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bigolscrewup's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
And that fox escaped with his tail between his legs, with all the hens chasing him
4/5⭐
This is my second Isabel Allende book, after "Violeta" and I've always wanted to read this book before reading any of her other books, but I'm glad to have found some time to read this book finally. I love reading stories that details a family's history through multiple generations, highlighting each family member's eccentricities in a country that's on a path towards a military coup.
I didn't enjoy the the frequent shifts in perspective throughout the book and sometimes within a chapter, which made it difficult for me to follow the story at times. Even though Clara's idea of arranging the story based on events instead of chronological order sounded good as an idea, it was frustrating at times to read some chapters without having any clear idea on when a particular event happened, especially in this story, where there are so many interesting characters, who are all related to each other. Also, I felt the story lost some of its charm once Clara was out of the picture.
The magical realism in the book added a layer of wonder, which blended with Allende's elegant prose drew me and made reading this book an absolute joy.
Graphic: Confinement, Rape, Torture, Sexual violence, Gun violence, Grief, Domestic abuse, Car accident, Adult/minor relationship, Violence, Police brutality, Animal death, Sexual assault, Pedophilia, Misogyny, and Abortion
coleanne's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Animal death, Blood, Classism, Death, Mass/school shootings, Medical content, Rape, Confinement, Excrement, Kidnapping, Cursing, Pregnancy, Sexism, Misogyny, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Gore, Gun violence, Police brutality, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Sexual violence, War, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Domestic abuse, and Sexual content
lief_'s review against another edition
- 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
3.25
Graphic: Misogyny, Emotional abuse, Confinement, Classism, Child abuse, Sexual assault, Police brutality, Physical abuse, Murder, War, Torture, Sexual content, Sexism, Domestic abuse, Death, Blood, Rape, Animal death, Pedophilia, Death of parent, Abortion, Violence, Sexual violence, Kidnapping, Gun violence, and Homophobia
Moderate: Miscarriage, Mass/school shootings, and Medical content
Minor: Incest and Addiction
kmichelle629's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Minor: Sexual assault, Miscarriage, Death, Racial slurs, Abortion, Gun violence, and War
rhi_'s review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Racism, Torture, Blood, Child abuse, Excrement, Animal death, Classism, Abortion, Infidelity, Police brutality, Pregnancy, Racial slurs, Rape, Violence, Toxic relationship, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, Sexual content, Sexual assault, Sexism, Medical content, Death of parent, Gun violence, Kidnapping, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Murder, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, and Incest
Moderate: Self harm, Suicide attempt, and Suicidal thoughts
marigoldgem's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Sexual content, Homophobia, Torture, Violence, Sexual violence, Death, Death of parent, Kidnapping, War, Racism, Medical content, Racial slurs, Sexual harassment, Car accident, Classism, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Excrement, Gun violence, Rape, Sexism, Confinement, Grief, Incest, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, and Sexual assault
ka_cam's review against another edition
- 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
4.25
Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Pregnancy, Gun violence, Rape, Sexism, Homophobia, Abortion, Child death, Police brutality, Animal death, Car accident, Classism, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Colonisation, Racism, Sexual assault, Chronic illness, Sexual violence, Kidnapping, Violence, Death of parent, Medical content, Alcohol, Murder, Sexual content, Grief, Torture, and War
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Blood, and Addiction
dommymartinez's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Graphic: Sexism, Sexual assault, Incest, Infidelity, Rape, Sexual violence, Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Police brutality, Blood, Cursing, Mass/school shootings, Classism, Violence, Abortion, Child abuse, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Death of parent, and Murder
Moderate: Addiction and Drug use
Minor: Racism and Racial slurs
mightyoscura's review against another edition
- 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
4.5
Graphic: Suicide, Racial slurs, Pregnancy, Pedophilia, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Incest, Death of parent, Death, Car accident, Slavery, Sexual violence, Rape, Police brutality, Lesbophobia, Infidelity, Excrement, Emotional abuse, Drug use, Forced institutionalization, Chronic illness, Child abuse, Body horror, Self harm, Violence, Torture, Misogyny, Medical content, Gaslighting, Deportation, Classism, Child death, Blood, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, War, Toxic relationship, Xenophobia, Vomit, Sexual harassment, Sexual assault, Gun violence, Grief, Gore, Fire/Fire injury, Confinement, Colonisation, Abortion, Medical trauma, Kidnapping, Abandonment, Trafficking, Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual content, Sexism, Racism, Physical abuse, and Mental illness
ars_poetica's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Animal death, Blood, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Genocide, Gun violence, Death, Emotional abuse, Excrement, and Hate crime