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lexcellent's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Bullying, Cancer, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Homophobia, Infertility, Infidelity, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, Blood, Vomit, Police brutality, Antisemitism, Medical content, Dementia, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Abortion, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Outing, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
clarezillaa's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Alcoholism, Child death, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Blood, Police brutality, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Murder, Pregnancy, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and War
Moderate: Addiction and Death of parent
Minor: Gun violence, Homophobia, Mental illness, Suicide, Antisemitism, and Outing
scifipunk's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Grief
Moderate: Death, Infidelity, Rape, Medical trauma, Alcohol, and War
Minor: Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Homophobia, Infertility, Suicide, Antisemitism, Dementia, Abortion, Suicide attempt, Murder, Pregnancy, and Deportation
Note that all minor warnings refer to usually less than a page of content, not explicit and are easy to skim or skip. Grief is not particularly explicit, only tagged as major because it is a recurring theme for several characters. Alcohol (and alcohol abuse) is mentioned several times with different characters, including as response to trauma, but not explicit. Death is never explicit, but given that the novel takes place within 107 years, to be expected. Medical trauma refers to a long scene early in Kitty’s part of the book, which involves a traumatic encounter with the soviet secret service. Can be easily skipped, as consequences are addressed later on. Several wars are mentioned, multiple characters experience a traumatic rape, though most of both happens off-screen or is somewhat censored by the narrator.aemulatio's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Bullying, Child death, Death, Miscarriage, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, Torture, Antisemitism, Grief, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, and War
atiaijaz's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
5.0
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Rape, Self harm, and Murder
Moderate: Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, and Blood
Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, Death, Antisemitism, Abortion, Death of parent, and Alcohol
katt's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Rape, Violence, Grief, and War
Moderate: Suicide
Minor: Homophobia and Antisemitism
sherbertwells's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
“Despite my years of struggling both for and with this country, I have not managed to replace it, to drive it out of me like an evil spirit that beset me. No ritual purification, no repression mechanism has yet been of any assistance. Because everywhere I went, travelling further and further from my country, I was searching for the squandered, scattered, wasted, unused love I’d left behind” (10)
“For Daria and me, the Soviet Union meant: constant funeral marches and processions as aged gentlemen of the Communist Party were carried to their graves; carnations everywhere, macabre spectacles broadcast on all the television channels. For us, the Soviet Union meant: endless summer camps, Pioneer neckerchiefs. Tea plantations, apiaries, and kolkoɀes. White knee-socks from China, tapestries of hunting scenes on the walls, Mishka Na Severe chocolates, and Lagidze’s tarragon lemonade. Our grandfather’s GAZ-13, the brightly coloured blocks of Plasticine with the frog on them, yellow Krya-Krya children’s shampoo, Grandfather’s Start shaving cream, the talcum powder in the bathroom cabinet with the cat’s head on the pot, which we weren’t allowed to use. Hygiene body lotion and Stasia’s Red Moscow perfume, which smelled of old people and was enough to give you a headache. The odorless brown bath-soap that was actually called ‘Bath Soap’” (631)
“Live through all wars. Cross all borders. To you I dedicate all gods and all rosaries, all burnings, all decapitated hopes, all stories. Break through them. Because you have the means to do it, Brilka. The eight—remember it. All of us will always be interwoven in this number and will always be able to listen to each other, down through the centuries” (6)
Graphic: Alcoholism, Gun violence, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Torture, Toxic relationship, Medical content, Mass/school shootings, Medical trauma, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Addiction, Cancer, Child abuse, Homophobia, Infertility, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Sexism, Religious bigotry, and Abortion
Minor: Fatphobia, Antisemitism, and Cannibalism