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sarahbee_'s review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug use, Death, Addiction, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Abortion
Minor: Blood
ppppaula's review against another edition
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
Kate Atkinson can do no wrong! Another cleverly written story with memorable characters in a great setting (1920s London). Think nightclubs, gangs, runaway teens, a wily family matriarch, detectives, and a cast of strong characters.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Abortion, Murder, Addiction, and Alcohol
znvisser's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- 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? Yes
4.25
This was fun! Lots going on, many characters including intelligent dogs (love it), and then women and girls everywhere following their dreams and outsmarting men. Early on my brain made a Peaky Blinders comparison and honestly, I held on to it because it helped me with the setting as I don't recall having read a lot of fiction from this time period before. I was however a bit disappointed by Niven's character, who was introduced interestingly (e.g. as a relative outsider to his family, coming back from the war) but his character fell flat fast and these promises from the start didn't really get thoroughly explored. I do understand it's hard to have so many characters and have them all be layered and pronounced, but the author succeeded in this far better for the women (and policemen?) in this story. However, I am not going to complain any more about that, because we all know there are more than enough books out there where women are prone to this fate. I loved how the author used perspective changes and timelines to play with the reader's perspective. In part due to it, the plot wasn't as mysterious as the setting, with many easter eggs and predictable turns and events , and a slightly unsurprising moral along the lines of "the bad people are not as bad as they seem, and certainly not as bad as the people who are supposed or appear to be doing better" . But to me there was some playfulness to the predictability and I rather enjoyed it, moreover because I am not particularly looking to be misled in my reading. Anyway - fun! Might pick up some more historical fiction from this time period.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical content, Murder, Police brutality, Death, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Infidelity, Child abuse, War, and Addiction
Minor: Abandonment, Suicide, and Kidnapping
ssmylie's review
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- 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
3.0
I loved a few characters and wanted to see them win or get to a bring resolution... but it landed flat at the end for me.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death, War, Sexual assault, Sexism, Addiction, Death, and Alcoholism
geekmom's review
dark
funny
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
I will read anything that Kate Atkinson writes, and this was certainly well-written, but I'm not sure it worked for me. That's okay, though, it was interesting and enjoyable and not every book has to be 5 stars.
..Maybe I just really want more Jackson Brodie and am just sad that this book isn't that?
..Maybe I just really want more Jackson Brodie and am just sad that this book isn't that?
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Violence, and Addiction
Moderate: Torture, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Xenophobia
chelsaat's review
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- 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
3.5
“Justice should be swift, not slow. It should be a knife in the heart.”
I adore Kate Atkinson, I adore 1920s glitter and gossip. Can’t go wrong with a crime family, too. So overall I mostly adored this.
My main issue is that there are a LOT of characters, and it takes this book a while to get going because Atkinson introduces you to everyone’s backstory before really taking off with the plot. But once the plot and mysteries finally revealed themselves, I was all in.
The ending was a little TOO devastating for my personal tastes, but I can’t deny it all came together quite deftly. Don’t mess with Ma Coker. At least until the next war begins.
Thanks to NetGalley and Doubleday Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I adore Kate Atkinson, I adore 1920s glitter and gossip. Can’t go wrong with a crime family, too. So overall I mostly adored this.
My main issue is that there are a LOT of characters, and it takes this book a while to get going because Atkinson introduces you to everyone’s backstory before really taking off with the plot. But once the plot and mysteries finally revealed themselves, I was all in.
The ending was a little TOO devastating for my personal tastes, but I can’t deny it all came together quite deftly. Don’t mess with Ma Coker. At least until the next war begins.
Thanks to NetGalley and Doubleday Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Drug abuse, Addiction, and Trafficking
Moderate: Violence and Abortion
Minor: Fatphobia
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