Reviews with content warning for Homophobia - The Midnight Library

I had heard nothing but good things about this book. I was hesitant with it at the start but I found myself wanting to continue. Much like the character in the book. I enjoyed it and the ending was very pleasant and unexpected. I would recommend this.

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singingdragon's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.5

This book is great if you are at a turning point in your life and regretting choices that have led you to that point. The book speaks to the variety of human life, but also the fact that no life is perfect and every life has light and dark encompassed in it.

The ending dissapoints me though, as its as if the author suddenly decides that everything must be perfect for Nora's ongoing root life, which is not a complete reflection of the general message of the story.

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arlorees's review against another edition

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challenging emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

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

2.75

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daisymoffit's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

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

3.75

An intriguing and well executed novel, The Midnight Library solidifies itself as a book I know I'll often think back to. A lovely combo of captivating fiction and inspiring, motivational fuel. I love a book that leaves me wanting to get up and do something after I finish it. Would recommend to anyone

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chelle22's review against another edition

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dark emotional inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense

5.0

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holly_s's review against another edition

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emotional inspiring fast-paced

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

4.5

Really good ending!!

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kayabaj's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad fast-paced

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

5.0

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katereadsthat's review against another edition

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2.0

The Midnight Library follows Nora, a woman struggling with depression when she decides that life isn’t worth living anymore. She finds herself at the aforementioned library, a place where time stands still exactly at midnight, where each of the infinite books shows the different lives she could have lead had she made different choices large or small. Ultimately she must choose: life or the trajectory that got her to the library in the first place.

I was not a fan of this book. Spoilers ahead. While it did have some good quotes and interesting moments, it felt a bit heavy handed with the Thoreau quotes and optimism at the end. It very much glosses over and overly simplifies how difficult life is after a suicide attempt. I also was a bit annoyed that the best life she experienced in the library

also happened to be the most heteronormative: married, rich, has a kid, a dog, etc.

If this is what you want in life there isn’t anything wrong with that, but we didn’t get many indicators in the book that this is what she wanted. It also doesn’t escape me that many of the lives were what others wanted for her or from her

swimming for her dad, the rockstar life for her brother

, but even in the life that gets her to decide she actually wants to live she’s still living for others. When she sees

her student in trouble with the cops she realizes that if she hadn’t taught him piano he would have gone down a different path.

While this is meant to be inspiring, and this along with the example of her neighbor can be, it also means that she’s still putting others and their lives and happiness above her own. All of this together read to me as

single woman with cat=bad, married mother with kid and dog=good.

Again, there’s nothing wrong with wanting this, but you’re telling me if all the lives she lived, everything she learned, this is what finally convinced her to live? I very much felt like this was a “men writing women” situation where this must be the only true way for a woman to find fulfillment and happiness.

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