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susanm_82's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Rape and Alcohol
Moderate: Death of parent
brittneyn125's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Moderate: Rape, Cancer, Death of parent, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Drug use
monalyisha's review against another edition
3.5
The Great Offshore Grounds is one of those books that I wish I'd read in a college course, alongside a professor to guide me through deep dives and toward relevant research. I think the text would be enhanced by learning more about environmental activism, tall ships, the free love movement, and more. I simply didn't have the drive (or the time, quite honestly) to do the research on my own. There's some great writing here. I wish it'd been presented a bit differently, perhaps as interconnected short stories or a slimmer novel.
Moderate: Rape
celiab1'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
4.25
Graphic: Death, Cancer, and Rape
dominicangirl's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Minor: Rape
parnellek's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I really enjoyed this book, but felt like I wasn’t smart enough for it.
Moderate: Rape, Pregnancy, Death of parent, Cancer, Terminal illness, Suicidal thoughts, and Sexual assault
katrinasherise's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Moderate: Rape, Cancer, Terminal illness, Drug use, and Death of parent
Minor: Addiction, Alcohol, and Alcoholism
kristenhg's review against another edition
- 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: Rape, Cancer, Terminal illness, Sexual assault, Grief, and Death of parent
Minor: Child death and Gun violence
knkoch's review against another edition
- 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
It’s a big, sprawling family epic, a quest, a tale, but in the most modern sense. These people are so deeply grounded (even ground down) in their time. They live on the margins and scrape to get by. And yet they are connected to the past: the often but not always ugly past of this country, and of the world. This is a book of colonial possession and individual freedom; national and personal myth.
It’s big and it’s hard and could be triggering (see content warnings), but for me at this moment, it was really worth it. I felt really seen in this and the way the author writes about desperation, pain, failure, and hope. There’s a playlist on Spotify under the book’s title that runs in similar moods.
I’ve been worried lately that I’m not thinking about what I’m reading deeply enough, or that I’m missing things. This was a reminder (a call to arms) to set my own terms, and live by my own decisions. That doesn’t mean there are no consequences. It means only that I’m free.
Graphic: Rape
Moderate: Terminal illness
physalia's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Moderate: Child death and Rape