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4.01 AVERAGE
4.01 AVERAGE
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
N/A
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
dark
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Toxic relationship, Violence, Death of parent, Abandonment
challenging
emotional
inspiring
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This was quite dated and didn’t hold up to time. It’s written very differently from The Great Alone which is the other novel I’ve read of Kristin Hannah’s. It seemed very basic and the mental health rep/autism info is very outdated. That said the imagery in this is beautiful and the relationship between Julia and Alice is lovely. It goes to show what loving and providing a safe environment for children can do. I felt the relationship between Julia and Max was very flat and didn’t really have any basis to develop. It was kind of a second thought for a romance subplot. I would’ve also liked to see more healing between Julia and Ellie. Julia had a different relationship with her father than Ellie did but it wasn’t discussed between the two. Everything was magically fixed between them. I also thought that once Alice’s father came forward, the story lost depth. Social services were not involved at all when he came into it and having worked with children, someone swooping in and making demands doesn’t work, especially with emotionally traumatised children. It felt very all or nothing. There was no easing Alice into a relationship with someone she didn’t know. Of course it was going to re-traumatise her. He didn’t even try to have a relationship with her when he brought her back. I think if written today, there would have been a coparenting option. I would’ve also liked to have known what exactly happened to Alice’s mother. Her body was found but we don’t know how she died by the end.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Kidnapping, Death of parent
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
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
emotional
hopeful
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
i thought the story was beautiful, the characters were very fleshed out, and the pacing was well done. it’s a slow book but the slowness feels purposeful. i think because this was an earlier book of hers, the writing style wasn’t nearly as polished and engaging as newer books of hers that i’ve read, but it still was good. you do very much need to remember that this was written in 2006 so the mental health language used is wildly outdated. overall the weakest of hers of read but still very good!
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes