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adriennegg'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? Yes
4.0
Moderate: Child death, Death, Grief, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Suicide, Bullying, and Infidelity
ada_elisabeth's review
- 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
I'm not sure if I'm just in a really emotional mental state these days, but it seems like everything I read now makes me cry. At least that means that ✨sad book season✨ is turning out to be a smashing success. My tears over the final pages of this book can't be entirely chalked up by my incredibly emotional reading habits: Celeste Ng's writing is some of the most layered, tense, and deeply emotional I've ever read. Her control of language impressed me in Little Fires Everywhere, but it really shone here. Another thing Ng does incredibly well is control of plot: I feel as though a storyline as complex as the one featured in EINTY could very quickly spiral out of control, but it was perfectly executed here in a way that allowed it to spiral into a hurricane of chaos when the moment was right but still be reigned in later. I really appreciated the multiple perspectives and eras; they led to a complexly layered history that made the actions of characters feel real and the tension palpable. The final thing that made this book so special was the incredible character writing. Each character felt like a real person, especially Jack, Nath, and Hannah, and the deeply personal way in which Ng told each of their stories made it that much more heartbreaking. My only critique of the entire novel is Lydia: something about her five-year-old self just did not seem plausible to me. Everything else was perfect, but I had a difficult time believing that a five-year-old child who could barely read and hadn't yet started school would do the things Lydia did, but perhaps that is simply because I have never experienced what Lydia did.
We've had countless discussions about this book in English, and our refrain has come to be "everyone in this family needs therapy!" I could not agree more with my peers; the Lees need some serious help. The scene in chapter six wherein Lydia basically promises her life away to Marilyn is painful and jarring, the scene where
I teared up twice while reading the final chapter; once for Hannah, and once for the whole situation. Hannah deserved so, so much better. Poor baby. She, unlike Nath, is young enough to build some sort of relationship with her parents, but the poor little thing is desperate for any scrap of love and it shows. I rarely wish that books would go on longer than they do, but I wish there was an epilogue in this where readers could see Hannah being happy. :(
I read the last five chapters of this book sitting outside in the backyard while the chickens ran around, which definitely set a mood, but I'm not sure if it was the mood. Oftentimes I find that I cry more to books when I'm in the right place, but I was tearing up over this even as the rooster crowed three feet away from me. The ending was painful in the best (and worst) way. I loved the openness the ending had while still maintaining a sense of closure. I loved the whole Nath/Jack resolution. I loved the James/Marilyn moment. I loved it all. It was perfect. 5/5 stars.
"They will think of her often... When, a long, long time later, [Nath] stares down at the silent blue marble of the earth and thinks of his sister, as he will at every important moment in his life. He doesn't know this yet, but he senses it deep down in his core. So much will happen, he thinks, that I would want to tell you."
Moderate: Child death
Minor: Child abuse
heidipretzel's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Grief, Cultural appropriation, Abandonment, Death, Infidelity, Racial slurs, Racism, Child death, and Suicide
ks_'s review
- 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? Yes
4.0
Minor: Death and Child death
hannah1604xx's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Moderate: Racial slurs, Child death, and Suicide
frey's review against another edition
- 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? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Death, Suicide, Racism, Sexism, Infidelity, Grief, and Child death
Moderate: Racial slurs and Pregnancy
Minor: Body horror, Sexual content, and Alcohol
elenats's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Child death and Racism
sloan_emmi92's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Grief, Abandonment, and Child death
Moderate: Racism, Suicide, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, Racial slurs, Medical content, Death of parent, and Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Alcohol and Alcoholism
hannahyorkey'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? Yes
4.25
Moderate: Child death
stirlitza's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Child death, Suicide, and Infidelity
Moderate: Emotional abuse and Abandonment