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lanid's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Grief, Sexual content, Body shaming, Bullying, and Death of parent
Minor: Racism, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Gun violence, Drug use, and Gaslighting
serendipitysbooks's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-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
3.5
Nobody’s Magic is a set of three novellas. They are all entirely separate stories with no overlapping characters, but they are unified by a few common features. All three feature young Black women who are at important junctions in their lives, needing to find their way in the world. Suzanne, Maple and Agnes come from very different milieus but all have a connection to Shreveport, Louisiana. Probably the most unique unifying feature is that all three women have albinism. This fact is easy to miss since it is not an overt factor in any of the stories but it nevertheless underpins them all. It’s the reason Suzanne’s father is so overprotective and it explains why Agnes is alienated from her family. The characters were vivid, the sense of place strong and the storytelling compelling.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Death, and Racism
bookishcori's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Death, Grief, Racism, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Drug use, Gun violence, and Sexual content
Minor: Bullying
caseythereader's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Thanks to Grand Central Publishing for the free advance copy of this book.
- NOBODY'S MAGIC is essentially three novellas, following these three women (who do not know each other) through periods of upheaval in each of their lives.
- Each story is a meditation: on friendship, on grief, on family. Each woman is trying to find her place, and to be treated as a human worthy of love and respect, not someone to be stared at or collected due to her condition.
- I wanted more time with each woman and would have happily read a full novel on each. Birdsong's prose is transporting and fully immersive.
- NOBODY'S MAGIC is essentially three novellas, following these three women (who do not know each other) through periods of upheaval in each of their lives.
- Each story is a meditation: on friendship, on grief, on family. Each woman is trying to find her place, and to be treated as a human worthy of love and respect, not someone to be stared at or collected due to her condition.
- I wanted more time with each woman and would have happily read a full novel on each. Birdsong's prose is transporting and fully immersive.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Alcohol, Confinement, Murder, Bullying, Cursing, Racism, Violence, Vomit, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Grief, Death, Death of parent, Gun violence, Medical content, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Suicidal thoughts, and Toxic relationship
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