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3.78 AVERAGE
3.78 AVERAGE
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
challenging
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
It had its moments but the multiple story lines got confusing and a bit repetitive.
The Porcelain Doll is not like any other book. It is a peaceful place to sit and relax while waiting for someone without knowing who you are actually waiting for. The story in it enchants and transports you to another time without losing sight of the present. From the very beginning I was absorbed in the development between the pages, even if the author's writing style seemed slower to read, as it is saturated with wonderful descriptions of that past Russian Kingdom times, when there were still princes and princesses, kings and queens, or with the gloomy and oppressive situation during the coup in the USSR in 1991, which simply cannot be more different and more clearly distinguishable from each other. Because the characters in them are so characteristic of their time and they help so much to clearly convey the atmosphere of the life they live.
The slow and smooth development of the action in the first half of the book allows precisely the full acquaintance of all these characters, whose building is great. Each one of them is extremely deep and they are full-blooded and complete, strong and genuine. The difficulties, which each of them passes through, the nightmares that follow them, and the spirits of the past are not obstacles in their path, but what gives them the strength not to give up.
And yes, almost nothing happens at first, but the mystery surrounding the plot kept me reading with interest without wanting to stop, showing me how wonderful a story can be even if it doesn't have much action in it. Of course, from the middle to the end, the mystery began to unravel before my eyes, and some really unexpected things happened that helped me like the book even more. The lack of big culmination did not affect me here, because the "Porcelain Doll" did not need it much. She kept me as a reader with what she already had.
And this book has so much to offer - beautiful, touching, but also heartbreaking love that leaves you breathless and shows you that when you love someone, you have to fight for them no matter what; the desire to understand where you come from, to get to know your past and to get answers to the questions that have tormented you for years, prompting you to neglect everything else, even your own safety; the mother's selfless and self-sacrificing love, of which only the human being whom you have been part of for months, is capable of; the loss of a child with its never-ending grief - as I said, the book has a lot to offer.
Its ending is wonderful and is the exact ending that each of the characters needed.
~~~
Rating: 5/5⭐
The slow and smooth development of the action in the first half of the book allows precisely the full acquaintance of all these characters, whose building is great. Each one of them is extremely deep and they are full-blooded and complete, strong and genuine. The difficulties, which each of them passes through, the nightmares that follow them, and the spirits of the past are not obstacles in their path, but what gives them the strength not to give up.
And yes, almost nothing happens at first, but the mystery surrounding the plot kept me reading with interest without wanting to stop, showing me how wonderful a story can be even if it doesn't have much action in it. Of course, from the middle to the end, the mystery began to unravel before my eyes, and some really unexpected things happened that helped me like the book even more. The lack of big culmination did not affect me here, because the "Porcelain Doll" did not need it much. She kept me as a reader with what she already had.
And this book has so much to offer - beautiful, touching, but also heartbreaking love that leaves you breathless and shows you that when you love someone, you have to fight for them no matter what; the desire to understand where you come from, to get to know your past and to get answers to the questions that have tormented you for years, prompting you to neglect everything else, even your own safety; the mother's selfless and self-sacrificing love, of which only the human being whom you have been part of for months, is capable of; the loss of a child with its never-ending grief - as I said, the book has a lot to offer.
Its ending is wonderful and is the exact ending that each of the characters needed.
~~~
Rating: 5/5⭐
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
The story is a great premise. After the death of her mother, a young woman returns to Moscow to find out who murdered her father and sister and why. Soon after her arrival, the Soviet Union dissolves. The story of her family history begins with the Russian Revolution and stretches to the fall of the Soviet Union. However, the ending is unsatisfying. It’s not clear why her sister and father were murdered. The story doesn’t feel finished.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Violence, Grief, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, War, Classism
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Fascinating story about a daughter tracking down the history of her mother. It's starts with a doll - and a key. And a job that takes her back to Moscow. As she tracks down the pieces of her mom's story, it's a dual timeline story, so we also get the POV of a women in the times the MC is tracking. I liked learning about the revolution fights and the struggles. I liked the pieces of history it gave but that it was also a rich story about people and struggles. I wish I'd read it instead of listening to the audio, I think a lost a bit of the story in the confusing jumping around.
emotional
slow-paced