#I read a review that was like 'it's funny even though it's completely unrelatable'

[tsakmaster]

yeeeah now it's time for everybody else burns! a show with one whole viewer (me)

[acrosstheskyandstars]

Book Review: Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman

Where to start with this book. I was definitely not a fan. This book was recommended to me by my best friend and my favorite Youtuber. I was convinced that I, too, would love this book. Unfortunately, this book did not live up to my expectations.

The premise of this book is that Eleanor is a 30 year old administrative assistant who lives the most basic boring life in existence. She eats the same thing for dinner every day (cold pasta with pesto), has the same weekly commute (stopping by Tesco every Friday to buy vodka), and doesn’t understand any attempt at non-literal speech. You may, at this point, be wondering if Eleanor was written to be some sort of neuroatypical representation. I certainly was. I paused reading to google it, only to find out that the author did not intend Eleanor to be neuroatypical at all. She has explicitly rejected the idea that Eleanor was written to be autistic. So now we’re left with a main character who is confusing and we have no reason for it. Yes, Eleanor has experienced childhood trauma (SPOILER: her mother set fire to the house killing herself and Eleanor’s sister when Eleanor was only 10), however her behavior seems unexplained by that. I can excuse the trauma blocking of her sister and the fact that she doesn’t remember that her mother is dead. Her depressive episode and suicidal ideation certainly make sense with a traumatic childhood. Trauma can do some very odd things to the brain. However, trauma does not make a previously neurotypical person behave as though they are autistic (the condition that is most speculated about in relation to Eleanor). If the author intended Eleanor to have some sort of mental health condition, like PTSD, she did not convey this through her writing. In fact, Eleanor seems to become pretty “normal” by the end of the book. Suddenly her coworkers care about her, she has friends, and she is mentally healthy. While these are all good things, the process of how one begins to unpack and process their trauma isn’t shown in very much detail. This leaves the reader with the impression that Eleanor was able to work through her issues on her own the whole time. She quits drinking after roughly one therapy session. The woman was binging 2 bottles of vodka by herself every weekend and admits that she was not sober at all from Friday evening to Monday morning for the past decade.

The thing that irritated me the most about this book was that every interaction Eleanor has with another character comes off as very stilted and painful. At no point do these interactions become charming, though she does become more tolerable after her mental breakdown. The breakdown in question is of course caused by the fact that she has convinced herself she is in love with a local pub musician that she saw precisely one time. Please note: she has never interacted with this man and he does not know who she is. She decides to get a bikini wax to impress this man that she has never met. Please tell me any other instance of a person doing this. Which brings me to the most painful interaction I’ve witnessed. Apparently some readers find this funny or charming. I found it painful because of how socially unaware she is. The idea that some may find her cluelessness funny is odd to me, particularly if they are reading her character as autistic. I’ll transcribe it here so that you can all feel the pain with me:

“‘Now then,’ she said, ‘what are we doing today?’ ‘As I said, a bikini wax, please.’ She laughed. ‘Yes, sorry, I meant what kind of wax would you like?’I thought about this. ‘Just the usual kind . . . the candle kind?’ I said.‘What shape?’ she said tersely, then noticed my expression. ‘So,’ she said patiently, counting them off on her fingers, ‘you’ve got your French, your Brazilian or your Hollywood.’I pondered. I ran the words through my mind again, over and over, the same technique I used for solving crossword anagrams, waiting for the letters to settle into a pattern. French, Brazilian, Hollywood . . . French, Brazilian, Hollywood . . . ‘Hollywood,’ I said, finally. ‘Holly would, and so would Eleanor,’…‘There,’ she said, removing the gloves and wiping her brow with the back of her hand, ‘now doesn’t that look so much better!’ She passed me a hand mirror so I could look at myself. ‘But I’m completely bare!’ I said, horrified.‘That’s right, a Hollywood,’ she said. ‘That’s what you asked for.’I felt my fists clench tight, and shook my head in disbelief. I had come here to start to become a normal woman, and instead she’d made me look like a child.‘Kayla,’ I said, unable to believe the situation I now found myself in, ‘the man in whom I am interested is a normal adult man. He will enjoy sexual relations with a normal adult woman. Are you trying to imply that he’s some sort of paedophile? How dare you!’She stared at me, horrified. I had had enough of this.‘Please, leave me to get dressed now,’ I said, turning my face to the wall.She left and I climbed down from the couch. I pulled my trousers on, consoled by the thought that the hair would surely grow back before our first intimate encounter. I didn’t tip Kayla on the way out.”

