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bg_oseman_fan's review against another edition
adventurous
inspiring
reflective
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
4.0
This book was an interesting kind of parable. it has plenty of moments that will stick with me for a while. i enjoyed how the author captures different point of view and didn’t let the story get so big that it couldn’t maneuver itself. the theme was really captivating.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Racial slurs, and Xenophobia
Moderate: War, Sexism, and Violence
Minor: Alcohol, Death, and Animal death
gatogato's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
(contains spoilers) right off the bat, the islamophobia, xenophobia, and the blatantly racist stereotypes of romani people were very unnecessary. for the rest of the book, i can understand why people like it so much but it feels like it’s trying too hard to be profound. it is interesting to see what lessons santiago learns abt the universe throughout the story, but when it’s in practically every line it loses its impact. also the ending when he finally reaches the great pyramids felt so rushed!! he’s spent years trying to get to this point just for it to be described in less than 7 pages out of the whole book. and his “relationship” with fatima could’ve either been expanded on a lot more or just left out entirely, there was just no depth. like y’all have known each other for two seconds what are we doing here. i really wanted to like this book more.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs, Xenophobia, War, Violence, Islamophobia, and Racism
phvntom's review against another edition
reflective
slow-paced
- 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? Yes
2.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Xenophobia, Racism, Racial slurs, and Violence
Moderate: Sexism and War
Minor: Animal death
lycheeteareads's review against another edition
adventurous
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs, Xenophobia, and Racism
Moderate: War, Sexism, and Violence
Minor: Animal death
maresuju's review against another edition
Pretty early in the book, the MC has an interaction with a woman who might be Romani (he says that she reminds him of stories of Romani people). This section is filled with racial slurs and harmful stereotypes. The MC is immediately afraid of this woman and accuses her of tricking/cheating him, with no real explanation to the reader. His internal dialogue is pretty gross during this part, too, as he clearly doesn’t think this woman has any knowledge or understanding of the world. This might be a way for him to learn about his own prejudices, I don’t know. But there was nothing in the section indicating that, and what’s portrayed is a harmful and dangerous view of Romani people. This immediately made the book a DNF for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs, Xenophobia, and Racism
Minor: Animal death
madscanread's review against another edition
adventurous
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Formatted like a classic fable, this short novel focuses on an individual’s purpose in life while simultaneously discussing the interconnectivity of all things. Like any classic, the plot is infuriatingly circular.
Content Warnings
Minor: Xenophobia, War, and Religious bigotry
rianreads's review against another edition
adventurous
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
- 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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Xenophobia and Racial slurs
avenclov's review against another edition
adventurous
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexism, Miscarriage, Xenophobia, and Racism
Minor: War
libraryfrog's review against another edition
2.5
Well, this book felt like a waste of time… I can kind of see how some people might really like it, like in the way some people really like pop psychology self help books? But it felt uncomfortably racist and sexist to me and the plot was pretty boring and every other sentence sounds like someone trying to be profound and failing to say anything original at all.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, and Xenophobia
Moderate: Sexism
poirot's review against another edition
reflective
medium-paced
- 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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs and Racism
Moderate: Sexism, Violence, and Xenophobia
Minor: Alcohol, War, Animal cruelty, and Animal death