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gracescanlon's reviews
730 reviews
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
5.0
The descriptions were rich and the prose lush. It was the way the author handled and discussed complex concepts, like love and heartbreak, loss and memory, war and resilience, that earned this book a full five stars from me.
Graphic: Death, Violence, Grief, Religious bigotry, Fire/Fire injury, and War
Moderate: Misogyny, Islamophobia, Death of parent, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
I found Isobel’s descriptions of her experiences with her own synesthesia quite believable. I haven’t had such vibrant experiences myself since I was a girl, but I remember them, and still have smaller, less dramatic ones. Whether Ms. Albanese has synesthesia or not, I found her portrayals of it, especially how it touches every part of life, to ring true. Well done!
This would have been a five-star read, but I felt that the story was rushed in some places. That rush led to a lack of development and depth in characters and their relationships with one another. I think if more time had been devoted to building and expanding upon these, it would've enriched the novel - and earned five stars from me.
Graphic: Death, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Death of parent, and Pregnancy
Moderate: Addiction, Miscarriage, Racism, Sexism, Sexual content, Slavery, Toxic relationship, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Grief, and Colonisation
Minor: Ableism, Body shaming, Bullying, Child death, Miscarriage, Suicidal thoughts, Excrement, Medical content, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
5.0
4.5
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
The ordering of these parts created the effect of the women setting the record straight. One woman saw herself in the other and used her own experience as a woman to read between the lines of the previous narratives to learn the real story while placating men. Meanwhile, the other woman told the actual story, as it happened in her life, using her own words. I loved that it seemed that it was the combined efforts of the women that revealed the truth - the first, in analyzing the information she was given and pursuing the real story, and the second, in recording the facts as she knew them.
Graphic: Chronic illness, Death, Mental illness, Misogyny, Self harm, Terminal illness, Medical content, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
Moderate: Confinement, Death, Infertility, Grief, Death of parent, and Classism
Minor: Violence
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.5
Graphic: Grief and Death of parent
Moderate: Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Car accident, Murder, Pregnancy, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Alcoholism, Infidelity, and Alcohol
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Death, Gore, Misogyny, Sexism, Violence, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Animal death, Suicide, Grief, Murder, Pregnancy, and War
Minor: Rape, Sexual assault, and Abandonment
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Moderate: Death, Miscarriage, Violence, Grief, Death of parent, and Pregnancy