Reviews

This book has such a boatload of meaning and just...it was so painful to read because of how into the story I was. This is just, not a happy book. But it was beautiful--I was a bit lost on the history, but I pieced things together. As a Spanish speaker, I found the mixture of Kreyol (I think that's the language) and Spanish was very effective and gave the book a more realistic way of reading. I liked that the characters were multi-sided, as people are in real life. Amabelle is not my favorite heroine ever, but she endured so much, I respected her.

The way this book was written was also breath-taking for me, so I'd just read a few lines over and over again. I wasn't a fan of the book in the first few pages, but once you get over that, it's a really down-to-earth narration. I loved it.

Recommended to me by my college counselor who knows the author. I'd recommend to anyone who's interested in history or painful and sad stories. I know--wide range. But just--read this book X)

bbqrplanting's review against another edition

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5.0

I think this is one of Danticats better books, although I have enjoyed all of them. I still think I might have enjoyed Breath, Eyes, Memory more...but this is a close second.

mhorsfall's review against another edition

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emotional reflective sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? N/A
Strong character development? N/A
Loveable characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

half_blood_princess's review against another edition

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emotional sad tense slow-paced

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

3.75

The book is very reflective when writing sbout the character. There are a lot of grief and sadness, and how trauma is lived by the characters. The book deeply explores love and pain as well as how dreams are our memories.

shanthereader's review against another edition

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dark emotional reflective sad 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? No

3.75

juliaschweitzer's review against another edition

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3.0

loved the writing, very poetic!! a bit too dark for me though.

ada_elisabeth's review against another edition

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emotional inspiring reflective tense 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? No

3.25

I feel like saying that I didn't like this book would be a crime. It's one of those books that feels important, packed with history and suffering, aimed to make readers more empathetic and knowledgeable. But I just didn't enjoy it. Yes, it was extremely poetic and lovely. Yes, the story was one I needed to read. Yes, the writing was very good. But the plot was hard to follow, and the book felt far, FAR too long in my opinion. I'm glad I read it, but if I had known anything about it, I probably wouldn't have picked it up. 3/5 stars.

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