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4.3 AVERAGE
4.3 AVERAGE
Aside from one part I didn't think was logical, I really enjoyed this book. There are many aspects I can relate to and felt within me. I surprised to read that someone wrote "nothing happens in the book" because I felt a great deal happened and it's how the family changes because of these things. Perhaps that person is lucky that they have never experienced those events in their life - where you appear to be the same person, doing the same things but you know inside you're different, you're changed forever, and your outlook on life is changed forever - you can never go back to the way it was.
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
"the child must have a valuable thing which is called imagination. The child must have a secret world in which live things that never were. It is necessary that she believe. She must start out by believing in things not of this world. Then when the world becomes too ugly for living in, the child can reach back and live in her imagination”
a beautiful coming of age story that may or may not have made me sob a few times
a beautiful coming of age story that may or may not have made me sob a few times
I’d give it more of a 3.5 tbh but I enjoyed it!
“Dear God," she prayed, "let me be something every minute of every hour of my life. Let me be gay; let me be sad. Let me be cold; let me be warm. Let me be hungry...have too much to eat. Let me be ragged or well dressed. Let me be sincere - be deceitful. Let me be truthful; let me be a liar. Let me be honorable and let me sin. Only let me be something every blessed minute. And when I sleep, let me dream all the time so that not one little piece of living is ever lost.”
“Dear God," she prayed, "let me be something every minute of every hour of my life. Let me be gay; let me be sad. Let me be cold; let me be warm. Let me be hungry...have too much to eat. Let me be ragged or well dressed. Let me be sincere - be deceitful. Let me be truthful; let me be a liar. Let me be honorable and let me sin. Only let me be something every blessed minute. And when I sleep, let me dream all the time so that not one little piece of living is ever lost.”
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
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:
Yes
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This book is perfect for a quiet rainy day curled up next to the window with your warm tea, reflecting on childhood and the way the world changes us as we grow up. Reading this book feels like being a fly on the wall watching a family grow up together through hardships and heartbreak. While the pace is slow and plodding, it never felt boring. The characters are flawed but terribly lovable. Francie in particular feels like such a rich and lived character, likely because her story closely follows the author’s own childhood growing up in Williamsburg. This book is not only a love letter to Brooklyn but also to the many families that were brought up in the tenements there whose stories are folded into every page of Smith’s book.
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
A classic I had never read! A little slow at times but overall enjoyed
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
emotional
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Miscarriage, Pedophilia, Racial slurs, Sexual assault, Antisemitism, Grief