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readwithelle's review
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Alcoholism, Child death, Death, and Homophobia
Minor: Death of parent
strawbberryhoney's review
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-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
4.0
gorgeous gorgeous gorgeous.
i didn't have many expectations going into reading this. my first hannan book was kokomo, which wasn't what i expected and not quite my cup of tea. but i loved marshmallow.
victoria hannan is a master of structure. the way her stories unfold is exquisite. the way each character's stories and perspectives are told, just *chef's kiss*
this is a beautiful exploration of grief: how it affects people differently, and how they deal with grief differently. an utterly, devastatingly beautiful story that revolves around five people and their tender friendships with each other. 4/5.
i didn't have many expectations going into reading this. my first hannan book was kokomo, which wasn't what i expected and not quite my cup of tea. but i loved marshmallow.
victoria hannan is a master of structure. the way her stories unfold is exquisite. the way each character's stories and perspectives are told, just *chef's kiss*
this is a beautiful exploration of grief: how it affects people differently, and how they deal with grief differently. an utterly, devastatingly beautiful story that revolves around five people and their tender friendships with each other. 4/5.
Content Warnings
Minor: Child death, Homophobia, and Alcoholism
emfield's review
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
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? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Child death, and Grief
Moderate: Homophobia, Alcoholism, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Violence, Racism, Sexual harassment, Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, Abortion, and Pregnancy
pipnewman's review
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
This book is incredibly sad, so make sure you are in the mood to cry a bit! I raced through it in a few days, and enjoyed learning more about each character as the perspective shifted. The character of Evelyn in particular was awesome - cool to see some queer representation and also navigating being the single friend on a different life path. The writing was a little jarring at times (a bit too many adjectives for my liking, it sometimes took me out of the story) but overall very cathartic and a great read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death
Moderate: Alcoholism
backpackingbookworm's review
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Victoria Hannan's debut novel Kokomo was an unexpected favourite of mine when I read it in 2020 so I jumped at the chance to get my hands on Marshmallow. One thing I've always admired about Hannan's writing is her ability to take ordinary characters and have them leave a long-lasting imprint on your mind. They are flawed, broken, and relatable people struggling through grief in their own personal way.
If you're more of a plot-driven reader then this one isn't for you; it's more of a character study of how people affected by a traumatic event navigate the aftermath and attempt to move on, often losing themselves in the process. It's brilliantly explored and
The two things that didn't really work for me were that I felt a lot of characters were introduced at once (plus they all took turns narrating) so it took me longer than normal to work out relationships and match up their backgrounds. Secondly, I just didn't relate to the topic of grief the way other people might. I'm not a parent, nor do I spend a lot of time with friends that have children so I did feel a little detached from that side of things. That being said, I can still definitely appreciate this book for its poignant exploration of a difficult subject and its raw and tender character-driven narrative.
I should also add that I devoured this book in two days. Every time I put it down, I went back to it within the hour to read more. Not because I was desperate to know what happened or was always left on a cliffhanger as it's not that type of book, but more because I was invested in the characters and thinking about them after putting the book down. Now that's the sign of a great writer.
Thank you to Hachette for sending me an advanced copy of Marshmallow in exchange for an honest review.
Rating breakdown
If you're more of a plot-driven reader then this one isn't for you; it's more of a character study of how people affected by a traumatic event navigate the aftermath and attempt to move on, often losing themselves in the process. It's brilliantly explored and
The two things that didn't really work for me were that I felt a lot of characters were introduced at once (plus they all took turns narrating) so it took me longer than normal to work out relationships and match up their backgrounds. Secondly, I just didn't relate to the topic of grief the way other people might. I'm not a parent, nor do I spend a lot of time with friends that have children so I did feel a little detached from that side of things. That being said, I can still definitely appreciate this book for its poignant exploration of a difficult subject and its raw and tender character-driven narrative.
I should also add that I devoured this book in two days. Every time I put it down, I went back to it within the hour to read more. Not because I was desperate to know what happened or was always left on a cliffhanger as it's not that type of book, but more because I was invested in the characters and thinking about them after putting the book down. Now that's the sign of a great writer.
Thank you to Hachette for sending me an advanced copy of Marshmallow in exchange for an honest review.
Rating breakdown
- Plot/narrative - 3.7
- Writing style/readability - 4.4
- Characters - 4.3
- Diverse themes - 4.1
- Ending - 4.1
Overall - 4.1
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief and Child death
Moderate: Alcoholism
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