Every time Eleanor interacted with another person, it was this painful. Perhaps the height of her outlandishly bad social awareness was the scene where an old man collapses on the street and her coworker rushes to help. She is taken aback that her coworker wanted to help the elderly man who was unconscious on the sidewalk, and then also is frustrated that calling an ambulance throws off her evening plans (going to Tesco to buy two bottles of vodka to drink herself silly through the weekend).

Eleanor definitely needed help, and I’m glad she got it. Post-breakdown Eleanor was the best she got in the book. My main problem with the book is squarely placed on the character of Eleanor. She is unlikable, unrelatable, and frankly unrealistic. I think the moral of this story is that everyone can have different tastes, given how many people liked this book.

I’d also like to link to a post that goes into a more in-depth discussion of Eleanor’s possible autism and possible mental illnesses: https://penchant.blog/2019/08/19/eleanor-oliphants-story-and-why-it-doesnt-belong-to-the-author-who-wrote-it/

Check out my blog: https://acrosstheskyinstars818513457.wordpress.com

[i-may-have-a-point]

Review of 14x03 “Go Big or Go Home”

“She’s still grumpy, huh?”  If you read my season 13 reviews, you know that I often criticized who Meredith had become, or more accurately, who the writers had written her to be.  Meredith, at her core, is dark and twisty, but in earlier seasons she still had basic kindness.  Seasons 12 and 13 Meredith did not.  She was bitter, snarky, and unrelatable.  Season 14 Meredith has, so far, been written much better.  And even though she spent most of this episode being angry, it was written in a way that was human.  She acknowledged her anger and dealt with it instead of just being nasty to everyone in her path.  This is a huge improvement in the writing for Meredith, in my opinion.  And since they are letting Meredith acknowledge and deal with her emotions, it makes sense that her patient would also be her therapist. Kill two birds with one stone, right?   This way Meredith can practice medicine and process her feelings.  I would have appreciated the “I am done with triangles,” line if the first major promo of the season hadn’t been solely about love triangles.  Instead, it just made me yell at my TV.  The blood clot that the psychiatrist has represents Meredith’s inability to tell Nathan how she feels.  His heart is blocked.  Her heart is blocked.  Until it isn’t and Meredith’s feelings spill out.  “You don’t have to lie.  You have to fight.  Show her that you love her.  Remind her of why she fell in love with you.  Make her see that she is your first and only choice.  Please don’t blow this.”  Not one line of that was about Megan.  

Speaking of Megan, she looks rougher recovering from surgery than she did after being held captive for ten years.

Benley – Once again, I am 100% here for them being the side couple who are happy to rub each other’s feet in a cute little scene but not be a prominent storyline.  Side note – Do Benley have a foot fetish?  Last week it was the shoes, and in every bedroom scene he is rubbing her feet.  I mean, whatever works.  I’m just wondering��

Arizona and Carina – They are having great sex, guys.  They really want us to know that.  Better than Eliza sex. Skilled sex.  Incredible sex. And good for Arizona.  Go on girl, get yours.  But…I’m not invested in them yet.  I want to hear about great sex with a couple I am rooting for.  I need more from this to fully jump on board this ship.  

Webber – I don’t think I mentioned this last week, but I am happy to see Webber back as the wise old sage.

Jolex – Yay for kissing in the elevator.  And the parking lot. And Alex moving back home. Like I said last week, I love happy Jolex, but I can’t help but wonder when the other shoe will drop.

Maluca – I was a Maluca shipper before we wanted Maggie as far away from Jackson as possible.  I said last week that I thought we should watch these two because of Carina telling Maggie that Andrew thinks she’s beautiful and Maggie clearly reacting to it.  And in this episode, they have two scenes together, one entirely discussing their relationship that leads to, like last week, Maggie calling Webber her father.  Plus, in the promo for next week, they are standing next to one another in Amelia’s room. Nothing is completely clear yet, but I still say that this may be something.  

