Kindness for Weakness
by Shawn Goodman
A fifteen-year-old boy from an abusive home desperately seeking his older brother's love and approval starts pushing drugs for him and suffers the consequences.
Is that not the lamest synopsis ever?! Yes that is really the official synopsis posted on Goodreads. Sorry, but I just had to put that out there, it didn't stop me from being excited to read it but it really does bother me! Well, it's beginning to look like I'm on a streak. This is the second book that I have felt was only one star and that I simply hated! There wasn't much of a plot to this book. The writing was far from impressive. And the book felt almost as if it was being narrated by two completely different characters, neither of which I particularly liked or felt attached to. The first half of the book felt like it was being told by a little kid and the second half a tough guy in his late teens. I get that the character is supposed to grow but it didn't feel like growth. There was to flow or transition from one to the other. You could see the some of the changes he went through because a lot of the time he explained how he changed. but I felt a shift of character and voice much before he actually changed. I felt no attachment to any of the characters in the book and I didn't particularly care what happened to any of them. It was nearly impossible to relate to any of the characters or scenarios because everything was vastly unbalanced. There was no balance of qualities and there was nothing to make you really really want any of the characters to overcome their obstacles. There wasn't really any hope or redeeming qualities. Everything was far too extreme. I was so excited to read this and I had high hopes because the story line appeared to be just my cup of tea. I couldn't have been more disappointed and I am so glad that it was a short book so at least I could power through it and not feel guilty about not finishing it! I wouldn't dream of recommending it, and am not even going to bother posting the Liberty Bay link or the Goodreads link. I was curious, and I browsed other reviews on Goodreads and found to my shock that 91% of reviews were 3 stars or higher and the lowest rating it received (other than me now) was 2 stars. Only 7% of reviews were 2 star. Everyone that read it loved it and raved of all the feels it gave them and just how simply amazing it was! As I read these reviews I began to wonder if we had even read the same book because their reviews boasted that the book offered everything I had hoped it would contain! Anyways, I generously decide to give it one star and am thoroughly baffled about how I read this book and felt so vastly different from so many other people! But I suppose that happens!
What is the last bad book you read? Have you ever felt vastly different from the majority of people about a book? What book?
Oh, I feel terrible when I hate a book. >_< I really truly do want to like everything I read! I totally did NOT click with Level 2, but most of the Goodreads reviews were 4 stars. *shrugs* Book blogging is so subjective, right?
ReplyDeleteHaha you are nicer than me! I usually don't feel bad, I am just annoyed that I could have spent that time reading something better! But, I think the world would be a little boring if we liked everything we read. I think the subjectiveness is what makes it interesting, it opens doors for discussions and it allows us to see books and the world from other people's points of view.
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