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deedireads'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? No
4.0
The book is a fully fictional story featuring fictional characters from a real place with a real history: Malaga Island off the coast of Maine, home of a mixed-race community that was evicted and partially institutionalized by the government. There are a lot of characters for a book, but not very many to serve as the sum total of all the island’s inhabitants; still, it’s easy to keep track of them (a testament to Harding’s skill) and even easier to love them.
My main complaint about this book was that it isn’t very researched at all; in an interview, Harding said that he heard about Malaga Island, got inspired, and then essentially stopped researching it (not even visiting), because he didn’t feel like those real people’s story was his to tell. That feels like a cop out to me.
Still, Harding succeeds in much of what he set out to do, at least: paint a devastating picture of eugenics, raise questions about the concept of paradise, and make his readers feel something deeply.
Graphic: Racism, Ableism, Incest, and Animal death
Moderate: Racial slurs, Rape, Pedophilia, and Forced institutionalization
rei_reads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Graphic: Ableism, Incest, and Murder
Moderate: Forced institutionalization, Racism, and Rape
Minor: Animal death
brynpemery's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Rape, Sexual violence, Violence, Racism, Animal death, Death, Deportation, and Incest
Moderate: Child death, Murder, and Pregnancy
r_o_s_e's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Racism, Colonisation, Death, Classism, and Incest
Moderate: Murder, Child death, Grief, Sexual assault, Pedophilia, Death of parent, Rape, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Ableism, Animal death, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Police brutality, Pregnancy, Blood, and Violence
taylormargaret's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Racial slurs, Animal death, Blood, Ableism, Incest, Suicide attempt, Child abuse, Death, Forced institutionalization, Rape, and Suicidal thoughts
mmccombs's review against another edition
3.5
Graphic: Sexual violence, Forced institutionalization, Incest, and Racism
Minor: Animal death
carrieclothwright's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Minor: Ableism, Religious bigotry, Animal death, Classism, Colonisation, Deportation, Incest, Rape, Murder, Forced institutionalization, Racial slurs, Grief, Suicide attempt, and Racism