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4.25 AVERAGE
4.25 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal death, Cancer, Death, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Death of parent, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
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
I must say that I nearly put this book down and gave up after the first chapter. You know how when you come inside from a very sunny day, and you can't see at first? It is so frustrating, and you try and try to get your eyeballs acclimated quickly, but it just takes time. Finally, when you think that maybe you have damaged your sight for good this time, things begin to come into view. That is what this book is like, and by the end, I was mesmerized (okay, it was more like the middle when I was mesmerized). Verghese writes what he knows, and knows what he writes. There are a million little pearls of wisdom, passages that gave me goosebumps. This is not a short book, at nearly 700 pages, and it is not one to read quickly. But I think it will have a place at the end of the year, as one of my favorite reads of 2010.
challenging
emotional
informative
inspiring
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:
Complicated
I am at a loss for words. First, this book was DENSE on all levels (a LOT of medical jargon). Finishing out at around 650 pages (paperback), this was definitely a hefty read. So much Ethiopian culture and history was so beautifully interwoven (I have to try wot now). Second, across the board, character development was amazing. I could not put this book down and this story was so beautifully told. Personally, I was not prepared for the magnitude of death that occurs and low key could have used a trigger warning or two.
Final thought: it was cute they gave the father an arc but it did not erase his past—in my opinion. I did enjoy that my least favorite character got the worst ending too—karma is always fun. Also, Hema is hands down the best character and I would challenge you to try to prove me wrong.
Overall, truly so, so well done. Would 1000% recommend to anyone who can stomach a Historical Fiction because this was a fantastic novel. One of my favorite books of all time.
Favorite quotes:
“To share a geography and a landscape of memory made them sisters, a family”
“God will judge us by what we did to relieve the suffering of our fellow human beings. I don’t think God cares what doctrine we embrace”
“His punishment is even worse: he must live”
“No blade can puncture the human heart like the well-chosen words of a spiteful son.”
Final thought: it was cute they gave the father an arc but it did not erase his past—in my opinion. I did enjoy that my least favorite character got the worst ending too—karma is always fun. Also, Hema is hands down the best character and I would challenge you to try to prove me wrong.
Overall, truly so, so well done. Would 1000% recommend to anyone who can stomach a Historical Fiction because this was a fantastic novel. One of my favorite books of all time.
Favorite quotes:
“To share a geography and a landscape of memory made them sisters, a family”
“God will judge us by what we did to relieve the suffering of our fellow human beings. I don’t think God cares what doctrine we embrace”
“His punishment is even worse: he must live”
“No blade can puncture the human heart like the well-chosen words of a spiteful son.”
Some parts of this book I loved, and I found it engaging, but all the neat-n-tidy plot symmetry (and the author's insistence on pointing out all the symmetry as it was happening) got really annoying. I was sad cause early on I bought in and really wanted to like this book, but ultimately it had some serious problems that left me frustrated.
Actually gave up on this one after one too many descriptive surgeries.