Reviews tagging 'War'

The Personal Librarian by Marie Benedict, Victoria Christopher Murray

17 reviews

cptnstphy's review

emotional informative reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.25

This was a nuanced window into a challenging time period. Neat to learn about Belle De La Costa Greene and the art that fascinated her. I found it a bit slow and repetitive (sometimes it felt like every other chapter ended with a similar line repeating her name and a question of whether someone would find out). 

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Racism, Pregnancy, Grief, Abortion, Death, Hate crime, Antisemitism, Medical trauma, and Sexual content

Minor: War

gris_zorra's review

emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective relaxing tense fast-paced

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

4.75

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Misogyny, Religious bigotry, Alcohol, Abortion, Racial slurs, Racism, Classism, Death of parent, Grief, and Infidelity

Minor: Xenophobia, War, and Racial slurs

dev921's review against another edition

dark informative inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Death of parent, Toxic relationship, Colonisation, War, Classism, Slavery, Racism, Sexual content, Abortion, Forced institutionalization, Alcohol, Grief, Hate crime, and Medical content

leannanecdote's review against another edition

informative reflective slow-paced

• 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

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Abortion, Sexual content, Racism, Antisemitism, Xenophobia, Abandonment, Classism, Alcohol, Cultural appropriation, Grief, Homophobia, Lesbophobia, Infidelity, Death of parent, and Colonisation

Moderate: Hate crime, War, Slavery, and Sexism

kaypringle's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

This novel took me on an overwhelmingly awakening experience. I honestly felt like an ancestor was speaking to me through these pages; sharing their triumphs and follies and all the hurdles in between. The one me absolutely minute and very minor detail that would’ve made this story hit home is if Murray’s Name was listed first on the cover but I know that I don’t have full background on the collaboration and that alphabetically is doesn’t work along with a slew of other factors that make this tiny hang up illogical and pretty meaningless. Despite this very small little thing this collaboration between Murray and Benedict was beautiful and painted a magnificent picture of emotions and experiences in my head, heart and soul and I am so thankful that they have chosen to retell Belle’s life in this manner, it is that I believe a read all must experience.

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Racism, War, Abortion, Antisemitism, Medical trauma, and Sexism

carriewnettles's review against another edition

medium-paced

• 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? No

3.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Xenophobia, Abortion, Death of parent, and Racism

Minor: War

nroberts016's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Racism, Lesbophobia, Classism, and Sexism

Minor: Antisemitism, War, and Abortion

hjhenderson's review

adventurous emotional informative reflective medium-paced

• 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? Yes

4.75

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: War and Racism

bel017's review

slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

Slow but good. I'm happy to have learnt about Belle, and I appreciated how the book shines a light on some of the atrocities committed in the US in the early 1900s, but from the safe distance of the wealthy, white, elite.

Writing from a first person perspective when the character was a real person is tricky, and I have no idea why I found it more difficult in this book compared to *Half Life* (Marie Curie, where the author imagines both her actual life and an entirely fictional life) or *Z: A novel of Zelda Fitzgerald*. Still, an interesting subject and a fascinating life.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Antisemitism and Racism

Moderate: Slavery and Abortion

Minor: War, Vomit, and Violence

karyan1's review against another edition

reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism

Moderate: War, Abortion, Antisemitism, Homophobia, Lesbophobia, Sexism, Infidelity, Misogyny, Sexual content, Death of parent, and Classism