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ivan_reads's review against another edition
dark
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
sammarcario's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- 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? Yes
5.0
crystalllite's review against another edition
5.0
If you have a place in your heart for Southern lit and horrors unknown then this book is for you. I wish I'd know about Michael McDowell when I was writing my thesis.
trcor's review against another edition
dark
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
4.5
cloudyfran's review against another edition
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore
Moderate: Racism, Rape, and Pregnancy
funnychris1981's review against another edition
slow-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
5.0
There are times when i forget that this is actually a horror novel. It feels very much like a family drama. Although there are things that happened in this book that gives me the creeps but mostly it read like a family novel.
rpradier's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
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? Yes
4.0
yelizaveta_a's review
dark
emotional
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
sad
medium-paced
- 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
5.0
angus_mckeogh's review against another edition
2.0
First thing I’ll say is wow this was long but it really is a six-novel series mashed into one. It was also my first McDowell. Supposed to be Southern Gothic in tradition. But the best I can figure is Southern Gothic means uneventful with a sprinkling of supernatural events. Not scary by any means so I wouldn’t suggest it as horror fiction which I’ll admit was kind of what I was thinking going in. Reads like a mishmash between The Shape of Water and The Thornbirds. And I’ll say it wasn’t ever terrible. The writing was good and the story was well told and linear. But I was constantly waiting for something really exciting to happen. And at 895 pages that was a long wait. Just okay. I was hoping it’d blow my socks off but alas they’re still securely on my feet.