138 reviews for:

The Sweet Hereafter

Russell Banks

3.74 AVERAGE

lailaeli's review against another edition

2.0

sad slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: Complicated

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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Purtroppo non mi è piaciuto. I capitoli sono tutti lunghi monologhi che dopo un po' diventano insostenibili da leggere...

bethanyl7's review against another edition

3.5

emotional sad medium-paced

anneerun's review against another edition

2.5

emotional sad

njmk's review against another edition

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On cold and snowy morning in Sam Dent New York, a school bus careens off the highway and falls into a frozen lake killing 14 children. The story is told through the eyes of four narrators---the bus driver, a parent who lost two children, the big-city lawyer and a young girl who survived. Each shares their recollections of the accident and secrets of their lives. The author draws emotion and empathy from each but no resolution making it a great book to discuss. Give this book a try---but skip the movie.

demisty's review against another edition

4.0

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I was kind of surprised how much I liked this book. It's not that it was very well written, it's not that the theme was what I'm looking for, etc. I liked this book because it had very distinctive first person narrators. Also, because it is really a novel in short stories. This book made me, a short story writer, believe that I can write a novel.

jenolsen_drph's review against another edition

3.0

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Liked the single story being told from 4 different character points of view

suzanjackson's review against another edition

3.0

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I found this book to be very depressing - it starts with a school bus crash that kills a bunch of kids in a small Adirondack town. I can appreciate that it is well-written, with in-depth insights from the perspectives of four different characters, but it was just so sad, with little to redeem it even at the end.

I read this for my book group - I'll be interested to hear what everyone else thought tonight and how much discussion it garners.

caydan_henslee's review against another edition

3.0

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

mmmkwest's review against another edition

4.0

challenging dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: No

chaseybooks's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad