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4.31 AVERAGE
4.31 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
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
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
sad
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
One of my new favorite books. Sooo wonderful and heartwarming.
Content warnings for mentions of suicide, drug/alcohol use, parental abandonment, loss of a child, and eviction.
This book is knocked down to four stars almost entirely because of the blurb. The mystery is a minor and not very compelling part of this book that interferes with the primary theme of finding your place and community in the world, especially when dealing with grief that those around you haven't had to deal with. The character descriptions and voice, especially of the main character (Tova) are amazing and atmospheric. I appreciate that she has a host of traits that might be described as mental illness in other works (she compulsively cleans and is scared of the freeway, for example), but they're treated as a completely normal part of who she is and not something that she feels the need to manage or fix.
I would have preferred less mystery and tension and more exploration of what happens between the final chapter and the epilogue, but for what appears to be Van Pelt's debut novel, it is excellent. Hopefully if she writes another, she can lean more into her talent for the literary without the requirement to add artificial suspense.
This book is knocked down to four stars almost entirely because of the blurb. The mystery is a minor and not very compelling part of this book that interferes with the primary theme of finding your place and community in the world, especially when dealing with grief that those around you haven't had to deal with. The character descriptions and voice, especially of the main character (Tova) are amazing and atmospheric. I appreciate that she has a host of traits that might be described as mental illness in other works (she compulsively cleans and is scared of the freeway, for example), but they're treated as a completely normal part of who she is and not something that she feels the need to manage or fix.
I would have preferred less mystery and tension and more exploration of what happens between the final chapter and the epilogue, but for what appears to be Van Pelt's debut novel, it is excellent. Hopefully if she writes another, she can lean more into her talent for the literary without the requirement to add artificial suspense.
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
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:
Complicated
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Loved this book. Just what I felt like reading. The Octopus was fabulous & so funny, I especially loved having different main characters (octopus, elderly women and young man). Beautiful read.
this was a truly enjoyable read. while slow paced at times, i was attached to the characters and nothing ever felt too high stakes while still keeping me entertained. would definitely reccomend
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Loved this book. It's heartwarming, charming and an overall lovely read. By the end I was very attached to the characters.
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes