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naomihaller's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
slow-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
4.5
kind_taylor's review
dark
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
0.5
faeofpotions's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- 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
4.75
drsldn's review against another edition
4.0
When I started this book I wondered if I would be able to finish it, but its brilliance lies in the the emotional growth of the narrator: a man who is, in the words of one of his lovers a "two-by-four" with no real life to speak of at the beginning, and the centre of a warm, loving, flawed "family" at the end. The dis-connect never entirely left, which partly arises I think from not being sure if life for some people in America really is like this - I was watching Girls at the same time and it had the same tone. Parts of the story (bringing in the Israeli arms-dealer from the open prison in the woods with choc-chip cookies and the fbi for example) exacerbated this. But the chapter set in Kwazulu-Natal and the fact that is it never explicitly underlined that this person learning to be a good homemaker is a middle-aged man balance out the bits I found boring. I am intrigued to read more of this author.
sailor_marmar's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
annrhub's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
slow-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? Yes
4.75
bookstew's review against another edition
dark
funny
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
vsprowls's review against another edition
dark
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
vanessazenz's review against another edition
dark
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
nuscheda's review against another edition
2.0
Unreadably bleak. I acknowledge her talents but man, she must be absolutely no fun at cocktail parties.