Reviews

Mister Pip by Lloyd Jones

thesluggishreader's review against another edition

dark emotional sad medium-paced

4.5

eliza_beth1's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense 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

5.0

karenluvstoread's review against another edition

5.0

Oh my y'all! This book was so good! It was wonderfully written yet also brutal to read at times. 

The story is set in Bougainville, Papua New Guinea at the time of the Bougainville Conflict. When I finished reading it, I went down a rabbit hole researching what the Bougainville Conflict was. It was a multi-year civil war in the North Solomon Islands (which is a province of Papua New Guinea) lasting from 1988-1998. According to Wikipedia:

“The conflict was described by Bougainvillean President John Momis as the largest conflict in Oceania since the end of World War II in 1945, with an estimated 15,000–20,000 Bougainvilleans dead, although lower estimates place the toll at around 1,000–2,000.” (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bougainville_conflict) 

I learned a good bit about the nature of this conflict as well as its impact on the Bougainvillians just by reading the book. Then my research gave me more details of the particulars. 

The author also helps the reader get to know the island itself through amazing descriptive writing such as:

“Bougainville is one of the most fertile places on earth. Drop a seed in the soil and three months later it is a plant with shiny green leaves. Another three months and you are picking its fruit. But for a machete, we would have no land of our own. Left alone the bush would march down the steep hillsides and bury our villages in flower and vine.” 
(p. 14-15)

“There are days when the humidity rises and rises and gets heavier and heavier until, at last, it bursts. The rain falls and you breathe again.” (p. 94)

This novel is about community, culture, and relationships; but it’s also about the power of books and reading as well as the power of imagination. And yes, Dickens' classic novel Great Expectations is a major part of the story. 

Mister Pip is a book that is hard to read at times; but it's such a powerful story! It was a solid 5 star read!

 

alidottie's review against another edition

4.0

It is hard to explain this book. It is a beautiful story in the midst of a horrific civil war. It is at times shocking, confusing and troubling and at the end I still have questions, but there's just something special about it that makes it a 4 star book.

anovelobsession's review against another edition

3.0

This was an interesting story and I enjoyed it. I read other reviews that didn't think the author did a very good job of sounding like a teenaged girl living on a Pacific island, but I thought it was written rather well. One big thing that sort of left me wondering was when Mathilda went to New Zealand to see where Mr. Watts lived - how did she know that Mr. Watts had a wife there? Maybe I missed something, but it stuck out as a big question that was never answered. What I took from the story was that way that books can transport us to something other place and time and there are characters that will be with us forever.

lecrandall's review against another edition

4.0

A sobering story about a young girl who lives on a war torn island who is taught to survive in an unusual way by an unusual teacher. She is given the gift of life from her mother twice and does not waste it.

delaneysc's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

izzyclouty's review against another edition

3.0

Was a bit repetitive at times and I am not sure I really enjoy reading a book somewhat about another book. But the rest of the content was interesting and so still a good read

hazelpalmer's review against another edition

adventurous hopeful inspiring reflective fast-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

3.0

rachylynn's review against another edition

3.0

Really liked the first 2/3 is the book. The last part of the book seemed a bit rushed to me, and parts of the book seemed kind of thrown in haphazardly instead of being woven in carefully. Overall not a bad one time read.