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lukhanyoreadthis's review against another edition
informative
reflective
tense
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
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Islamophobia, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Racism, and Sexual assault
matmatmatty's review
challenging
emotional
inspiring
reflective
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? N/A
5.0
For anyone reading this review to find out if they should read it, please PLEASE check out the CW/TW beforehand! Those scenes are written so beautifully and they aren't graphic but were still very emotional.
I am honestly a little speechless after reading this.
I've had this book on my shelf for a while, and had a lot of people suggest it to me, but only recently got around to reading it.
This is such an important story that I really cannot recommend more. I wish I had read it earlier and had the opportunity to take in what I took from it then.
This story follows 12 separate characters and their story of self discovery and finding themselves. Some of these stories are within a couple of years, some over entire lifetimes. They are all unique and feel so real.
All of these stories are connected, in different ways, and you get to hear about characters from multiple perspectives (including their own) which gives them a greater depth (I also got to think about how we can be our own unreliable narrator for ourselves and those around us)
Evaristo's writing style might not be for everyone - it's very poetic and not structured like a "typical" writer but if that's a barrier for you, I would really try to overcome it because this book is so worth it.
I am honestly a little speechless after reading this.
I've had this book on my shelf for a while, and had a lot of people suggest it to me, but only recently got around to reading it.
This is such an important story that I really cannot recommend more. I wish I had read it earlier and had the opportunity to take in what I took from it then.
This story follows 12 separate characters and their story of self discovery and finding themselves. Some of these stories are within a couple of years, some over entire lifetimes. They are all unique and feel so real.
All of these stories are connected, in different ways, and you get to hear about characters from multiple perspectives (including their own) which gives them a greater depth (I also got to think about how we can be our own unreliable narrator for ourselves and those around us)
Evaristo's writing style might not be for everyone - it's very poetic and not structured like a "typical" writer but if that's a barrier for you, I would really try to overcome it because this book is so worth it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Death, Toxic relationship, Sexual assault, Death of parent, and Child death
Moderate: Homophobia, Infidelity, Racism, Transphobia, and Misogyny
Minor: Drug use and Miscarriage
charley0796's review against another edition
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
A collection of short stories about women and non binary individuals. The author does a great job of interweaving all the stories, so characters overlap and yet are entirely different. It explores themes of transgender, domestic violence, feminism and race in such a reflective way of just living. She makes the narrators more than the sum of their world roles and really showcases such a wide range of women - they’re never perfect and always human.
But, I never adjusted to the lack of full stops, I just couldn’t cope. As all the characters were mentioned in seemingly disjointed order, I also struggled to connect and found my interest waning towards the end until a plot line came full circle.
So 3.75/5 it is from me.
But, I never adjusted to the lack of full stops, I just couldn’t cope. As all the characters were mentioned in seemingly disjointed order, I also struggled to connect and found my interest waning towards the end until a plot line came full circle.
So 3.75/5 it is from me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse
Moderate: Violence, Racial slurs, Racism, and Sexual violence
alexashabit'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? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Racism, and Rape
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Homophobia, and Transphobia
lucyhicks's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I really wanted to love this book and there was so much that was great about it. Each character’s story was poignant and striking, and I loved the way they were all intertwined. My problem was that I just couldn’t quite bring myself to care deeply enough about any of them. Maybe that’s part and parcel of having that many characters, but I found their stories less powerful because I wasn’t truly invested in them as people. This varied from person to person, and some characters evoked more emotion than others, but I wish there had been fewer characters and more plot overall.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Sexual assault, and Sexual content
Moderate: Child abuse, Classism, Toxic relationship, Death, Toxic friendship, Sexual violence, Rape, Racism, Pregnancy, Misogyny, and Homophobia
secre's review against another edition
informative
reflective
slow-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? Yes
2.5
Part of my mediocre rating for this is down to the formatting and style, and I fully recognise that may be a me problem. Hence why it's a three star rating and not any lower, because the bones behind the stylistic choices are good. I just struggled to engage with them as well I perhaps could have.
My main issue is the narrative structure, where the over-arching narrative is told through a series of shorts, skipping between characters and almost always introducing new characters, many of whom have tenuous links to previously referenced ones. They weren't necessarily chronological, so you'd have to place yourself in time as well as place. Every single skip, I had to force myself to mind plot who this person was in relation to everyone else - or at least somebody else. Every single skip, I had to re-orientate myself and that was exhausting to read. There were so many characters and many of them introduced by different names depending on who was talking that keeping the mental mind map made it a tedious exercise. My second issue was the formatting choice. Almost like poetry, but not poetry. Lines of text with no capitalisation or punctuation. Maybe I'm just a conservative reader, but I struggled to engage.
