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ginabyeg's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Graphic: Death of parent, Forced institutionalization, Pandemic/Epidemic, Medical content, Child death, Medical trauma, Pregnancy, Death, Blood, Excrement, Religious bigotry, and War
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
clemrain's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Child death, Death, Grief, Medical content, Medical trauma, Pregnancy, and Religious bigotry
Moderate: Misogyny, Terminal illness, Abandonment, Child abuse, Classism, Gore, Violence, War, and Death of parent
Minor: Injury/Injury detail, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Drug abuse, Excrement, Lesbophobia, Miscarriage, Pedophilia, Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Rape, and Sexual violence
This shattering story takes place over three strenuous days of a nurse and runner in a maternity ward during the influenza pandemic. It’s a difficult, slow read that dives into the little hours of horrors experienced by the most vulnerable. I don’t really have the words for this book. I had a very vague knowledge of the influenza pandemic. But academic readings don’t do the justice to this tragic period of time. This book does and I think it’s because it’s takes a very small real part of the pandemic and focuses on it. The world is so much more than just the grand scheme of things. I don’t know much about Ireland’s history past the famine most of us are taught about. But of course just like any country, Ireland had its l share of religious trauma. I wanted to scream and yell and cry. The romance was so fleeting but it was impactful. I wish it had been woven into the plot a bit earlier butkathleencoughlin's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Graphic: Blood, Chronic illness, Death, Medical content, and Medical trauma
Moderate: Body horror, Domestic abuse, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Misogyny, and Child abuse
Minor: War, Suicide, Pedophilia, and Excrement
carolinebrooks's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Graphic: Death, Child death, Vomit, Pregnancy, Medical content, Medical trauma, Gore, Excrement, Blood, and Child abuse
absolutive's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
The novel not only explores the stories of people often left untold--poor women in Dublin, children of the unwed, for example--but also queer stories in an unusual and highly effective way. No one would call this a queer novel, I think, but by the end of the novel one must say that it is the story of four queer people living in Dublin when people didn't talk openly about this. This realisation occurs slowly and it's implicit, it's something the novel is lightly building towards but which does not emerge on the ward, hidden from view, like these lives themselves, but which, like the hidden stars, pulls the narrative forward.
Graphic: Blood, Child death, Death, Excrement, Medical content, Pregnancy, Religious bigotry, and Vomit
eniatea's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Child abuse, Death, Death of parent, Excrement, Forced institutionalization, Gore, Medical content, Medical trauma, Miscarriage, Pedophilia, and Physical abuse
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
unphilosophize's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
It is tragic and emotional.
I really enjoyed all the obstetrics in the book, especially as my mum was a nurse in the nicu
Great characters
I’ll think about this book a lot
Graphic: Miscarriage, Child death, Death, Medical content, Medical trauma, Vomit, Homophobia, and Gore
Minor: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Excrement, Forced institutionalization, Physical abuse, and Religious bigotry
veeronald's review against another edition
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
Graphic: Blood, Terminal illness, Miscarriage, Medical trauma, Medical content, Death, and Child death
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Excrement, Gore, Physical abuse, Religious bigotry, Sexual assault, Sexism, and Violence
Minor: Toxic relationship and Suicide