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line's review against another edition
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? Yes
5.0
amarettto's review against another edition
5.0
Would definitely love to see a TV or movie adaptation of this book. It's an interesting concept, though I couldn't quite imagine visually what the main characters might have looked like, and for a book based pretty heavily on appearance, I think that's important. Nevertheless, I appreciated the character development and narration around the struggles each one went through, felt the yearning of one sister for another, and the feeling (on the part of multiple characters) of being unable to perfect the art of belonging.
Saddening in many ways, but also so very real. You don't choose the way you are born, and as the book says, sometimes being 'one-of-a-kind' can make you feel lonely instead of special.
Saddening in many ways, but also so very real. You don't choose the way you are born, and as the book says, sometimes being 'one-of-a-kind' can make you feel lonely instead of special.
eggin011's review against another edition
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
2.0
tatish's review against another edition
5.0
This book left me full of thoughts... enjoyed it.
I especially loved Jude's character
I especially loved Jude's character
serendipity730's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
phoeberach's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- 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
4.75
imaginefishes's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- 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
5.0
The book delves into topics of racism and racial segregation, but my main takeaway from the story was about one's desire and attractedness to the possibility of change and metamorphosis. I deeply enjoyed the writing style and characterisation used in the story, and as the separate stories of each individual began to intertwine with each other, culminating in a grand intersection in the final few chapters, I teared up a little. Strangely enough, what stuck out to me most were the parents of the twins, and the two very different deaths they experienced, one more violent and the other more melancholic . I find this book, although fictive and possibly a little unrealistic, reflects well our human desires to be something more, or even to be someone else. I'm glad the book ended the way it did.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Grief, Hate crime, Murder, and Death of parent
Moderate: Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Dementia, Domestic abuse, Abandonment, and Gaslighting
Minor: Dysphoria and Bullying
chanidev's review against another edition
5.0
Identical twins Stella and Desiree grow up in a small, deep south town obsessed with light skin. When they run away as teenagers, they start to drift apart. One continues to live her life as white, with a white family, kids, neighborhood, life. The other continues living as Black, marrying "the darkest man she could find." As a result, the twins' respective daughter (cousins to each other) look nothing alike.
In a story that spans decades and many cultures in America through space and time, we follow the four main characters through their lives and identities.
Amazing prose, had me crying by the end!
https://ucplbookchallenge.blogspot.com/2024/04/the-vanishing-half.html
In a story that spans decades and many cultures in America through space and time, we follow the four main characters through their lives and identities.
Amazing prose, had me crying by the end!
https://ucplbookchallenge.blogspot.com/2024/04/the-vanishing-half.html