Book 18/30.
My rating: 2 of 5 stars
I have had A Monster Calls on my Goodreads Want to Read shelf since October 2020, and because of that I jumped at the chance to read The Crane Wife as my first Patrick Ness book, only for it to end up being such a bland 2-star read. Siggggggghhhhhh 😮💨
The story is centered on George, a recently divorced middle-aged American man living in England whose life changes after he rescues a crane. In the aftermath, he unexpectedly finds love with a beautiful woman, gains financial success, and experiences a sense of vibrancy and purpose that had long been missing from his otherwise grey existence. These sudden changes seem mysterious to the people around him, especially his daughter, ex-wife, and a Turkish employee at his business. None of whom I cared for as I did not like any of the characters in this novel, starting with George.
I was confused throughout most of this retelling of an old Japanese folktale, and when I was not confused, I was bored. The 32 vignettes also did nothing for me other than make me want to flip the pages faster. Maybe if I had been familiar with the Japanese folktale, or the Decemberists’ album of the same name that inspired the author, I would have understood the book better and appreciated it more. However, I think a book should be able to stand on its own, and this one did not do that for me.
Lastly, now that I am done with my review, I am not entirely sure why I rated The Crane Wife 2-stars instead of 1. The book must have had some redeeming qualities, but given I am writing my review almost a year after finishing it, I cannot for the life of me recall a single one 😐
View all my reviews
** A guide to ratings **
1 star – did not like it
2 stars – it was okay
3 stars – liked it
4 stars – really liked it
5 stars – it was amazing
Lwile the Leo 