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4.34 AVERAGE
4.34 AVERAGE
I found it really impressive that each of the 12 characters felt so real and complete. Reading the book is like watching an actor who can play any role.
Great vacation read, this book is a small encyclopedia of women relationships, lifestyles and struggles without being an exhaustive one, of course.
Built like a rainbow of experiences and lots of different personalities, I loved the way their lives intertwined and how they influenced each other.
Built like a rainbow of experiences and lots of different personalities, I loved the way their lives intertwined and how they influenced each other.
challenging
emotional
funny
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Why was this good? Because the writing was light, the plot was heavy, but either way the author didnt shove anything anywhere. Everything was happily resolved or bittersweet but acceptable as life. It was sad, it was normal, it was everything. It was good. Not like it broke my mind, or it convinced me of anything, but it let me leave with grace, and I love it for that.
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
Amazing. Beautiful. Exquisitely crafted. Wonderful characters, with whom you enjoy spending time. Cannot praise this book highly enough.
Honestly, maybe I am not smart enough to fully appreciate this book, but I felt like it was unnecessarily confusing. Before I get into that I want to address what I did love. I think the individual stories were glorious and important and real and eye-opening. The book covers a seemingly niche demographic because of the lack of coverage, so it is enlightening to read about being black in Britain and the queerness, identity, love, and trauma that different women experience. There is some beautiful simplistic poem-like prose throughout that I thoroughly adored, but I do have a few bones to pick. First, I think that the author's choice of structure (no capitalization and not much punctuation) is distracting. I, personally, think it altered what could have been a nice pace to the stories. Secondly, I found it hard to connect with many of the characters. I genuinely don't think this has to do with race or class, or any demographic source, I think it has to do with the information provided. Between the chapters/stories there was no continuity. Some felt like character studies while some felt like sections to a memoir, and so chapter to chapter I felt like I was being set back. I couldn't fully dive in because nothing was consistent and there wasn't much to grab on to. I think this is sourced from feeling like the author was speaking the whole time rather than being in a character's mind or life. Overall, worth the read for the actual narratives that you get, but I think technically is where it falls behind.
challenging
emotional
funny
informative
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
The rhythm of this book, the pattern of each story, the importance placed in each and every word is mind blowing. A must read!