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uhtceara's review
Graphic: Domestic abuse
Moderate: Murder, Antisemitism, and Child abuse
sauvageloup's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
pros:
- the prose and imagery is definitely it's strongest point. as one of the reviewers says, the scenes from the blitz in London are very vivid in my mind, as well as Ursula's awful time in london. and made me realise how truly awful it was for everyone - anyone who compares covid to the world wars has no idea.
- the characters were also wonderfully done, they were all imperfect but well rounded and unique, especially Sylvie, Ursula herself and the rest of the family.
- the idea itself is brilliant, and very well executed, with Ursula's slow realisation of what was happening and how the plots all came together.
- though many references went over my head, I did enjoy the classical and cultural nods where I recognised them.
cons:
-there were a lot of characters and storylines and it was confusing at times, especially because I had a break in the middle. but that added the palimpsest it was creating.
- I found the ending strange and unpoignant, though Atkinson's note at the end helped with this.
overall, very vivid and moving and I want to read more books by her in the future.
Graphic: Child death, Domestic abuse, Genocide, Pregnancy, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, Abandonment, Abortion, Grief, Vomit, Body horror, Death, Gore, War, Violence, Suicide, Alcohol, Antisemitism, Forced institutionalization, Gun violence, Hate crime, Miscarriage, Sexual assault, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, Sexual content, and Rape
ecstaticlistening's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Moderate: Abortion, Colonisation, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Alcoholism, Antisemitism, Blood, Death, Pedophilia, Sexual content, Vomit, Animal death, Child death, Domestic abuse, Grief, Gun violence, Violence, Fire/Fire injury, Genocide, Murder, Sexual harassment, Suicidal thoughts, Gore, Hate crime, Infidelity, Rape, Xenophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexism, Sexual assault, Suicide, and War
ebaer's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Moderate: Abortion, Animal death, Antisemitism, Child death, Domestic abuse, Genocide, Racism, and Rape
superbowl's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Blood and Abortion
Moderate: Sexual assault, Rape, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Antisemitism, Child death, Genocide, Gore, Grief, Infidelity, Mental illness, Murder, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Suicide attempt
jowmy4's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Graphic: Abortion, Addiction, Alcoholism, Blood, Body horror, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Grief, Gun violence, Medical trauma, Murder, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, Toxic relationship, and Violence
Moderate: Antisemitism, Death of parent, Genocide, Hate crime, Infidelity, Medical content, Mental illness, Misogyny, Racism, Sexism, Sexual content, Stalking, Suicidal thoughts, and Xenophobia
Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body shaming, Excrement, Fatphobia, Homophobia, Racial slurs, Religious bigotry, and Vomit
Parts of this book are set during the Spanish flu, the London Blitz, the Bombing of Berlin and the German Third Reich, and feature the expected horrors of each setting. However, I think part of the point of the book is to say that tragedies, horrors and other malign things happen all the time, even outside of these big events and even in seemingly-idyllic and safe locations.