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flowerwineandbooks's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
People praise the poetic descriptions in this novel, and maybe it's the fault of translation but I didn't find the prose all the beautiful. There were a few stunning lines, but these were more from Nivea, Clara, and Alba about the importance of justice and resilience of women.
<blockquote> "this is to assuage our conscience, darling," she would explain to Blanca. "but it doesn't help the poor. They don't need charity, they need justice." </blockquote>
<blockquote> It was then I understood that the days of [character name] and all those like him are numbered, because they have not been able to destroy the spirit of these women. </blockquote>
This book has virtually no plot, it's all characters. And that would be fine, except most of the characters were not ones I was able to root for very easily. Additionally, I HATED HATED HATED reading from Esteban's point of view. I think this is the sole reason it took me so long to finish this book. If one of the themes of the novel is the spirit of women, I don't think this writing choice was the best... I understand that he was necessary as the patriarch to counterbalance the narrative being told about the spirits of the women throughout the family, but I feel like just seeing his actions would have been enough for the same to have been accomplished.
The historical context in the last few chapters of the book I found to be the most intriguing! Since the passing of Clara, I struggled to maintain interest in the story with no more characters I really cared for. The wider story of Chilean politics was fascinating to me, and I came to care more for some of the younger characters FINALLY at this point. However, the big reveal/twist wasn't as shocking as I would have liked because of the overused and blatant amount of foreshadowing throughout the ENTIRETY of the novel from the first chapters. (Which I know is not a translation issue, because I've read some reviews from those who read it in Spanish and said similar things here)
Graphic: Death, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Torture, Police brutality, Sexual assault, Infidelity, Rape, and Misogyny
Moderate: Lesbophobia, Animal death, and Ableism
Minor: Car accident, Death of parent, and Animal cruelty
lief_'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
3.25
Graphic: Misogyny, Emotional abuse, Confinement, Classism, Child abuse, Sexual assault, Police brutality, Physical abuse, Murder, War, Torture, Sexual content, Sexism, Domestic abuse, Death, Blood, Rape, Animal death, Pedophilia, Death of parent, Abortion, Violence, Sexual violence, Kidnapping, Gun violence, and Homophobia
Moderate: Miscarriage, Mass/school shootings, and Medical content
Minor: Incest and Addiction
kmichelle629'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? Yes
4.25
Minor: Sexual assault, Miscarriage, Death, Racial slurs, Abortion, Gun violence, and War
taracloudclark's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This is a long book. At times I had difficulty maintaining attention, but I think overall it was worth it. It was definitely outside my personal or familiar experience, and I feel I’m better for reading it.
Narrators were excellent.
This was part of the StoryGraph read around the world challenge.
Graphic: Sexual assault, Sexism, Torture, Medical trauma, Classism, Physical abuse, Pedophilia, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Kidnapping, Murder, Mental illness, Domestic abuse, Body horror, Police brutality, Trafficking, Toxic relationship, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, Animal death, Rape, Xenophobia, Violence, War, Pregnancy, Misogyny, Injury/Injury detail, and Death
apple_cider's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Minor: Abortion, Adult/minor relationship, Death, Animal death, Medical content, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Sexual content, Police brutality, Car accident, Cursing, Death of parent, Rape, Torture, Pregnancy, Animal cruelty, and Medical trauma
sarafandino_'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
5.0
Graphic: Genocide, Rape, Sexual assault, Torture, War, Abortion, Sexual violence, Body horror, Death, Blood, Hate crime, Classism, Misogyny, Domestic abuse, Kidnapping, Violence, Murder, Police brutality, and Physical abuse
rhi_'s review against another edition
- 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? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Racism, Torture, Blood, Child abuse, Excrement, Animal death, Classism, Abortion, Infidelity, Police brutality, Pregnancy, Racial slurs, Rape, Violence, Toxic relationship, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, Sexual content, Sexual assault, Sexism, Medical content, Death of parent, Gun violence, Kidnapping, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Murder, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, and Incest
Moderate: Self harm, Suicide attempt, and Suicidal thoughts
j_mindelan's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Graphic: Child abuse, Fatphobia, Sexual assault, Violence, Alcohol, Excrement, Grief, Incest, Blood, Body shaming, Police brutality, Pregnancy, War, Addiction, Alcoholism, Sexual content, Animal cruelty, Infidelity, Slavery, Torture, Sexual harassment, Adult/minor relationship, Death of parent, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual violence, Abortion, Animal death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Colonisation, Rape, Religious bigotry, Chronic illness, Death, Homophobia, Miscarriage, Classism, and Pedophilia
mikebond'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? No
4.5
Moderate: Rape, Mental illness, Death, Violence, and Sexual content
paperinfinities'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? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Sexual assault, Rape, Pregnancy, Torture, Police brutality, Physical abuse, Death, Sexual violence, Violence, Domestic abuse, Misogyny, and War