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bibliomarlo's review
4.0
literarycrushes's review against another edition
4.0
In Under the Rainbow by Celia Laskey, Acceptance Across America, an LGBGT non-profit, ranks Big Burr, Kansas as the most homophobic town in America. AAA assembles a hodgepodge task force of queer people to live there for 2 years to fight homophobia at its source. The concept was one of the more original ones I’ve read in recent months, and I was drawn in for the entirety of the two, 2-hour, sittings it took to read the novel.
The book frequently switches perspectives, moving from a Christian mommy blogger type, to a bisexual high schooler plotting his escape, to a man struggling with his sexuality after twenty-five years of marriage. Alternating between narratives helped move the story along, but each segment felt too brief and didn’t leave enough time to form any real attachments to individual characters. For this same reason, characterization was often boiled down to a single moment in their lives which unfortunately reduced many of them to cliches. I think that with some development of subplots (or even just following through on the ones briefly mentioned), this novel would make an excellent miniseries.
rebekahmm's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
1.5
Some of the queer references and depictions seemed a bit shallow or forced which made the whole book feel a bit shallow and forced. Which may also be a result of telling a completely different story from 11 different people.
All in all this book felt like a waste of time to me.
anahoj's review
- 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
4.0
ktw484's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
allysonclark's review against another edition
2.0
wall0w's review
kindallkm's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
thebooklovingpanda's review against another edition
3.0
It's really hard to rate this - it is very readable and I enjoyed it, but also I kept wondering where the book was going.
On the one hand, I wouldn't call it plot-driven as it's more like lots of interconnected short stories following different members of the Big Burr community over the space of two (and eight additional) years), but I also don't see it as being character-driven either because you don't get enough time with any character (save Gabe, perhaps) to follow a complete arc that is shown and not told.
Full RTC!
shivholl's review against another edition
- 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
5.0