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3.81 AVERAGE
3.81 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Torture, War, Deportation
Moderate: Toxic friendship
I think it's a sign of the times but this book was hard. It left me with weird sad dreams and generally made me anxious. It felt like such a raw look at the depths humanity can to sink to and it felt very real, very plausible.
I listened to it and the audio was good. Men doing young female voices is often crap in audio and there were a few moments that irked me but there wasn't enough young female characters to have it ruin the audio. I do think listening to it enhanced the overall impact the novel had be that a good or bad thing!
I listened to it and the audio was good. Men doing young female voices is often crap in audio and there were a few moments that irked me but there wasn't enough young female characters to have it ruin the audio. I do think listening to it enhanced the overall impact the novel had be that a good or bad thing!
rounding up to five, because I'm feeling generous. and i did think the writing was very good. this is about a future American civil war and how life in a war zone will affect a child as she grows, and indelibly changes her. I found the ending very satisfying.
I have been wanting to read this one for ages and perhaps had built up an expectation too high but it still was a very good book. Following a civil war in American (predominantly between North and South/Blue and Red) caused by a dispute about green energy vs. fossil fuels, we see the world from the viewpoint of a young girl as she grows up and 'chooses a side' as such. Although I enjoyed the storytelling in this I actually enjoyed the sections at the start of the chapters that were taken from 'historical documents' about how the war came about - these sections fascinated me as much as the character's story.
This is a very deep book. Writers and Books made a great choice in selecting this for this year’s All Rochester Reads. I don’t like to read books twice because my reading bucket list is so long, but I may just read this again.
This book is beautifully written. Even though this book takes place 50-100 years in the future it was more disturbing to read during 2020 than it would have been when it first came out.
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Despite the scope of the book, it feels smaller than it should. The author is so concerned with his ideas, he moves his characters and plot around to make his point without exploring true motivation or plausibility. With the story's inevitability, at a certain point there is a feeling of the interminable. El Akkad writes solidly and confidently and when he delves into the history of events, he's at his strongest. But when each character feels like they are symbolizing an idea, it gets preachy and overly intellectual.
This is one of the most engrossing books I've ever read in my life. It's impossible to put how it feels or what it is into words. It's a war story, a family story, an ode to destruction and ruin and hope. It's an incredibly unique view of a very possible future that felt painfully real from the start. The world building was magnificent, easy to follow, all encompassing and truly original. It's beautifully, hauntingly, written — gritty yet poetic. It's a masterpiece of fiction.