Reviews tagging 'Grief'

Day by Michael Cunningham

6 reviews

astoriareader's review

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emotional reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No

4.0

SYNOPSIS
  • Day covers the lives of one family: April 5, 2019 (morning), April 5, 2020 (afternoon), and April 5, 2021 (evening).
  • Isabel & her husband Dan live in Brooklyn with their two kids, Nathan & Violet, as well as Isabel’s brother, Robbie.
  • They also interact with Dan’s brother, his brother’s friend, and his brother’s son.

MY THOUGHTS
  • Literary fiction. 
  • Character-driven.
  • The writing is sooooo good. I somehow haven’t read a Michael Cunningham book before, but he is a Pulitzer Prize winner. I want to read more of his work.
  • Excellent storytelling & character development. All the characters felt very real, ordinary, and relatable.
  • I thoroughly enjoyed Cunningham’s writing style. He is a master of his craft. While reading, I caught myself smiling a few times at how well a thought or a feeling was written. I was rereading sentences because it was poetically captured.
  • Overall, this was a wonderful read. The only criticism I have is I wish Robbie remained with the family unit, as 2019 ended up being my favorite “day” because his connections added a lot of layers to the story.

TL;DR: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️literary fiction. masterful & impressive writing, as well as character development.

Thanks to Random House Publishing Group - Random House  and Netgalley for this digital ARC in exchange for an honest review. This book is out now.
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fkshg8465's review against another edition

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emotional sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

Character study of a family of mostly barely tolerable people as a reflection of the average person. Perhaps I like it less than I want to because I want to think we are better than these characters and more likable too.
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chigwellreader's review

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emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad slow-paced
  • 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

3.5

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b_fruits's review

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4.75

Woof. I really didn’t expect this one to fuck me up so much. First book to make me cry in a long time. Writing a pandemic story without being cringe is tough and Day pulled it off. Didn’t expect to feel so strongly about the characters - both hating and loving them. Oof. 
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ivi_reads_books's review

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dark sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

2.5

I had trouble telling the characters apart because they seemed very similar to me and I couldn't identify with any of them. The pace was also quite slow and not a lot happend throughout the book except the COVID pandemic.
If you like slow-paced books revolving around people's everyday lives this book might be for you
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popsicleplease's review

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emotional reflective sad slow-paced
  • 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

4.25

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