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jayjm94's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
This book is well written w a strong premise: young woman in a Mennonite colony comes of age after the respective departures of her sister and mom. She faces a career in a slaughterhouse if she stays with her father and graduates with her class (there is very little slaughter content blessedly.) you learn more about what could have happened to cause this family to drift apart, but if you are looking for a dramatic character arc this is not that. It’s a moment in time in a very real-feeling person’s life, specifically their internal world. It’s beautiful at times and funny others, often dark as well.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Religious bigotry, Ableism, Sexism, Misogyny, Drug use, Mental illness, Abandonment, and Grief
Moderate: Sexual content, Alcohol, Death, Drug use, Medical content, and Ableism
abbruzzese's review against another edition
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
There’s no other place to be. This world is good enough for you because it has to be. Go ahead and love it.
It’s hard to know what to do with your emptiness when you’re not supposed to have emptiness.
I can't help but think of the good times we're having now as being painful memories later on.
YET ANOTHER WINNER FROM MIRIAM TOEWS!
literally my favourite author. ms. toews, i love you. i love how you write sisters. i love how you write grief, i love how you write loss, i love how you write love. i don't love how your books always make me cry so hard i start to hiccup, but i love that your books make me feel something so strongly that i cry so hard i start to hiccup.
i don't like books centered on religion, and i don't like books with rural settings. but i love this book, which has both of those things, and i also love irma voth, which has both those things, too.
nomi is one of those characters that i end up feeling so fondly for. i grew soft for her, and for ray, and the enigmatic trudie, and even tash because i am physically incapable of liking one sister but not the other.
the only thing i did not enjoy about this book is how open-ended the ending was. too many unanswered questions for me, even if it makes sense in terms of nomi and her life. i liked irma voth because i knew the girls would be okay, but it's harder for me to picture nomi finding that kind of peace. i need to know for sure that they'll be together again. i need to be guaranteed happiness.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Abandonment, and Drug use
Moderate: Death, Grief, and Medical trauma
Minor: Sexual content, Mental illness, and Infidelity
gabeanselmo's review
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicide, Death, and Abandonment
Minor: Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Medical trauma, and Forced institutionalization
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