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c_phillips'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
3.75
Graphic: Suicide attempt, Sexual harassment, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, Self harm, Child abuse, Child death, Abandonment, Death, Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Mental illness
picnicatthehangingtree's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Graphic: Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Chronic illness, Forced institutionalization, Self harm, Rape, Suicide attempt, Medical content, Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Confinement, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Misogyny, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexism, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, and Pedophilia
Moderate: Dementia, Alcoholism, Grief, Classism, Blood, Child death, Murder, Alcohol, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Panic attacks/disorders, and Violence
merle98's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Graphic: Cursing, Domestic abuse, Medical trauma, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Death, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Injury/Injury detail, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Rape, Child abuse, Grief, Incest, Self harm, Sexual violence, Medical content, Mental illness, Confinement, and Misogyny
whynotreadwithalex's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- 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: Grief, Kidnapping, Sexual assault, Mental illness, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Medical trauma, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Child abuse, Confinement, Sexual harassment, Rape, Self harm, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Toxic relationship, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Injury/Injury detail, and Medical content
mattiedancer's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
- Those looking for an introduction to historical fiction
- Those wanting to learn more about Salpêtrière
- Misogyny, sexism, classism, death of a parent, death, illness, toxic relationships, toxic friendships,
Graphic: Child abuse, Chronic illness, Death, Medical content, Medical trauma, Sexual harassment, Blood, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Self harm, Sexual violence, Toxic friendship, Sexism, Sexual content, Body shaming, Drug abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Toxic relationship, Confinement, Abandonment, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Drug use, Rape, Violence, and Vomit
aoifemarie's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Grief, Medical content, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Self harm, Suicide attempt, Rape, and Domestic abuse
pjwanders'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? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Graphic: Confinement, Abandonment, Child death, Mental illness, Addiction, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Violence, Rape, Medical trauma, Sexual assault, Death, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Sexual violence, Grief, and Suicide attempt
kamikakushi'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? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Misogyny, Forced institutionalization, Mental illness, and Physical abuse
Moderate: Rape, Suicide attempt, and Sexual assault
Minor: Fire/Fire injury, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent, and Death
loxeletters's review against another edition
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
3.5
I also liked the magical realism/supernatural aspects, though they were much less prevalent in the second half of the book.
This book actually challenged me on some of my core beliefs as a writer - the author does a lot of "head-hopping", which is usually frowned upon in modern fiction, though it used to be quite common in classic literature. It forced me to confront whether I actually don't like this technique or whether that was just ingrained in me from countless online repetition. My final conclusion is that I don't know. It did feel quite jarring a lot of the time and often broke the immersion. But maybe that was intentional?
In any case, I think that the translation was a bit subpar, featuring dangling modifiers and comma splices a lot. Again, maybe that's just the author's style, but I'd be willing to bet it's the translation.
Overall I have mixed feelings on this book. It was easy to read and engaging, plus I learnt a lot, but the prose just felt disconnected at times in a way that I can't really explain. Still, a very solid book.
Graphic: Misogyny, Forced institutionalization, Medical trauma, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Grief, Mental illness, Rape, and Suicide attempt
Minor: Fire/Fire injury, Blood, and Drug abuse
keirahelena_'s review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Graphic: Sexual violence, Self harm, and Rape
Moderate: Grief