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isaaah's review against another edition
- 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? No
3.75
Graphic: Blood, Death, Child death, Pandemic/Epidemic, Gore, Medical content, Pregnancy, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Classism, Body shaming, Forced institutionalization, Domestic abuse, Grief, Religious bigotry, War, and Child abuse
Minor: Gun violence, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Vomit, Incest, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Infertility, Suicide, Slavery, Excrement, Miscarriage, and Abandonment
justabby1's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Graphic: Medical content and Child death
Minor: Incest
kelly_e's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
Author: Emma Donoghue
Genre: Historical Fiction
Rating: 4.75
Pub Date: July 21 2020
T H R E E • W O R D S
Beautiful • Poignant • Timely
📖 S Y N O P S I S
The Pull of the Stars, set in Dublin at the height of the flu pandemic of 1918, spans three days with nurse Julia Power, the expectant mothers, doctor Kathleen Lynn, and volunteer Birdie Sweeney on the maternity ward of an understaffed city-centre hospital. A story of collective trauma and survival, of hope and resilience, of motherhood and friendship, these women will come to change each others' lives.
💭 T H O U G H T S
Initially, I'd have thought reading a story about a pandemic during the current pandemic would have been depressing, but I was wrong! The Pull of the Stars was a exactly what I needed without knowing it. Emma Donoghue's phenomenal and beautiful prose, and her endearing characters are the heart of this book. It is so wonderfully researched and eerily reminiscent to now, providing the comfort and escape I so desperately needed. Despite the darker subject matter, this novel is wholly human. I won't soon be forgetting this cast of characters, each playing an important role throughout. From the very first page, I was sucked into the story, the quick and gripping pace left wanting more.
This was so close to being a 5-star read, but I struggled with the structure. Each section certainly had its place, the length of them felt too long, and the lack of quotation marks at times made it confusing to distinguish between dialogue and thought. After doing a little research I've come to understand the author's intent for the thoughts and dialogue to flow together as one. Even though this structure wasn't for me, it complements the dynamic and chaotic nature of the novel.
Emma Donoghue has certainly become an auto-buy author for me, and I have loved everything I have read so far! Let me just finish by saying the cover artwork is beautiful and pairs perfectly with the stunning story. Also, make sure to check out the author's note at the end as it's another addition making this book so wonderful.
📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• Historical fiction lovers
• Readers looking for a quick read
• anyone who likes admirable characters
🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S
"As far as I could tell, the whole world was a machine grinding to a halt. Across the globe, in hundreds of languages, signs were going up urging people to cover their coughs."
"I gazed up at the sky and let my eyes flicker from one constellation to another, to another, jumping between stepping stones. I thought of the heavenly bodies throwing down their narrow ropes to hook us. I’ve never believed the future was inscribed for each of us the day we were born. If anything were written in the stars, it was we who joined those dots, and our lives were the writing. But baby Garrett, born dead yesterday, and all those whose stories were over before they began, and those who opened their eyes and found they were living in a long nightmare, like Bridie and baby White, who decreed that, I wondered, or at least allowed it?"
Graphic: Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Grief, Incest, Medical content, Medical trauma, Miscarriage, and Pregnancy
Moderate: Blood and Suicide
⚠️ CW: stillbirth, PTSD,carlybellesbooks's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Graphic: Blood, Medical content, and Medical trauma
Moderate: Religious bigotry
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Child death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Homophobia, Incest, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Rape, Religious bigotry, and Vomit
sarah984's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
The last third was just too much for me though, way too soap opera-ish for me with all the romance and drama crammed into two days. After the weight of the rest of the book it felt kind of silly.
Graphic: Blood, Child death, Death, Death of parent, Excrement, Grief, Medical content, and Vomit
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, and Religious bigotry
Minor: Ableism, Alcoholism, Confinement, Drug use, Gun violence, Incest, Pedophilia, Sexism, Suicide, and Trafficking