Reviews

Edinburgh by Alexander Chee

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paleleaf's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

serendipitysbooks's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Content Warnings

eunicek82's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional reflective sad

5.0

This book gutted me. The writing is stunning and the content devastating. There is so much packed into this slim book but it never felt overstuffed. What strikes me most is that while Chee is writing about some of the most vile actions, he never loses sight of a person’s humanity. It’s such a complicated book that has me questioning so much of my own morality. It is not a comfortable read, but possibly one of the best reading experiences I have had this year.

ka4t's review against another edition

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challenging dark reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.5

laura_reads_'s review against another edition

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dark emotional sad slow-paced

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

4.25

ezrasupremacy's review against another edition

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5.0

i knew from the first page on that i would love this, and it certainly didn’t disappoint.

this was one of the most beautiful, breathtaking, heartbreaking pieces of writing that i have ever read, and i guarantee it will stick around in my mind for quite some time to come.

i can see why this would be described as “overwritten”, but unfortunately i love that kind of writing, so it 100% worked for me, and i don’t think “overwritten” is a fair label for writing just because it uses beautiful words and descriptions, as long as they’re used with purpose, which they most definitely are here.

i read the first 50-ish percent over the course of two sittings and then had to take a break because it was too painful and too relatable and i did not have the mental stability for it.

the latter 50% were heartbreaking in a different way, but also lovely. i have to admit i didn’t care about warden’s pov nearly as much as i care about fee’s, but i see how it was relevant to give the story more depth, and for that i love it anyway.

this is definitely the one of the books i will be returning to again and again as time passes, and i cannot wait to give it another read in the future.