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haley49's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
informative
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Masterfully done work that encapsulates a range of characters from all walks of life in colonial Southern Asia from Indians and Bengalis of various castes to Europeans and Americans, both men and women. I loved all the perspectives and how well they illustrated life in this period. My main issue was that perspectives and names were hard to grasp in an audio format as someone who is not South Asian. I would recommend looking up how the names are spelled to better visualize their pronunciation if you’re like me and struggle with that. Also, it takes a minute to notice perspective swaps because they aren’t organized by chapter and jump around a bit. Check trigger warnings, too; just because sometimes the book feels like a normal adventure and sometimes it veers to violent and/or graphic depictions of various historical realities.
Graphic: Sexual violence, Drug use, Racism, Excrement, Rape, Colonisation, Misogyny, Sexual assault, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Grief, Hate crime, Xenophobia, Sexual harassment, Slavery, Ableism, Gore, Physical abuse, Body horror, Racial slurs, Pregnancy, Religious bigotry, Sexual violence, Cursing, Drug abuse, Murder, Addiction, Blood, Vomit, Trafficking, Violence, Classism, Death, Torture, and Sexual assault
Minor: Terminal illness, Pedophilia, Self harm, and War
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