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egrupenhoff's review against another edition
- 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
Moderate: Racism, Gun violence, Racial slurs, Abandonment, Death of parent, Death, Hate crime, and Suicide
Minor: Panic attacks/disorders, Police brutality, Bullying, Cursing, and Blood
hannahes0423's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Abandonment, Violence, Police brutality, Grief, Child abuse, Suicide, Racism, and Death of parent
ryleee's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
I feel like some readers may think that Lily is written in an unrealistic way for a 14-year-old girl, and that may be true. Certainly in parts she displays a lot of maturity and insight that probably isn’t typical for a teenager, even one with her background. But I prefer young characters to be written in this way. I think it helps us as adults to go back and think about why we had a lot of those feelings as teenagers, and helps us to connect with younger characters. This is a fine line and even at some points in this book I found myself distracted by Lily’s self-reflection. For the book club - I feel like Lola and Lily are two sides of the same coin. Lola was extremely self-assured but lacked insight, whereas Lily spends a lot of the time feeling confused or wrong, but probably thinks a little too much about it. Both girls are discovering their identity and both of them are on the run!
I think the story did get lost/stuck in a few places. The third quarter of the book felt a bit stagnant, and there were a few little sub-plots that were good to read but I feel they could’ve been woven into the overall story a little better
As for the ending, I do wish it was a little clearer why T Ray was the way he was. I suppose that the author wanted us to infer or project onto him, but as a character that I couldn’t really relate to, I didn’t know whether to feel sorry for him or just dislike him. But out of caution I think I’ll dislike him.
2001 seems like not that long ago but it was certainly a different time for literature! Despite potentially being historically accurate, I did find the slurs quite jarring, so thankfully there wasn’t too many. The themes of racism and segregation would probably be challenging for POC to read.
Overall, I thought this was a good read. I would recommend it to people looking for a good story, set in an interesting time and place, that isn’t overly existential or difficult to follow.
Graphic: Police brutality, Suicide, Death of parent, Gun violence, Hate crime, Racism, and Racial slurs
Moderate: Slavery, Colonisation, and Abandonment
Minor: Pregnancy
leisurelyloner's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Moderate: Abandonment, Child abuse, Death of parent, Racism, and Mental illness
sarkenobi's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Racism, Racial slurs, Suicide, Child abuse, and Death of parent
bmpicc's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
"I laid my head on his shoulder and wondered how he could stand me. In one short morning I had exhibited insane laughter, hidden lust, pissy behavior, self-pity, and hysterical crying. If I'd been trying to show him my worst sides, I could not have done a better job than this."
Graphic: Racial slurs, Violence, Suicide, and Racism
shesun's review against another edition
- 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
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Police brutality, Death of parent, Racial slurs, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Racism, Grief, and Child abuse
Minor: Blood and Misogyny
alexmall029's review against another edition
4.0
Moderate: Death, Racial slurs, and Racism
mlykins's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Racial slurs, Physical abuse, Abandonment, Suicide, Grief, Racism, Emotional abuse, and Death
palmsygal's review against another edition
3.5
I would like to say that Sue Monk Kidd’s writing style is something I liked a lot: her use of bee facts at the start of each chapter resonated with me as I was able to relate a lot of that chapter’s unfolding to that small piece of knowledge. She uses simple imagery and metaphors, and yet they paint a picture you can see vividly. I always engage more with books that I can see in my mind fully, and I couldn’t stop myself from using her words to have a clear view in my mind of what she was telling.
Reading this book for March was perfect, due to Mothers Day. I have read a review recently that pointed out this book’s main point and focus is on mothers, and I could not agree more. Throughout Lily’s life so far, she holds guilt towards her mother’s death and always ponders on what could have been (in her early life when she was still alive and in present day where she should have been). We also see Rosaleen, a worker for Lily and her father, who holds another load of mothering qualities - she cares for Lily as if her own daughter, advises her as a mother would do, and shows love and compassion throughout. With Lily’s own doings, we see this reflected back as a daughter would do, as she continuously protects her, looks to her for guidance, and quite simply loves her back. The Boatwright sisters are just another example, with August providing the utmost mothering care, May providing both the laughter and empathy a mother should share with her daughter, and June providing the carefulness and stern attitude that a mother must sometimes have.
There is so much love in this book, which is what I wanted to focus on in this review. We, of course, have to mention this tale provides context into racism in that era and shows a true replica of how people were treated in those days - I am glad Lily was not portrayed as totally innocent in this, as she has grown up in this world and has had to tackle her own naivety and privileged opinions. I commend the author for this, as I feel it is sometimes easy for their own main characters to be seen as perfect and can do no wrong.
Overall, this is a story I recommend reading for all. The only thing I wished for is more detail to some things
Graphic: Racism, Suicide, and Violence