“…I thought a lot about myself and drew a ton of conclusions.”

Like the narrator, I too get very in my head and too self aware of my own faults. I absolutely love how self-aware and unapologetic she is. She feels so much, just like me ❤️‍🩹

There were many many lines I had to pause and wonder where the heck has this book been these past few years?! Thanks to a book friends review I found out about this book, read it, and loved it.

Note: Regarding poetry, I only read those by authors I am familiar with (know their backstory & fiction works), to ensure I am able to understand & connect to the poems more. Hence why I only read Charlotte Bronte’s poems & my rating & review is for those.

Faves: The Wood Frances Life Regret Parting Winter Stores

Damn this book has one of the best openings and endings I’ve ever read!

It’s one of those books where you never really know what’s happening and where you fit as the reader. It’s almost as if we get these little glimpses of the books reality.

The images throughout added a “memoir” feeling, yet the writing was so abstract. It almost played with my mind in a really unique way. The images helped me get into the story more too. It also inspired me to take photos edit: with my Instax camera of where I was as I was reading it — the park on a cloudy day — and placing it into the book.

I felt a sense of emptiness when I finished the book, almost as if I wanted more and felt unsatisfied, or I simply felt empty, just like the narrator.

Some of my thoughts are still a bit jumbled as I only just finished it, but I know this book will stay in my mind for a while.

Extra thoughts: Narrator only gives the reader bits of information. Never revealing too much — unreliable narrator.

Something about the writing is quite captivating and made me want to continue reading, even as it was getting pretty cold at the park.

The book is of course very thought provoking — my notes in the margin were filled with my thoughts about ideas & concepts I haven’t thought of before — reality, time, habits, wonder.

It’s one of those books where, when I think back to it, I won’t necessarily remember what actually happened character & plot-wise, but instead I will remember this feeling I got throughout.

I am also really glad I read it slowly, as that helped me process the book better — definitely not one I can quickly read if I wanted to.

My rating is for the overall book, the average for all 3 stories

The Yellow Wall-Paper 1st read: 5⭐️ (31/07/2025)

2nd read: 5⭐️ (09/08/2026) “I cry at nothing, and cry most of the time.” The way this story is told in a diary format really adds suspense.

The Rocking-Chair 2⭐️ ah men in love

Old Water 3⭐️ (09/08/2026) This feels like a Grimm fairytale which is super cool!

*note my rating is only for “White Nights” not Bobok, as I read that recently in another book.

1st read 3⭐️ (30/06/2025) young, naive, unrequited love 🤍 —————————————— (I recommend reading in 1 sitting, and play old European cafe music in the background)

2nd read 4⭐️ (02/08/2026) Goddamn there are some very pretty lines in this. I’d love to explore those lines and write about them. I relate a lot…

Fyodor Dostoevsky never fails to create some of the most morally grey & complex characters with a unique way of life & mindset, yet I can’t help but feel for them due to the specially crafted exposition. Inner monologue challenges the reader beliefs too.

I realised that with Dostoevsky’s stories, I either really like it, or I don’t like it.

In saying that, I really admire how much re-readability his stories have as well, I am sure I will enjoy & understand more on a re-read.

The Dream of a Ridiculous Man 3.5 ⭐️ (24/07/2026) “…nothing made any difference to me anymore...”

The Meek One 1.5 ⭐️ (03/02/2026) Someday I will re-read this.

Bobok 1.5 ⭐️ (01/08/2026)

Christmas party at a wedding 1 ⭐️ (01/08/2026)

I don’t normally read this kind of book. I don’t read historical fiction or anything about witches. Although I’m mainly talking about the writing in it and my rating reflects this.

I never felt anything for the main character. It’s really important that I have a connection to the main character in a book (doesn’t have to be relatability!) but I literally felt nothing for her as good & bad things happened.

I wonder if this would’ve been more engaging and paced better it it were written in present tense. It’s the girl as an older lady talking about her past and throughout she has random words of wisdom which were jarring. Also, she forgets some parts of her past which is understandable due to time passing, but this gave me the impression that there are important details missed — made me feel like I’m not getting the whole story and that we have an unreliable narrator.

The writing felt clunky for me, something about the mix of dialogue, innner-monologue, and odd pacing made it hard for me to keep engaged.

For a historical fiction book about witches it didn’t feel dark.

Anyways overall the writing was just wasn’t suitable for me.

Also, needed more bunnies.

I actually love this series so much 🩶

I liked this book better than the first