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bookishpip's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Graphic: Miscarriage, Suicide, Alcoholism, Racism, Addiction, Medical trauma, and Police brutality
charliedon'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? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Suicide, Miscarriage, and Abortion
Moderate: Alcoholism, Racism, Animal death, and Racial slurs
Minor: Police brutality
jkreads's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, Chronic illness, Miscarriage, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Drug use, Mental illness, Police brutality, Drug abuse, Infidelity, Pregnancy, and Medical content
Moderate: Addiction, Sexual content, Abandonment, Abortion, and Blood
valrunin'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? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Miscarriage
Moderate: Violence, Police brutality, Pregnancy, Physical abuse, and Sexual content
Minor: Alcoholism
pikkumarja's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Kirjasta muotoutui kuitenkin erittäin ansiokas ja tarkkanäköinen tutkielma Ediestä ja hänen suhteistaan Rebeccaan, Akilaan ja Ericiin. Tarinassa käsitellään limittäin rakenteellista rasismia, fanitusta, hyväksikäyttöä ja lohtua ja se muodostaa erittäin erityisen kokonaisuuden.
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Racism, Vomit, Alcoholism, and Abortion
Moderate: Medical content, Police brutality, Death, and Blood
Minor: Mental illness, Pregnancy, Death of parent, and Abandonment
al_davies_jones's review against another edition
- 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? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Alcoholism, Toxic relationship, Abortion, Police brutality, Pregnancy, Slavery, Animal death, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Alcohol, Gun violence, Infertility, Miscarriage, Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, Vomit, Mental illness, Medical content, Physical abuse, Blood, Infidelity, Addiction, Sexism, Sexual violence, Hate crime, Drug use, and Grief
kjofalltrades's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.75
Graphic: Violence, Miscarriage, Alcohol, Sexual content, Racial slurs, Medical content, Infidelity, Alcoholism, Sexual violence, Abortion, and Police brutality
Moderate: Vomit, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, and Racism
Minor: Drug abuse, Drug use, Animal cruelty, and Animal death
futurememory'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? Yes
5.0
Luster is gorgeously written. It flows like spoken word poetry, and is not remotely afraid to revel in specificity. It’s uniquely Black, and Black NYC at that. The sentences ramble with a lyrical cadence that begs to be read aloud, with often surprising and wonderful turns of phrase. I often found myself smiling as yet another sentence hit perfectly. Line by line it’s a delight.
I loved how brutally messy this was. How quietly sad and unflinching it is, how literary it is, and how full of 20s ennui and unfocused chaos it is.
The characters are all so flawed, so human, that I couldn’t help but hope for them.
I think this is divisive for a reason, but it worked tremendously for me.
Graphic: Miscarriage
Moderate: Police brutality and Alcoholism
Minor: Drug use
abmochapman's review against another edition
- 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
3.5
As a main character, Edie is dizzying. Her decisions, and the decisions of the people around her, are very frequently erratic and inexplicable. This makes a lot of sense for where she is in her life (that is, stumbling around) but it feels kind of strange for the older couple in whose relationship she has become entangled. There’s also so much fruitless internal monologue. The author’s generous use of metaphors and run-on-sentences is sometimes striking and poetic but oftentimes pretentious and incomprehensible.
At the end of the book, I feel like the narrative has barely moved forward. Maybe that’s just the reality of such a situation. This is a the story of a young woman struggling to get anywhere. The moments Edie shares with the wife, Rebecca, and the daughter, Akila, feel the most meaningful but I almost feel like they are still not fully developed. With such a slow build-up to an abrupt end, I am left wanting much more.
Graphic: Suicide, Miscarriage, Pregnancy, Racial slurs, Racism, Police brutality, and Infidelity
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, and Self harm
Minor: Animal death
iremisa'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? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Blood
Moderate: Violence
Minor: Alcoholism and Death