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lesbiangrandpa's review against another edition
4.0
An emotional saga as much as it is an epic. Very cinematic and quick paced, especially for 400+ pages. Beautifully poetic writing at times too.
happymealz's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
bookph1le's review against another edition
2.0
Ugh, this book just made me so mad. I gave it one star instead of two because the world was very vivid and imaginative, and I found reading about it engrossing. Had a different character been the main character, I would probably have had a much more favorable opinion.
Why did I hate the main character so much? Click past the spoiler tag for my explanation, but do so at your own discretion. I am going to give away some major plot elements.
And to add insult to injury, she not only does this with strangers, but with her own daughter. Pearl knows what her mother's aim is, but she had every right to be angry with her mother and accuse Myra of caring more about Row than she does about Pearl. There is an interesting moral conundrum in this book about what a parent's obligation should be, to protect and keep safe the one child that's with you or to try to rescue the one you're certain is in peril. Every so often, Myra gives a passing thought to how she ought to protect Pearl, but it never lasts long.
Plus, at the end of the day, my impression of Myra's actions isn't so much that she wanted to save Row because she was being a protective mother, but because she felt driven by a need to salve her sense of self. I'm unconvinced Myra's crusade was ever about anyone other than Myra.
Then, to add insult to injury, by the time Myra gets to where she wants to be, at the expense of multiple lives, Row is dead. I'm not saying I wanted the book to have a happy ending tied up in a bow, but what was the point of all those pages I read? Myra sacrificed all those people for nothing, only to end up in a land she already knows has been under the thumb of the very sort of vicious thugs she's been evading since chapter one.
Truly, Myra is the worst, and this book is the worst.
Why did I hate the main character so much? Click past the spoiler tag for my explanation, but do so at your own discretion. I am going to give away some major plot elements.
Spoiler
Myra was the most selfish character I think I've ever read about in literature. I'm a parent, and I get where her need to rescue her daughter was coming from, but her actions were so inexcusable. She had no right to drag so many other people into it, resulting in the loss of multiple lives (including a boy who doesn't seem to have been all that much older than the daughter she's trying to save, though the book isn't explicit about his age). She more or less uses every single person she meets, lying baldly to them and manipulating them in order to rope them into her rescue scheme. Had she been honest and told them what she wanted to do and what they were up against, I wouldn't have had a problem with her actions. It's the fact that she lied, that she was willing to throw away multiple lives, that stuck in my craw.And to add insult to injury, she not only does this with strangers, but with her own daughter. Pearl knows what her mother's aim is, but she had every right to be angry with her mother and accuse Myra of caring more about Row than she does about Pearl. There is an interesting moral conundrum in this book about what a parent's obligation should be, to protect and keep safe the one child that's with you or to try to rescue the one you're certain is in peril. Every so often, Myra gives a passing thought to how she ought to protect Pearl, but it never lasts long.
Plus, at the end of the day, my impression of Myra's actions isn't so much that she wanted to save Row because she was being a protective mother, but because she felt driven by a need to salve her sense of self. I'm unconvinced Myra's crusade was ever about anyone other than Myra.
Then, to add insult to injury, by the time Myra gets to where she wants to be, at the expense of multiple lives, Row is dead. I'm not saying I wanted the book to have a happy ending tied up in a bow, but what was the point of all those pages I read? Myra sacrificed all those people for nothing, only to end up in a land she already knows has been under the thumb of the very sort of vicious thugs she's been evading since chapter one.
Truly, Myra is the worst, and this book is the worst.
kat7890erina's review against another edition
5.0
Reminiscent of The Road in both its literary appeal and premise of a parent struggling to keep both their child and their hope alive in a dying world. I loved everything about this book.
melmmh's review against another edition
3.0
Well written, great tension and pacing. I loved the world building and scene setting. The ending ripped my guts out, but I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this to other people looking for a dystopian/end of the world character driven novel.
gloriazthompson's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
sian_m's review against another edition
4.0
Great book, worth the read! I enjoyed seeing the strength of the mother character and how she fought so hard for her children. And yet went on a turmoiled, emotional journey that motherhood can create, when wanting to do your best for everyone, even at one’s detriment. I loved her determination and how she builds trust with others to support her needs.
thephdivabooks's review against another edition
2.0
This one has so many glowing reviews. I've seen it called the best book of 2019, the best dystopian novel of all time, and other great things.
While I did think it was well-written and I spoke about what I saw that I did like and others liked on my blog, this was just not the right book for me. I found it not exactly sad, but definitely bleak. SUPER bleak, if I’m being honest. I struggled to pick it back up sometimes.
There are some interesting characters, though none were likable to me. That said, I saw so many say how amazing this was and I do agree, there were some sentences that were so vivid, I felt like I was looking at a picture rather than reading it.
But the story just didn't click... I found this odd flatness when I read that I struggled to shake off. I didn’t want to go back to it.
Did you love it? Hate it? I want to know!
While I did think it was well-written and I spoke about what I saw that I did like and others liked on my blog, this was just not the right book for me. I found it not exactly sad, but definitely bleak. SUPER bleak, if I’m being honest. I struggled to pick it back up sometimes.
There are some interesting characters, though none were likable to me. That said, I saw so many say how amazing this was and I do agree, there were some sentences that were so vivid, I felt like I was looking at a picture rather than reading it.
But the story just didn't click... I found this odd flatness when I read that I struggled to shake off. I didn’t want to go back to it.
Did you love it? Hate it? I want to know!
justlily's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
1.0