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starrylight's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Graphic: Alcoholism, Religious bigotry, Police brutality, Injury/Injury detail, Infidelity, and Alcohol
Moderate: Sexual harassment, Toxic relationship, Grief, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Police brutality, Fire/Fire injury, Gun violence, and Sexism
Minor: Miscarriage
schorlett's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Religious bigotry, Infidelity, Alcoholism, and Murder
Moderate: Misogyny, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Fire/Fire injury, Death, Grief, Sexual content, Sexism, Sexual harassment, War, and Police brutality
Minor: Miscarriage, Death of parent, and Sexual assault
pagesintranslation's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Sexual content and Hate crime
Moderate: Sexual harassment
caitlin_123a's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Addiction, Alcoholism, Physical abuse, Hate crime, Racial slurs, Sexual harassment, Gun violence, Grief, Sexual content, Alcohol, Mental illness, Murder, Police brutality, Violence, and War
Minor: Vomit, Body horror, Child abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, and Blood
kaddictwithapen's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- 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: War, Hate crime, Religious bigotry, Alcoholism, Physical abuse, and Infidelity
Moderate: Sexual content and Sexual harassment
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Hate crime, and Gun violence
greatexpectations77'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? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Abandonment, Alcoholism, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual content, Alcohol, Toxic relationship, Fire/Fire injury, and Infidelity
Moderate: Blood, Grief, Hate crime, Murder, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Death, Police brutality, Pregnancy, Religious bigotry, Bullying, and Violence
Minor: Pedophilia, Rape, Child abuse, Sexual harassment, Death of parent, and Stalking
jacs63'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
5.0
Best read of the year for me, so far.
Totally deserves all the nominations and rewards.
The writing is exquisite.
A tragic and heartbreaking, historical love story, on so many different levels of love.
The characters are flawed but loveable. The story is so....real.
As Cushla says at one point...'This is going to end badly...' and you know it will.
It's doomed from the start. The age gap, the different religions, the troubles in Ireland, he's married with a child....and a serial adulterer. The decisions you make. The coincidences. The lies and deceit.
It made me feel guilty that, as someone of recent Irish descent- 3 generations back-I haven't tried to read more about the 'Trouble in Ireland'. I am out to find some good books to read now. I lived in the UK till 1974 so I remember a fair bit.
Couldn't put it down once I started it.
I hope Louise Kennedy writes more books soon.
Graphic: Genocide, Torture, War, Addiction, Blood, Chronic illness, Physical abuse, Violence, Xenophobia, Colonisation, Murder, Bullying, Death, Medical content, Miscarriage, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Racism, Religious bigotry, Grief, Gun violence, Infidelity, Sexual harassment, Fire/Fire injury, Hate crime, Medical trauma, Pedophilia, Police brutality, and Racial slurs
jaswoahreads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Gun violence, Infidelity, Religious bigotry, Violence, Addiction, Alcohol, Murder, Grief, Alcoholism, and Death of parent
Minor: Miscarriage, Police brutality, and Sexual harassment
mappy's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
That may be the primary reason that it feels strange that this is marketed as a love story. More accurately, it feels like a story about loneliness and humanity, of how kindness can lead to condemnation, and how an individual's reach can't extend as far as their desires, their best intentions, or the influence of a society where power is outsourced and extremism prevails.
The pace does feel slow but there's a shift in the final quarter that pays off and pulls everything together in a satisfying way. I look forward to reading more from this author as the prose, above all else, feels really impressive.
Graphic: Alcoholism, War, and Religious bigotry
Moderate: Sexual harassment and Sexism
Minor: Death of parent and Pedophilia
izzye1500's review against another edition
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
4.5
Graphic: Gun violence, War, Violence, Religious bigotry, and Alcoholism
Moderate: Sexual harassment