Scan barcode
wogslandwriter's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Overall, I enjoyed the story and it's nuanced and less nuanced analyses of how a story is affected by the author and vice versa. Some parts were feather-light and I felt accomplished for seeing them and noticing the themes. Other parts were extremely heavy-handed and felt a little silly to read.
I think having the "real world" elements be restricted entirely to correspondence was a really smart move and really pulled the book together.
Graphic: Death, Child abuse, Blood, Violence, Grief, Toxic friendship, and Domestic abuse
Moderate: Gore, Classism, Medical content, Gun violence, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, and Sexual content
Minor: Addiction, Pandemic/Epidemic, Injury/Injury detail, Racism, Deportation, Alcohol, Child death, Sexual violence, Mental illness, and Pedophilia
One of the main characters describes and incident from their past where a younger sibling dies in an accident. Another describes a childhood incident where a beating from a parent has pedophilic overtones, but there is an intervention before anything beyond physical violence occurs.tlaynejones's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Forced institutionalization, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Racism, Vomit, Murder, Physical abuse, and Classism
Minor: Sexual violence, Torture, and Pandemic/Epidemic
palejandro'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
4.75
Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Mental illness, Domestic abuse, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Racism
librarymouse's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- 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
4.0
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Sexual content, Murder, Racism, Mental illness, Death, Gore, Blood, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Alcohol, Toxic friendship, Grief, Medical content, and Gun violence
Moderate: Addiction, Child abuse, Violence, Pedophilia, and Police brutality
tabookish's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Graphic: Murder, Gun violence, Pedophilia, Pandemic/Epidemic, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Stalking, Death of parent, Sexual violence, Mental illness, Child abuse, Death, Racism, and Sexual content
amberinpieces's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Graphic: Blood and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Medical content, Death, Cursing, Murder, and Stalking
Minor: Body horror, Classism, Racism, Addiction, Alcohol, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Sexual content, Violence, Child abuse, Drug abuse, and Gun violence
laura_keoski'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
4.75
Moderate: Forced institutionalization, Torture, Mental illness, Death, Violence, Gaslighting, Stalking, Injury/Injury detail, and Murder
Discussed in the book: COVID-19 pandemic, characters experiencing homelessness, prison incarcerationpurplepenning's review against another edition
4.0
Moderate: Classism, Blood, Gore, Grief, Mental illness, Murder, Sexual assault, Gun violence, Medical content, Stalking, Toxic friendship, Violence, Addiction, Death, Cursing, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail
madisonfrank'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? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Sexual assault, Violence, Addiction, Blood, Classism, Confinement, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Forced institutionalization, Gun violence, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Murder, and Stalking
laceystairs's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
I loved the unique way this book told multiple unrelated yet related stories.
The main focus of the book is on Freddie, an exchange student studying in Boston on a writers scholarship, and the three friends she meets in the Boston Public Library.
Freddie is an aspiring author looking for inspiration when three interesting individuals sit down at the same table. In enters Freud Girl, Heroic Chin and Handom Man. This begins the second story, being the ongoing project Freddie is inspired to write staring her new acquaintances and the chilling scream they hear in real life, which echos through out the silent halls of the historic library.
The third story being told is discovered when the reader sees that the chapters about Freddie & Co are actually the manuscript of an author who is corrisponding via email with an associate.
Soon the reader is hit with the knowledge that the murder mystery within Freddie's world is not going to be solved easily. And the goings on outside of the manuscript is a wonderful example of live mirrors art (or vice versa?).
Although it's challenging to explain to people (I have several times) this story is fun and easy to follow between plot lines.
The characters and writing style were so interesting and I can't stop (trying to) tell people about this book. A great thriller/mystery.
Moderate: Addiction, Blood, Mental illness, Sexual assault, Violence, and Death