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anna_pearl's review
1.5
Graphic: Physical abuse, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Cursing, Gaslighting, Gun violence, Pregnancy, Rape, Sexual assault, Emotional abuse, Body shaming, Infidelity, Violence, War, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Genocide, Gore, and Sexual violence
Moderate: Child death
saint_eleanor'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
4.75
The story takes place in the possibly unreal village of Primeval and follows a number of different residents through their 'times' as they grow old and die and are born all set during pre/during/post WWII. It has heavy themes of survival and loneliness and like focusing on the small things people cling to when they start to witness their own mortality.
I particularly loved the story of Cornspike & Ruta, and the old woman Florentynka. I also really liked the 'game' which was pretty much just an analysis of faith and god.
I think I liked the first 3/4 of the book way more than the last quarter, possibly because the last quarter was just so bleak. If you liked Lapvona you might like this.
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Suicide, and Terminal illness
Moderate: Rape and War
currantcat's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
Graphic: Death, Sexual harassment, Pregnancy, War, Miscarriage, Rape, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Antisemitism, Addiction, and Child death
Minor: Ableism, Religious bigotry, and Alcohol
iver1243's review
- 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
5.0
Graphic: Rape, Antisemitism, and Sexual assault
zazreads's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
A portrayal of the futility of human mortality.
Graphic: War, Murder, and Animal cruelty
Moderate: Rape, Sexual violence, Animal death, and Antisemitism
Minor: Mental illness
sunnybopeep's review
5.0
Graphic: Mental illness, Pedophilia, Rape, Ableism, Gun violence, War, Xenophobia, and Animal cruelty
If you’re bad with WWII stuff, maybe you shouldn’t read this tho.morning_sky's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Sexism, War, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Death and Rape
Minor: Child death and Domestic abuse
tosia_zaw's review
- 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
3.5
Minor: Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Sexual harassment
adaaa's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
5.0
Graphic: Antisemitism, Death, Genocide, Miscarriage, Violence, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Religious bigotry, Rape, Domestic abuse, and War
Minor: Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Death of parent, Ableism, Alcohol, Animal death, and Animal cruelty
It's a lil heavy. Read it. It's amazing.joshhornbeck's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- 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
5.0
This is an absolute masterpiece. A series of small vignettes that all take place in the same small Polish village (and its surrounding areas), the novel follows three generations of the village’s inhabitants as they survive war and occupation, get married and have children, and learn what it means to live and move through this broken and miraculously beautiful world. There are gorgeous movements into myth and magical realism, where the trees become characters, the dead march through the village, and angels guard our protagonists. And there are moments of brutally realistic violence and assault as the novel explores what it means to be a country that have been occupied over the years by different invading armies. It effortlessly captures the passage of time - how swift and steady it is, how you’re a child one moment and an old man the next. And there is so much here about faith and gender roles and our relationship to the earth and our rootedness to place… I feel like I could only begin to scratch the surface here. This is an outstanding novel - one of my favorite books of the year. And it’s one I certainly need to return to.
Graphic: Alcoholism, Death, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Violence
Moderate: Addiction, Alcohol, Antisemitism, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Death of parent, Dementia, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Murder, Religious bigotry, Sexism, Sexual content, War, and Xenophobia