Reviews

Lara: The Family Is Like Water by Bernardine Evaristo

hannahtheduck's review against another edition

emotional 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

3.75

Really good but a bit hard to get back into it/retain the info in between reads. I think this book, given that it’s one of Evaristo’s earliest, gives a really good insight into what’s to come in her later work in terms of both playing with form and exploring characters who are connected to each other 

ssudan's review

emotional informative medium-paced

4.5

eyoung19's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad 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

dayofrebecca's review

Love Bernardine Evaristo but I just couldn’t get into this poetry

mageofcephalo's review against another edition

4.0

Read for university.

gunidur's review

emotional 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? No

5.0

aub45's review against another edition

fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

erin_bowyer's review against another edition

adventurous challenging mysterious reflective fast-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? No

4.0

chloebethx_'s review

emotional informative inspiring reflective medium-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? Yes

5.0

rachelemm's review against another edition

4.0

Bernardine Evaristo is a rare writer in that with each book of hers you get a completely different experience. Having already enjoyed Girl, Woman, Other and Mr Loverman I came to Lara with high expectations. I enjoyed Lara but for very different reasons to why I enjoyed the other two books of hers I read. Lara is written in verse and the language is slightly more opaque than it was in the other two books. I had to go back and read some of the sections two or three times to make sure I had understood them properly. The effort was worth it, Lara is a book that I think would reward more than one read. There is plenty to uncover in this story based on Evaristo's own family history. There are issues of interracial marriage, family, race and class all handled with beautiful writing that may at times mask the sad stories being told. Lara is a wonderful read to be savoured and revisited.