Scan barcode
pheebabeeba_'s review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
The main conflict; the case of Mirabelle/ May-Ling appeared close to the halfway point of the story. It introduced one of the main themes of the story: motherhood.
The theme was very well written and thorough. Nothing about it felt black and white. Admittedly, I didn’t care for a lot of the characters views on things,(the adoption, the surrogacy)but I understood them.
Graphic: Miscarriage, Fire/Fire injury, Infertility, Xenophobia, Abortion, Abandonment, Pregnancy, Car accident, and Death
Moderate: Misogyny, Terminal illness, and Cancer
Minor: Sexual content, Vomit, and Alcohol
thesecretsapphic's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Moderate: Misogyny, Abortion, Sexism, Alcohol, Infertility, Miscarriage, Racism, Child abuse, Grief, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Classism, Death, Pregnancy, and Emotional abuse
julesloyola's review
- 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? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Abortion, Infertility, Miscarriage, Medical content, and Pregnancy
Moderate: Sexism, Racism, Misogyny, Car accident, Death, Fire/Fire injury, and Grief
cyn2hia's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Moderate: Abortion, Racism, Pregnancy, Miscarriage, and Infertility
Minor: Vomit, Medical content, and Misogyny
irene_kalo's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Minor: Abortion, Racism, Pregnancy, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Infertility, Emotional abuse, and Child abuse
theskyboi's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
As far as the book itself, I'd be doing it a disservice to not speak about the author's voice. Celeste Ng's conversational and casual tone gives readers the best combination of stream-of-consciousness and narrative story structures, blending to create a book much more concerned with universal feelings than minute details. At times, this style does prove somewhat distracting, and it tends to drift more toward the informal side of things, especially in scenes between the Richardson children and Pearl.
For a book about family and identity, the plot arranges all the characters on a playing field where each of their motivations and fears all mix in murky waters, almost dissolving any fixed boundaries between them. No one fully wants to take this first step toward bridging opposing sides because all the characters are busy trying to identify their personal desires before considering those around them. At its core, this novel is about how our family relationships can be much more fragile than we ever thought possible, and it sets this realization against the backdrop of a glimmering suburban utopia in need of serious remodeling.
Graphic: Abortion, Infertility, Medical content, and Miscarriage
Moderate: Addiction, Misogyny, Racism, and Xenophobia
Minor: Death of parent
anne311's review against another edition
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Excrement, Grief, Infertility, Kidnapping, Medical content, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Racism, Sexism, and Sexual content
Minor: Rape and Alcoholism