Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.34 AVERAGE
4.34 AVERAGE
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
sad
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Potentially my book of the year. Also, the first Man Booker-winning/nominated book that I've ever truly, unabashedly, loved. It is a mosaic in the truest sense of the word, an evolving image of a dozen-plus lives that, in its final moments, comes together as a beautiful, heartfelt whole. It is poetic, subtle, incredibly well written, and managed to take the wind out of me several times.
I... kind of don't want to say anything more and simply leave it to readers to discover for themselves. This is the first book in some time I've actually forced myself to take my time with, wanting to savour it until its last words. Highly recommended.
I... kind of don't want to say anything more and simply leave it to readers to discover for themselves. This is the first book in some time I've actually forced myself to take my time with, wanting to savour it until its last words. Highly recommended.
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
"it’s easy to forget that England is made up of many Englands
all these fields and forests, sheep, hills, comatose villages
she feels like she’s going to the ends of the earth, while simultaneously returning to her beginnings"
This is a fascinating, expansive, and exquisitely written novel. I loved the writing style and the unique way the various characters' stories interweave - naturally I felt more drawn to some than others, but I think that's to be expected with a book like this and I did appreciate how looking at so many different characters allowed a range of important topics to be explored with nuance and care. As well as the overarching themes of race and gender, there's also a lot of exploration of motherhood which I wasn't necessarily expecting but which added really well to everything else being looked at. I also really liked how the setup allowed for a brilliant portrayal of the different ways people are viewed depending on the situation and on who's doing the viewing.
I wasn't at all expecting this to be an easy read, but I was surprised by just how heavy and bleak some of it was and how much I really did struggle to get through parts of it just because of how horrific some of the content was. It definitely doesn't feel like torture porn - Evaristo writes with so much obvious care - it's just A LOT in places, particularly in terms of its depictions of rape and sexual violence, so I'd just be really aware of that going in.
I also didn't necessarily love the ending - while I can appreciate what it was doing, I think it would've worked better and been more fitting with the rest of the narrative to have ended just slightly earlier (i.e. probably just without the epilogue!). I still found this to be a fantastic read overall, and definitely one I'm glad I finally got to - I just feel I would've got even more out of it had Evaristo gone in a bit of a different direction with the ending.
This is a fascinating, expansive, and exquisitely written novel. I loved the writing style and the unique way the various characters' stories interweave - naturally I felt more drawn to some than others, but I think that's to be expected with a book like this and I did appreciate how looking at so many different characters allowed a range of important topics to be explored with nuance and care. As well as the overarching themes of race and gender, there's also a lot of exploration of motherhood which I wasn't necessarily expecting but which added really well to everything else being looked at. I also really liked how the setup allowed for a brilliant portrayal of the different ways people are viewed depending on the situation and on who's doing the viewing.
I wasn't at all expecting this to be an easy read, but I was surprised by just how heavy and bleak some of it was and how much I really did struggle to get through parts of it just because of how horrific some of the content was. It definitely doesn't feel like torture porn - Evaristo writes with so much obvious care - it's just A LOT in places, particularly in terms of its depictions of rape and sexual violence, so I'd just be really aware of that going in.
I also didn't necessarily love the ending - while I can appreciate what it was doing, I think it would've worked better and been more fitting with the rest of the narrative to have ended just slightly earlier (i.e. probably just without the epilogue!). I still found this to be a fantastic read overall, and definitely one I'm glad I finally got to - I just feel I would've got even more out of it had Evaristo gone in a bit of a different direction with the ending.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual violence, Violence, Death of parent
Moderate: Drug use, Infidelity, Islamophobia, Pregnancy
Minor: Drug abuse, Miscarriage, Slavery
couldn’t finish it. too many plot lines to keep track of & not interesting enough to hold my attention
Reminds me of how important it is to accept that even when people are filled with hate at the sight of you, they’re still people. Their hate, no matter how unfortunate, comes from somewhere human.
Oddly enough, it simultaneously reminds we’re all constantly thinking about sex and no one is talking about it and it makes us all Insane. I do think it’s the key to peace but it’s easily corrupted as the easiest tool to control.
Oddly enough, it simultaneously reminds we’re all constantly thinking about sex and no one is talking about it and it makes us all Insane. I do think it’s the key to peace but it’s easily corrupted as the easiest tool to control.
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I am sorry about this... The premise of this book really interested me, but I did not enjoy it. Let me start by saying the writing style has nothing to do with it, I actually found it easy to follow. The root of the problem is in the characters. I see what Evaristo tried to do here, I see it and I respect it. She wants to address deep and important societal issues such as discrimination, gender, privilege, feminism, etc. But the characters portrayed were really hard to like! Which ultimately meant these subjects were treated in a somewhat shallow way. Overall, everything seemed very superficial, the connections between each character were useless and didn't add anything to the story. I'm disappointed.
Excellent book, but it took me forever to finish. Why? I have no idea. I love the writing style and the stories from different backgrounds and perspectives. It took me almost a whole month to get through it.