Reviews with content warning for Suicide attempt - Ella Minnow Pea: A Novel in Letters

I have heard nothing but praise for this book, and I’m happy to say it certainly met my expectations!! In equal measure heartwarming & funny as it is horrifyingly relevant, this is a quick read that paints an unfortunately believable picture of censorship and the slippery slope to totalitarianism. Reminds us of how important language, community, and our freedoms truly are.

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pastlifetragedy's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny inspiring lighthearted reflective 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

4.5

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nagoatsis's review against another edition

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reflective medium-paced

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

4.0

Super fun to read! The concept gets a little old towards the very end but it’s very engaging to read through it and always be looking for letters that aren’t supposed to be used

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ninasloft's review against another edition

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challenging funny reflective tense medium-paced

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? No

4.0

Definitely a must-read for logophiles & those with an unquenchable passion for words & the English language. I don't consider myself largely able to read or speak in complex terms, however I really enjoyed the word play & the enthusiacally eccentric way they speak in the book. If you've ever seen the episodes containing Paige Sinclair from Bojack Horseman, that is how I imagine the characters in this book to speak & I personally adore it. Definitely not everyone's cup of tea, but a wonderful book with a unique, interesting idea. My only wish is that it were a little longer so that we as the reader were able to connect more deeply to the characters. A strong recommendation nonetheless, especially for those who are fond of the writing style such as myself, I foun it to be a fun & quick read. Although it glosses over some intense subject matter, which might be off-putting to some.

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eliisar's review

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challenging funny lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Loveable characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

Very clever and funny. Original story, the author executed it well. I liked flipping between the Council notices and regular letters to find where exactly they used forbidden letters. It was fun to see how much I missed, and how easy it was to miss. It did get a bit confusing near the end as more letters fell. I had to reread sentences multiple times to understand what they were saying, but all in all it was an enjoyable read.

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beccaaxon's review against another edition

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challenging dark inspiring medium-paced

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

4.25

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annaavian's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

1.0

This book attempts to portray itself as something deep and thought-provoking, but ultimately falls flat. While the book's characters write clever and emotive letters, they're still just letters, leading to a pedantic recounting of events. As a result, the characters have no life or vibrance, and the reader is left with nothing but the dull experience of reading letters from strangers.
There are many better books that explore similar themes of totalitarianism, censorship, free speech and the power of language in more captivating and inspirational ways.

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olma's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful inspiring medium-paced

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? No

5.0

Amazing work. Love the word play, although I definitely had to read it with a dictionary on hand. Great message to the book and such a creative piece of work.

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