Scan barcode
elizlizabeth's review against another edition
3.5
I was expecting a well-reaearched ode to trees and the inextricable paths that join us to them and the first part IS that. I am just disappointed that it didn't continued in the same vein. Roots is so good that it can even stand on its own, so I will cherish those stories and forget the rest.
Graphic: Police brutality and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Infidelity
Minor: Ableism and Miscarriage
random19379's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- 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
Moderate: Racism and Ableism
a_kt's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
My feelings around this book are complicated. It took me more than a month to finish it and by the end I was begging for it to be over. I can see what Powers was trying to go for here, using nature as a pathway to show the interconnectedness of all life- human, plant, and otherwise. In the same way that entire forests communicate, warn each other of potential invaders, spread messages through the chemical signals released by their leaves and through the fungal networks below them- so too do people try desperately to call out to others when in need. The difference being that people are complicated, we can't interpret chemical signals or fungal synapses so we're left with a much more inefficient system. Similarly, I feel like these themes were somewhat inefficiently communicated in this book.
The parts of the book that are about nature are the best parts. I found myself Googling the different tree facts picked up from this book to see if they were fact or fiction.
The parts of the book that are about the characters in the book are the worst parts. Some of the characters are, at best, tragically relatable with no clear motivation for anything they do, and at worst, completely unnecessary for the story.
I understand why this book got as much praise as it did- honestly people with better taste in literature than me probably understood it better. However, when I got the end, I didn't feel anything other than being glad it was over and that I could move on to something different.
Graphic: Ableism
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail
pedanther'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
4.5
Graphic: Chronic illness, Confinement, Excrement, Suicide attempt, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Eating disorder, Infidelity, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Terminal illness, Infertility, Police brutality, and Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Sexual content, Alcohol, Dementia, Misogyny, Racism, Ableism, and Bullying
Minor: Drug use, Colonisation, Vomit, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Car accident, and Child death
joymargot's review against another edition
Moderate: Ableism, Racism, and Xenophobia
m4rtt4's review against another edition
- 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? It's complicated
3.75
Graphic: Death, Grief, Police brutality, Violence, Ableism, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, and Suicide
Moderate: Cancer, Racism, Sexual content, Infertility, Infidelity, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
lindseyhall44's review against another edition
- 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
4.5
I received a copy of The Overstory as a birthday present, and honestly, I wasn’t sure what to expect. I knew that there was widespread critical acclaim, but that was the extent of my knowledge. Never did I expect to feel, think, or see as powerfully as I did with the novel as my lense.
The Overstory follows an ensemble cast of characters, as trees shape and define their life experiences. Through themes of activism, growth, and ultimately life, the trees themselves will speak to you from the confinements of pages.
The format of the novel was immediately intriguing to me, as the parts are separated by the sections of a tree.
The roots and trunk may be, for some, (almost dauntingly) slow, but Powers is a master class in character studies, and the connection once finished reading will feel like the epitome of rewarding.
Although it was one of the most heartbreaking and gut wrenching works I have read in a while, it also offered a strangely hopeful note, that like trees we too can can leave a positive legacy behind.
Graphic: Suicide, Ableism, Bullying, Death, Murder, Death of parent, Suicide attempt, Violence, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Kidnapping, Bullying, Grief, and Dementia
switchywitchsitch'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? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
Graphic: Grief, Ableism, and Police brutality
julziez's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
Graphic: Ableism, Fire/Fire injury, Police brutality, Suicidal thoughts, Injury/Injury detail, Suicide, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Violence, Death, Dementia, Grief, and Colonisation
gigireadswithkiki's review against another edition
Graphic: Xenophobia, Racism, Ableism, and Misogyny