Amelia – Caterina is playing this story well.  Amelia questioning every decision she has ever made over the last several years is heartbreaking.  And can I just applaud the writers for moving this story along?  If this story had happened last season, no one would have found out about her tumor for at least eight episodes.  I cannot be more thankful for continuity and movement this season.  My favorite scene was when Owen realized he was looking at Amelia’s scans.  Owen moving from anger to realization to pain in seconds was captured perfectly.

 Maggie/Jackson – I didn’t watch live so when I saw the tweets about Maggie touching Jackson I thought it was much bigger than what it was.  There was no ambiguity in their looks.  They looked uncomfortable, and he looked mildly annoyed.  I have a guy at my work who hugs me without asking.  I give him the same look that Jackson gave Maggie.  There was no flirtation, sexual tension, or spark.  Just awkwardness.  The writers had to do something with this story because it was brought up in the finale, so they decided to try and make it funny.  We know it is failing, and I think they do, too, whether they admit it or not.  But I see why they went this route.  It’s all part of fixing what was broken with the writing.  The way they are “fixing” the writing issues of last season are all pretty clear: make a joke out of it (Jackson/Maggie), a brain tumor (Omelia), pretend it didn’t happen (Jolex), or correct major writing flaws (Griggs).  I think that because there is such a reaction to this story, the writers thought they could bank on that and use it for comedy. They were wrong, but I see the thinking behind the decision.

Harper Avery/Jackson/April – The ONLY reason Harper Avery is in this episode is to say what he said to Jackson. He says he is there to discuss some issues he has with how the hospital has spent money, but all of that is glossed over and the focus is only on the message Harper has for Jackson.  Think about it.  They could have killed Harper off screen, and just told Jackson and been done with it. Instead, they purposely chose to bring him on screen and let us watch him call April Jackson’s wife and tell Jackson that he is like his father.  And, I know this is controversial, but I partially agree with Harper on this.  April should not have gone to Jordan the second time, but I don’t see her going as a reason for divorce.  You divorce someone because they are mean, violent, a terrible person, or they cheat.  You don’t divorce someone who is mentally broken over the loss of their child.  She absolutely hurt him, but he used that as his way out.  Whether Jackson wants to admit it or not, Robert taught him that when things are tough, you leave.  And he did. Yes, he is still there physically (for now?)  but he still walked away.  (I am ready for the messages telling me I am wrong on that point.  Go ahead.  But I will always believe Jackson has some Robert Avery inside of him.) If I am right, Jackson’s journey this season began with finding and confronting his dad last season.  He thought he needed to do that to deal with and close the trust and abandonment issues he has in his life, but I would argue that seeing Robert just ripped the hole inside him wide open.  Finding his father after just becoming a father has sent Jackson on a journey to figure out what being an Avery means to him.  Is he like Harper who seems cold, distant, and unfeeling but has unparalleled business sense and values family?  Is he like Robert who always felt not quite good enough to carry the Avery name and decided it was easier on the Averys, his wife, and his child if he was no longer a part of the picture?  Or is he someone else entirely?  Does he have the ability to be a strong business man and a strong family man?  I think Jackson will find out this season who he is as an Avery and what is ultimately important to him.  He is still under the shadow of his father and grandfather, but Harper’s death will change that.  We will either see a reappearance of Robert trying to step back in or Jackson stepping up and doing things his way.  If I am right, I think this is the perfect story for Jackson, and this journey is necessary for him to be able to have a meaningful, lasting relationship.

