Reviews with content warning for Fatphobia - The House in the Cerulean Sea

I loved my experience with this book. Funny, witty, compassionate and a beautiful reminder of all the good things in life. I'll return to this book and recommend it to many friends.

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ienske's review against another edition

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Rampant fat phobia and diet culture :(
Icky translation to Dutch

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fuchsiarascal's review

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emotional hopeful inspiring lighthearted relaxing 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

this was an absolute delight and I'll write a proper review in a bit but yes, absolutely wonderful and definitely recommended!

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twoweeeeks's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

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openbookheartmind's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted mysterious 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? Yes

4.5

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shanellewrites's review against another edition

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1.75

I found the characters relatively endearing, though a little flat. However, that is the best thing that I can say about this book. The fact that the "inspiration" was Canada's residential schools is deeply problematic, and I wish I had been aware of that before picking it up. I regret not doing more research beforehand.

The fatphobia in this book was also troubling. Repeatedly, comments are made about the main character's weight, including once where he says essentially (I can't remember the exact words) that it was a problem he could overcome if he tried hard enough.

The degree that a book (or other piece of media) is unproblematic does not always correspond with its value, but those issues made me feel deeply uncomfortable.

Unfortunately, even on a technical level, I also felt let down. The setting was well drawn, but the story was weak, with extremely heavy-handed and forceful application of the themes.

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pennyante's review

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adventurous hopeful medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes

3.75

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r0jona's review against another edition

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adventurous funny hopeful fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

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