Reviews with content warning for Grief - The Measure

The opportunity to create a new category of othering arrives overnight for anyone over the age of 22 and prejudices flow amidst the panic.

I wish that there was some closure on some of the (what I consider) plot holes, as well as a couple of characters we grew to know over the 15 years that pass in the book, though I was given enough to be satisfied. It was a bit predictable and cliche, but I teared up a couple times and definitely cried at the end because thinking about life and death and found family gets me in the feels.

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convivialcatch's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

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mab12494's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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sandysmith's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

What a book, such an interesting concept that gives massive food for thought. It would make for great discussions at a book club. Written from 8 characters points of view, which normally I would find too many, but not in this case. I fell in love with all the intertwined characters apart from the power-hungry politician Anthony. The rest, Hank, Maura, Nina, Amie, Ben, Jack, and Javier, were all loveable in their own ways, adding depth to the differing points of view to the books premise. Potentially knowing when you might die via a box delivered when you are 22, containing different lengths of string, which indicates length of life. Long and short stringers and those who choose not to open their box, so a new and interesting look at discrimination. The size of the text in the book I was reading was smaller than normal and uncomfortable, so this was the main negative for me. I didn't mind that I didn't get to know where the boxes came from, and it's had to place this book into a particular genre. In summary, I love books that make me think, and this one does in spades. Excellent stuff.

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kaylahcc's review against another edition

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challenging emotional hopeful inspiring sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.75

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kaperry626's review against another edition

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emotional reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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jmusil44's review against another edition

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emotional reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

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throwback682's review against another edition

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emotional inspiring medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Thought provoking, timely, emotional, heartwarming AND heartbreaking, clever, fascinating.

I loved how the various characters’ stories were interwoven - either overtly (

one character doesn’t know that her new boyfriend is in a support group with her sister’s girlfriend

) or subtly/as a twist.

There was one big twist that I half expected

(the sister/wife who never opened her box actually having a short string too)

but it also still came to light in an unexpected way

(it never occurred to me that she and the husband would die TOGETHER)

.

This book was a real tearjerker. It deals not only with death, but with a lot of other big hard life stuff, like standing up to your bigoted family members at risk of being ostracized, or deciding whether bringing a child into this scary world is the right move.

I personally thought this book made you contemplate your mortality in a way that wasn’t too heavy handed. It felt like more of an invitation to reflect, than a Cautionary Tale. I really enjoyed it a lot.

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