Each of the twelve chapters takes on a different perspective, all showing a variety of women, mostly black and British but from a variety of backgrounds, as they find their place in the world. There's a complete range of characters here and I did find that Evaristo captured the different voices well. There were some odd choices like a mother wanting to caress her daughter's partners balls almost the first time she meets him, but I suppose there's all sorts out there. Evaristo captures different time periods and scenes; from the elderly farming couple to the distinctly promiscuous lesbian scene. The links between characters can be overt or tenuous, which can make it difficult to track where the link is though.
It's got good bones to it, but the use of so many inter-linked characters let it down for me. It would have been better had Evaristo focussed more closely on three or four of the characters, using the others within their chapters rather than set on their own. It needed more meat on the bones to really work for me and it couldn't do that when it was skipping between so many different elements, particularly when some of them were so loosely connected. There were some characters I actively connected with, others I didn't and others I found myself mildly grossed out by; I'll reference back to the balls reference earlier. All in all, an interesting piece, but not one for me.
My main issue is the narrative structure, where the over-arching narrative is told through a series of shorts, skipping between characters and almost always introducing new characters, many of whom have tenuous links to previously referenced ones. They weren't necessarily chronological, so you'd have to place yourself in time as well as place. Every single skip, I had to force myself to mind plot who this person was in relation to everyone else - or at least somebody else. Every single skip, I had to re-orientate myself and that was exhausting to read. There were so many characters and many of them introduced by different names depending on who was talking that keeping the mental mind map made it a tedious exercise. My second issue was the formatting choice. Almost like poetry, but not poetry. Lines of text with no capitalisation or punctuation. Maybe I'm just a conservative reader, but I struggled to engage.
Each of the twelve chapters takes on a different perspective, all showing a variety of women, mostly black and British but from a variety of backgrounds, as they find their place in the world. There's a complete range of characters here and I did find that Evaristo captured the different voices well. There were some odd choices like a mother wanting to caress her daughter's partners balls almost the first time she meets him, but I suppose there's all sorts out there. Evaristo captures different time periods and scenes; from the elderly farming couple to the distinctly promiscuous lesbian scene. The links between characters can be overt or tenuous, which can make it difficult to track where the link is though.
It's got good bones to it, but the use of so many inter-linked characters let it down for me. It would have been better had Evaristo focussed more closely on three or four of the characters, using the others within their chapters rather than set on their own. It needed more meat on the bones to really work for me and it couldn't do that when it was skipping between so many different elements, particularly when some of them were so loosely connected. There were some characters I actively connected with, others I didn't and others I found myself mildly grossed out by; I'll reference back to the balls reference earlier. All in all, an interesting piece, but not one for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism and Domestic abuse
Moderate: Rape
ellxnmcgrxth's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Read in one night, it's very moreish
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Racism, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Slavery, Alcohol, Grief, Infidelity, Addiction, Child abuse, Classism, Colonisation, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Homophobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Pregnancy, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Stalking, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Body horror, Emotional abuse, Murder, Alcoholism, Lesbophobia, Miscarriage, Eating disorder, Hate crime, Mental illness, Rape, Suicide attempt, Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Racial slurs, and Suicide
bites_of_books's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-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? It's complicated
5.0
I loved this book. I thoroughly enjoy a book when it makes me think and pushes me to put it all together. Here we follow the stories of multiple Black women living in the UK, some from birth to their later years. It is told in a very peculiar style, which for me called back the way we remember stories from long ago and/or the way we recall our own memories, with only certain parts standing out in our memory while others are very vague.
This book is full of really difficult topics, from abuse, abandonment, racism, bigotry, etc., and it is also full of a lot of heart and love between women. I loved the inclusion of trans and lesbian characters since they were the main characters in their respective stories.
I'd recommend this book if you like multigenerational stories, books where you have to do the work and piece the story together, and if you like diverse books full of conversations surrounding various aspects of feminism.
This book is full of really difficult topics, from abuse, abandonment, racism, bigotry, etc., and it is also full of a lot of heart and love between women. I loved the inclusion of trans and lesbian characters since they were the main characters in their respective stories.
I'd recommend this book if you like multigenerational stories, books where you have to do the work and piece the story together, and if you like diverse books full of conversations surrounding various aspects of feminism.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Grief, Infidelity, Lesbophobia, Physical abuse, Bullying, Body shaming, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Child death, Deadnaming, Homophobia, Infertility, Miscarriage, Rape, Sexual assault, Abandonment, Pregnancy, Sexism, Sexual harassment, Gaslighting, Child abuse, Racism, and Toxic relationship
emilia___'s review
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- 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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs
Moderate: Sexual assault, Racism, and Miscarriage
Minor: Misogyny
lenerisreading's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
inspiring
reflective
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
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Racism, and Sexual harassment