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katalia's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal death, Blood, Bullying, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Homophobia, Outing, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Sexual content, Violence, Vomit, Miscarriage, Murder, Pedophilia, Rape, Self harm, Sexual violence, and Transphobia
katieb94's review
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Trigger warnings: Rape, transphobia and xenophobia.
This book is definitely not the sort of book that I would usually pick up, I haven’t read Shuggie Bain by the author but I may go back and read it now that I have read a book using Scottish dialect. I honestly heard the accent as I was reading, even though the voice in my head is mine.
I’m trying to read more diversely so the topic of being gay in a time when it was frowned upon definitely counts towards that.
I did enjoy this book.
I really liked Mungo as a character, as well as his sister and James. However, I just really didn’t like the rest of the characters. They were all so cruel, bullies and just didn’t care. For people who supposedly cared for Mungo they didn’t show it.
I did find certain scenes in this novel very difficult to read. I did not expect certain themes and I had to read something else afterwards as I couldn’t bring myself to read on straight away.
I would definitely prepare yourself with the trigger warnings mentioned above before going into it.
It was a good book and a great story showing the difficulty of being who you are in a society where you can’t be. Where you need to put on a front.
I did enjoy it.
I couldn’t sympathise with the characters as my life is quite the polar opposite but I did feel sorry for Mungo, and sad in some places too.
I would recommend it.
3.75/5 stars.
It was almost a 4, but when certain things happened that made me stop reading, I couldn’t go higher.
This book is definitely not the sort of book that I would usually pick up, I haven’t read Shuggie Bain by the author but I may go back and read it now that I have read a book using Scottish dialect. I honestly heard the accent as I was reading, even though the voice in my head is mine.
I’m trying to read more diversely so the topic of being gay in a time when it was frowned upon definitely counts towards that.
I did enjoy this book.
I really liked Mungo as a character, as well as his sister and James. However, I just really didn’t like the rest of the characters. They were all so cruel, bullies and just didn’t care. For people who supposedly cared for Mungo they didn’t show it.
I did find certain scenes in this novel very difficult to read. I did not expect certain themes and I had to read something else afterwards as I couldn’t bring myself to read on straight away.
I would definitely prepare yourself with the trigger warnings mentioned above before going into it.
It was a good book and a great story showing the difficulty of being who you are in a society where you can’t be. Where you need to put on a front.
I did enjoy it.
I couldn’t sympathise with the characters as my life is quite the polar opposite but I did feel sorry for Mungo, and sad in some places too.
I would recommend it.
3.75/5 stars.
It was almost a 4, but when certain things happened that made me stop reading, I couldn’t go higher.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape and Transphobia
Moderate: Xenophobia
Minor: Addiction
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