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bombshellbibliophile'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
2.0
Graphic: Death, Incest, Infidelity, Rape, Sexual content, Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Child abuse, and Cursing
Not worth the read. Terrible ending. Past and present was too back and forth. Characters were utterly unlikeable. Very slow. Author has poetic descriptive writing style but when not paired with good plot and characters it’s wasted. Way too much sexual trauma, with minors at that. that don't really add more to the plot. Surprised this is a NY times and Reese’s book club rec, now I know not all endorsements of such will be to my liking.mountain_adventures's review against another edition
- 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? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Sexual content, Pregnancy, Infidelity, Cursing, Cancer, Terminal illness, Medical trauma, Rape, and Pedophilia
georgie_mb's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Let’s start with the positives: the descriptions are truly beautiful, and that honestly was a whole star in my rrating system. I could see The Paper Palace and it’s surrounding, it was a very sensory experience.
For some reason (and I don’t really know why), I got more into this in the second half than the first, and I’m wondering whether it was because I settled into the banter of the family. Possibly because it reminded me slightly of my own…
I do have some issues with it though. Firstly I don’t think it helped that the Audible narrator sounded like the female US Siri which made some of it come across as very cold. But I think even looking past that, some parts really lacked emotion, and almost came across as harsh. I found this particularly hard to swallow when it come to the really disturbing parts, so much so I had to skip forward sometimes.
I also found the storyline lacked purpose. I think with the beginning it set it up to be a completely different book to what it turned out to be, and I was left slightly disappointed by that. There just didn’t seem to be any clear direction, regardless of the varying time lines.
Graphic: Child abuse, Cancer, Child death, Cursing, Sexual assault, Death, Incest, Infidelity, and Rape
Moderate: Cancer, Terminal illness, Death of parent, Toxic relationship, and Alcohol
jade_0222'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? N/A
2.75
Graphic: Sexual assault, Rape, and Physical abuse
Moderate: Death and Cursing
Minor: Toxic relationship
jayjm94'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: Sexism, Sexual content, Violence, Rape, Sexual assault, Ableism, Blood, Cancer, Death, Infidelity, and Misogyny
Moderate: Incest, Child abuse, Child death, and Cursing
Minor: Mental illness and Murder
joey1914's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Cancer, Child abuse, Child death, Grief, Infidelity, Sexual assault, Emotional abuse, Gore, Incest, Rape, Pregnancy, Pedophilia, Infertility, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Abandonment, Animal cruelty, Cursing, Death, and Adult/minor relationship
melmelmel51'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
2.0
Graphic: Sexual assault, Rape, Toxic relationship, Death, and Child abuse
Moderate: Abandonment, Sexual content, Cursing, and Cancer
Minor: Alcohol
sweetchocolatez'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? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Graphic: Miscarriage, Infidelity, Grief, Cursing, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Rape, Incest, Fatphobia, Death, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Murder, Misogyny, and Chronic illness
Moderate: Cancer and Chronic illness
Minor: Abortion and Adult/minor relationship
sydneyreadssometimes_'s review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
Graphic: Bullying, Grief, Incest, Physical abuse, Rape, Domestic abuse, Gaslighting, Murder, Child death, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Cancer, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Child abuse, Death, and Sexual content
kfquarium's review against another edition
- 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? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Sexual harassment, Sexual assault, Cursing, Infidelity, Pedophilia, Rape, and Sexual content
Moderate: Grief, Alcohol, Cancer, Death, Terminal illness, and Incest
Minor: Blood, Bullying, and Excrement