
• I was really looking forward to reading this book, but I found it very disjointed and hard to follow.
  The writing would pull me in briefly, for example when Perdita was in the hospital, and I would think I was understanding the characters and starting to get to know them, and then the story would go off on a wild, weird tangent. I kept pushing through until page 102, and then I finally decided that was enough, life was too short to be forcing myself to continue when it was so frustrating and I wasn't enjoying the book.
• I like to think I'm at least average in skills of interpreting literature, but I have no clue what I just read. I know, I know. I was forewarned there were magical elements. I get that gingerbread is metaphorical, a staple of fairy tales, a twist on bread of life. Or death, as the case may be. Fabulous (As in "related to fables") houses abound (Gingerbread houses, anyone?) Dolls talk. The allegory spins out of control and murder lurks. I'm sure book clubs everywhere are serving gingerbread and those wonderful paper thin Moravian gingerbread cookies. But I recommend having some Malbec available for when they--rapidly--get into "what the actual hey" territory.
• Oyeyemi's prose is a thing to behold. This book is a fun and entertaining read as well as a work of art.
• Bought because recommended. Disappointed. Boring nonsense.
  One star for cute cover.
• Weird, but I liked it. I think.
  Settle in, get started and keep going. This is a strange story that gets stranger, but has some really wonderful messages along the way, interesting characters, a bit of magic and folklore sprinkled in the contemporary world. Maybe brew a pot of tea first.