We have been told April has a complicated journey this season.  I think this journey started with April telling Jackson she was in pain last week and is a little clearer this week.  I think April’s journey is a mental health journey.  I am not saying April is crazy.  Far from it.  However, she has been through multiple deep traumas, and she hasn’t fully dealt with any of them.  Speaking up for what SHE needed last week was the first time, maybe ever, that we have seen April make a decision with her best interests above everyone else’s. This doesn’t mean she does not love Jackson anymore or wants to move on.  She clearly still loves him.  But for once, she is taking care of herself.  Good for her, because like Jackson’s journey, she has to fix what she is dealing with before she can be in a meaningful, lasting relationship.  This episode, in a way, walked the audience and April back through many of her traumas.  The brought up several of the major things April has dealt with over the years for a reason.  They are reminding us what she has been through and what she still needs to deal with. We see that April is hurting from the beginning when she is (as always) a supportive friend to Arizona, even though it hurts.  April has been a shoulder to lean on for many of the other characters, yet she hasn’t had one in return.  Jackson is the only confidant and support she has had, but she cannot lean on him right now. The Nicole Herman mention is used as a part of Ameila’s story, but we can’t hear that name and not flash back in our minds to April and Jackson holding their dying son in that dimly lit hospital room.  The Matthew flash-mob proposal mention hints at another moment that April has to be still dealing with mentally.  In no way do I think she regrets marrying Jackson, but leaving Matthew, who whether you like him or not is a good man, went against everything she believes and tested her moral compass.  (Side note: I saw all the tweets praying that Matthew doesn’t come back.  You might see him again.  Don’t make it more than what it is.  Closure for April.)  I think at this point April is questioning herself, her choices, her actions, and everything she believes.  Because “No matter how many vows you make, you still end up in a new apartment and don’t see your kid half the time.”  April believed in promises and vows and happily ever afters.  But did any of that work out for her?  Is that her fault?  And where does she go next?  In the end, the camera focuses on April as the voiceover asks, “How do we save lives when ours may be falling apart?”  And that is exactly how April feels right now.  Her life has fallen apart.  And what is she supposed to do about it?

Jackson and April’s journeys, if I am right, are tough this season, and I think we will see them mostly face their obstacles alone.  Because they need to.  Jackson needs to learn how to trust, and April needs to make herself happy before they can come back together.  Otherwise, they will have the same problems and end up right back where they are.  For those of you that think they are done, go back and look at the scenes they were in.  Japril is the underlying message, the elephant in the room, the unspoken word in most, if not all of them.  Harper Avery’s dying message to Jackson was to bring his WIFE and CHILD to dinner and not to be like his father.  That line is completely unnecessary to a Jackson storyline that is only about HAF and does not involve April.  April easily could have helped those sixteen-year-olds go to the dance without relating it to her personal story.  Sarah plays comedy well and those scenes could have been written that way if her storyline is not going to involve Jackson, but they weren’t.  I see everyone’s frustration, and I get it. However, I THINK we may be at the beginning of a beautiful story of Jackson and April finding themselves, and then each other, if we are patient enough to wait for it.

[heathkeith]

Book Blog - The Summer I Turned Pretty Series (Jenny Han)

WARNING!!! THIS POST CONTAINS SPOILERS!!!

So I’ve gotta say my expectations for this series wasn’t too high. And by that I mean, I thought it’d be a lot like Girl Online and I’d feel super old reading it because of how juvenile everything was and how unrelatable it’d be...

But I was pleasantly surprised at the amount of substance in this series! There is so much character development and while my family definitely doesn’t have a summer beach house and I’ve never obsessed over a guy since I was 8, I still found so many relatable things in this series. Love? Yes. Unreciprocated love? Absolutely. Heartbreak from the unreciprocated love? You already know it. Loss? Unfortunately yes. Growing up? Well, I would hope this would be relatable!!! haha

**Also, sidenote, I wrote these reviews/reactions after each book, so stay tuned for the complete series thoughts at the very end! :)

The Summer I Turned Pretty was a bit of a slow start as the first book always is; getting to know the characters and places and relationships. But once I felt established in the story, I was hooked. I was a little annoyed at how freaking obsessed Belly was/is with Conrad. Like sure, have a crush. But dear god, like she should not basically have a panic attack every time he even looks in her direction!! 

So yeah... I thought her reactions to him were a little over the top and was very pleased when she had met Cam. I really enjoyed his character and was upset that she basically ghosted him when he had done absolutely nothing wrong. I felt bad for him in the end. 

And of course, one iota of attention from Conrad and Belly is head over heels at the drop of a hat - even though he treats her like absolute shit most of the time. 

I was so freaking upset for Jeremiah, too. That poor boy laid his little heart on the line and Belly could not care less... I know she did, but I just cringed when she was telling Conrad how she felt. Like literally cringing. 

