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jadelebel's review against another edition
challenging
informative
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
eyeswideclosed's review against another edition
emotional
informative
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
omelasian_walker's review against another edition
5.0
A haunting, bittersweet, beautiful book, that explores the importance of found family, the inability of empire to tolerate difference or divergence from the norm, and the ultimate futility of racism, sexism, and sanism in preventing us from recognising our shared humanity. Everyone should read this book at least once. As soon as I finished it, I began to read it again - I could not let the world go.
andyblv's review against another edition
4.0
An interesting, beautiful, perplexing, disturbing book. In parts, over-written. Always lyrical. This short book tells the story of mixed race people on an island off the coast of Maine. It chronicles generations of poverty, sorrow and joy in an idyllic setting. The people are confronted by mainlanders and decisions are made that lead to tragic consequences.
joyceedb's review
informative
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
2.5
siobhanward's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
NYT Notable Books 2023: 21/100
This book was at that awkward length between novella and novel. I find that books that hover around this length can feel really unbalanced, and unfortunately this was the case for this book. In the first part, it felt like there was no plot, just a long explanation of who was who and how we got to this point. Then, everything happened in the last 50 pages which meant that that first half dragged and the second half happened so quickly that it was hard to keep track of what was happening. The idea was cool but beyond the idea it felt like there wasn't much to the book.
This book was at that awkward length between novella and novel. I find that books that hover around this length can feel really unbalanced, and unfortunately this was the case for this book. In the first part, it felt like there was no plot, just a long explanation of who was who and how we got to this point. Then, everything happened in the last 50 pages which meant that that first half dragged and the second half happened so quickly that it was hard to keep track of what was happening. The idea was cool but beyond the idea it felt like there wasn't much to the book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Incest, and Racism
Moderate: Death and Violence
Minor: Pregnancy
jul_ia's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
conn_lees's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
slow-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
4.25
justdan92's review against another edition
challenging
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0