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Comments (42)

What did you think about this title?
1 to 25 of 42 items
Apr 28, 2023wyenotgo rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
A stunning piece of work! Utterly hilarious, infused with the sort of sardonic humor that can only emerge from a state of tragic absurdity. The comedy continues, page after page, growing darker and more bitter as we accompany 16-year-old…
Apr 01, 2023PankajMehra rated this title 2 out of 5 stars
Started off fine, then started to skim and finally gave up. Not for me.
Jan 25, 2023em_evergreen rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
This is a lyrical, jarring coming-of-age story set in a small Mennonite town on the Canadian prairie. I found the writing evocative and punchy; at times, the plot's slowness reflect's Nomi's reality as a rebellious teen in a religious town…
Mar 19, 2022Kmum1 rated this title 1.5 out of 5 stars
Having read "Mennonites don't Dance" I am not sure why I was expecting something more upbeat. I found the storyline slow and depressing. I won't give up on the author but having barely made it through this book I am not sure about her…
Nov 25, 2019
This book is beautifully crafted and beautifully written and yet it's full of jarring incidents and some characters. However, I think it is also one of the most powerful coming of age stories because the author manages to give the reader…
May 05, 2019SusanJ_124 rated this title 3 out of 5 stars
While reading this book I was unsure whether I was enjoying it nor whether I liked any of the characters (or even if I was supposed to like any of them). A couple weeks after finishing the book, I am still unsure about it. I will at least…
Apr 04, 2019McAnnieG rated this title 3 out of 5 stars
I found this a depressing novel of a confused and discouraged 16 yr old Mennonite girl whose family is divided by their religion. Nomi Nickle tells her story in vernacular of her upbringing.
Jan 02, 2019summerforever rated this title 3 out of 5 stars
Nomi is way too hilarious. I found the writing style to be unique and the ending was indeed bittersweet. Here are some quotes I liked. Spoilers ahead! "Nomi, he said, you just need to wake up to the fact that other people need to know…
Nov 07, 2018sharon711 rated this title 2.5 out of 5 stars
Toews paints for us a picture of life in a strict Mennonite community for a spirited teenage girl, called Nomi. It’s a place where every action is tightly controlled by the church leader, Nomi’s uncle, The Mouth. Nomi’s smart and…
May 11, 2018
A Complicated Kindness tells the heartbreakingly funny story of Nomi Nickel coming of age in a small Mennonite town in southern Manitoba. Miriam Toews depicts teenage angst and exasperation with such humour and authenticity that you'll be…
Mar 06, 2017LL22 rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
This is one of my very favourite books and my favourite Miriam Toews book. Such an interesting story of growing up in a truly bizarre setting, and how this affects a young mind and a family. The title is just excellent for this book,…
Feb 18, 2017Soundreader rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
It is hard to write stream of consciousness book well, but Toews does. 16-year-old Nomi is lost but not just in the "typical teenager" lost sort of way. Two of the most important figures in her life have left her: her older sister and her…
Jan 30, 2017spiderfelt_0 rated this title 2.5 out of 5 stars
It is hard to pinpoint why this book left me feeling 'eh', kind of flat. There were clever lines, funny moments and poignant scenes. For the most part, I found the juxtaposition of past and present vaguely annoying and slightly confusing,…
AmberKlassen
May 07, 2015AmberKlassen rated this title 2 out of 5 stars
This novel has a lot of truths in it, but is merely the depiction of an adolescent who did not like her life and took no control or responsibility for her own actions. Disappointed because there is not much to read about this unique…
Apr 25, 2015Catherine41 rated this title 2.5 out of 5 stars
I found the book to be quite sad, and lacking hope for the characters. At the beginning there was a bit of humour inserted in the story, which helped keep me reading, but that lessened as the book progressed and I found the second half…
Mar 01, 2015kancruze rated this title 2 out of 5 stars
Did not find this book interesting. Her style of prose did not keep my interest either. I was as bored with it after the first few chapters just as the main character was bored. I figured out what was going to happen and read the last…
Jan 19, 2015WVMLStaffPicks rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
The pain of loss enfolds Nomi Nickel--teenage girl, confused Mennonite, and motherless daughter. Nomi is consumed by her struggle to understand why first her sister, and then her mother, would leave their relatively happy family, and just…
Oct 22, 20140Charlie rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
What a wonderful main character - she has so many great one-liners! As I was reading this work, I kept saying to myself "nothing has happened" but it was still very entertaining. As cliched as it sounds, the power of love can change lives…
Oct 22, 2014
Great writing!
Jun 21, 2013zaire189 rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
What a captivating book!
Jun 17, 2013WVMLBookClubTitles rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
Left alone with her father, sixteen-year-old Nomi rebels against the conventions of her strict Manitoba Mennonite community and tries to come to terms with the collapse of her family. A powerful young Canadian author, Toews was awarded the…
Apr 21, 2013britprincess1 rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
I was intrigued and pulled into this book. It isn't conventional and the storyline doesn't follow many rules, but the immersion into the troublesome life of Mennonite teen Nomi spoke to me. I wouldn't consider myself rebellious, when I was…
spudwil
May 28, 2012spudwil rated this title 0.5 out of 5 stars
I found it very boring and depressing. The story did not seem to progress. Disappointing.
Apr 25, 2012elinpat rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
Toews is dependable for a good story. Again girl in Menonite household in canada. Brutal father. See catalogue comments and reviews.
Dec 22, 2011vwruleschick rated this title 2 out of 5 stars
Nomi is this teenage girl who lives with her dad in a Mennonite community in outside of Winnipeg. You hear about her closed off life and community and colorful family members. Then one day her sister takes off and then her mom disappears.…