And again, I just don’t get her fascination with him in the first place. She deserves so much better... *cough cough* Jeremiah *cough* But alas, Conrad decided to give her a glance at the end and I gotta say, I didn’t care for it. Luckily there are 2 more books still!

It’s Not Summer Without You was not what I had been expecting at all. The first book looked like Belly was getting her happy ending, and since it involved Conrad, of course, she didn’t get it. Shocker. But it took a little too long for my liking to get to the reason why they weren’t together anymore. And I was tired of hearing Belly complain and mope and pine for Conrad still. It was exhausting to read about so I don’t know how her friends kept up with it!! hahaha

On a serious note, Susannah’s whole story absolutely breaks my heart. She was truly the glue that held everything together. Everything and everyone. When she died, it wasn’t surprising to see everyone kind of fall apart. It really touched a nerve and hit home with me just being able to relate to a person like her who changes the lives of everyone around. As much as I don’t care for Conrad when it comes to Belly. I honestly do care about him as a person. Sure, he deals with things the wrong way, but he is who he is and everything he does has a reason behind it and I’m glad they showed more of that side of him.

Which brings me to Jeremiah. Oh, how I loved reading his chapters!! And WOW did things get juicy QUICK!! 

I was not expecting any of that to happen towards the end but praise Jesus I’m so glad it did! Also loved seeing Belly grow up in that moment and realize that she needed to move on if she ever wanted even a chance at happiness. So Book 2 definitely tops Book 1. Let’s just hope Belly and Jeremiah last a bit longer than Belly and Conrad did and I’m not reading Chapter 1 finding out that they’ve already broken up... 

*I wrote this commentary as I was reading the book, so enjoy my inner thoughts hahaha ;)*

We’ll Always Have Summer started out MUCH better than Book 2! I mean way to just start off nice and calm with Belly in college studying for finals and acing them and going to take a nap and then nonchalantly mentioning Jeremiah in her bed. LIKE WAIT WHAT BACK UP. YES THANK YOU I’M SO HAPPY!!

And then immediately taking this happiness away from literally ALL OF US in the very next chapter... Stupid boys...

AND THEN JESUS CHRIST THIS BOOK IS AN EMOTIONAL ROLLERCOASTER AND I’M ONLY ON CHAPTER 11?!?!

And excuse me, why is she freaking dreaming about CONRAD?!?! I will be so mad if they end up together...

Also, props to Tayler for chilling the fuck out. Well, sort of. But like she’s growing up and she is a really great friend to Belly!

Oh no. Ohhhhhhhhhhhh NOOOOO. Uh-uh. NOPE. I refuse.

Jeremiah’s chapters were welcomed because Jere is sweet and charming and funny and NICE TO BELLY. Why the HELL does Conrad have his own damn chapters??! I mean it’s nice to find out what he’s actually thinking for once, but DO NOT make me start feeling sorry for him. NO.

Again, if she ditches sweet Jeremiah for him, I will be livid. LIVID.

Ok, fam. Like calm down. Sure they’re ‘young’. But is it necessary to react like that?! To outright REFUSE to go to your only daughter’s wedding? Especially when everyone knew one of the boys would marry Belly eventually. Like this shouldn’t be a shocker. I don’t get the dramatics of it.

Great. Of COURSE, Conrad is staying in Cousins, too. This won’t turn into anything. Nope. Never. 

Ok. Wedding plans. More wedding plans.

Conrad GO AWAY.

Sweet baby Jesus. I can’t handle this.

JERE COME BACK.

OHMYGODOHMYGODOHMYGOD

Ok. Phew. Everything is fine. Wait. What? NO. What’s happening?!? BELLY JUST SAY NO. DIDN’T YOU LEARN ANYTHING FROM D.A.R.E.?!?! JUST SAY NO!!

God dammit.

I am so pissed.

So. Just finished Book 3. Not happy. I just will NEVER understand going back to some guy who hurts you over and over and over. I will never approve of that and I will judge you for doing that. It’s not okay and I don’t care how ‘in love’ you think you are. People who love you don’t continuously hurt you. Period. God, I’m so disappointed in the way this story turned out.

Positives? Jenny Han is a fantastic storyteller. Homegirl can WRITE!