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leonormsousa's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Moderate: Death of parent, Grief, Abandonment, Colonisation, Death, Mental illness, Pregnancy, Racism, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Hate crime, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Misogyny, Sexism, Violence, and War
introverted_reads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Murder, Grief, Cursing, Death, Religious bigotry, Abandonment, Suicide, Misogyny, Mental illness, and Death of parent
Moderate: Gaslighting, Fire/Fire injury, Panic attacks/disorders, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Colonisation, and Forced institutionalization
Minor: Drug abuse, Drug use, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and War
theespressoedition's review against another edition
- 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
3.0
Now, maybe it was just the high of The Midnight Library and The Comfort Book, specifically, but I was really itching for something profound and inspiring to me, personally. That's not so much what I found in this book.
For the most part, this was historical fiction, with elements of magical realism thrown in there and a few nods to the modern era. I don't resonate well with historical fiction, so I think that's the first thing that kind of put me off. The concept of a person who ages at a snail's pace fascinated me, but I wasn't expecting to spend so much time getting to know Shakespeare... and that's kind of what happened.
Not that there's anything wrong with this in the slightest, it just didn't stand out to me. The meaningful aspects of the book were towards the last couple of chapters. Those, I could've highlighted in full, because they were so profound. However, I had hoped for a lot more of that throughout the book, so it was just a bit of a bummer.
However, I would read this book again! That might sound strange, but it's true. I do feel like there was a lot to learn from it, but I probably missed certain things because I got distracted while listening to the audiobook (which had a lovely narrator whose accent I adored, even if I wasn't obsessed with his performance). I'd like to read the updated edition that came out in 2022 as a physical copy to see what else I could gain!
As a whole, it was an interesting book, just not one that I would find myself recommending endlessly as I have with Matt's other books.
Graphic: Death and Misogyny
Moderate: Physical abuse and Violence
Minor: Panic attacks/disorders and Suicidal thoughts
skyegbooks's review against another edition
- 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
3.5
Moderate: Abandonment, Death, and Terminal illness
Minor: Misogyny and Sexism
laurajones's review against another edition
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Death of parent, Grief, and Mental illness
Moderate: Misogyny, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Xenophobia, and Chronic illness
Minor: Alcoholism, Child death, Fatphobia, Forced institutionalization, and Racial slurs