Scan barcode
morvern1058's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
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
onajourney's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.5
lorus's review against another edition
challenging
mysterious
reflective
slow-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
dei2dei's review against another edition
3.0
A little trippy - and proof that you should read every.single.line. when you're reading, because if you miss a phrase, a paragraph -
You're left wondering what just happened.
You're left wondering what just happened.
tiltingwindward's review against another edition
2.0
I can't say I loved this one, although I generally enjoy Ekaterina Sedia's books. I just didn't feel like any of the characters became real people, which made it hard to dive into their challenges or connect with their emotional struggles. Every time I started to feel like I was slipping into the story, another bizarre thing would happen, often without much set-up, that threw me out again. I liked the themes of finding oneself through an exploration of one's past (history and personal choices), I liked the idea of the main character's feeling of disconnection becoming a tangible challenge, and I liked the lens of experiencing this through the perspective of both immigrants and people born Americans. I loved the use of Zimbabwean (and other African) folklore. But nothing felt sufficiently real or sufficiently dreamlike to ultimately make an enjoyable story.
liszante's review against another edition
5.0
This book was everything I wanted. The power of stories and dreams, the relationships among mothers and daughters, beautiful writing, folklore--Read this book.
etchlings's review against another edition
5.0
This was beautiful and bizarre and full of the best kind of personal growth. Also, as dreamlike and weird as it begins, I fell into the flow halfway through, or perhaps the narrative came into focus and Sedia's language evolved into something more concrete than I usually feel with her books. Run-on sentences aside, I love this one.
magneticcrow's review
5.0
Lovely and odd in a submerged, dreamlike way. Sedia did a great job on the characterization, setting up Vimbai and Maya's personal struggles to work counter and in line with one another, and with the dream-enemies within the house.
It reminded me a lot of Helen Oyeyemi's 'The Opposite House', which is of course a good thing.
It reminded me a lot of Helen Oyeyemi's 'The Opposite House', which is of course a good thing.