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ladybug12793'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? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Gun violence, Misogyny, Police brutality, Racism, Grief, Bullying, Hate crime, Colonisation, Sexual assault, Violence, War, Child death, Kidnapping, Miscarriage, Rape, Domestic abuse, Genocide, Murder, Religious bigotry, Slavery, Emotional abuse, Xenophobia, Animal death, Antisemitism, Mental illness, Infertility, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Physical abuse, Deportation, Pregnancy, and Sexism
ariennegd's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Rape, Child death, Pregnancy, and Sexual assault
rachelsb's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Murder, Alcoholism, Blood, Cancer, Death, Torture, Child death, Death of parent, War, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual violence, Physical abuse, Miscarriage, and Sexual assault
karinreadsalot'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? No
4.5
Graphic: Gun violence, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, War, and Child death
Moderate: Rape and Sexual assault
mskog's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Even though it was a good read, I have to say the characters are not particularly complex. Vianne and Isabelle can mostly be reduced to a sentence or two of character description. Julien/the father might appear complex because we don't get to hear too much from him directly, but any attempt at probing whatever complexity he may have is repeated as "well he was broken in the war." When characters are this simple, I feel like anything that is intended to be an evolution for them (e.g.
Moderate: Rape and Child death
elisa_atkins's review against another edition
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Miscarriage, Deportation, Hate crime, Torture, Abandonment, Child death, Death of parent, War, and Genocide
Minor: Rape, Infertility, and Alcoholism
caitlinemccann's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Racial slurs, Torture, Genocide, Death of parent, Death, Body horror, Blood, Police brutality, Murder, Grief, Confinement, Child death, Antisemitism, Medical content, Injury/Injury detail, War, Bullying, Violence, Racism, and Gun violence
Moderate: Pregnancy, Infidelity, Sexism, Rape, Miscarriage, Sexual violence, and Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Cancer, Vomit, and Homophobia
jessicaannise'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? No
4.0
Graphic: Murder, Child death, and Rape
mcnoble's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Blood, Child death, Xenophobia, Murder, War, Torture, Violence, Antisemitism, Gun violence, Death, and Genocide
Moderate: Pregnancy, Alcohol, Rape, and Alcoholism
livlaughlit's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
I thought the writing style was somewhat unsophisticated and repetitive, with Hannah often implying something and then immediately clarifying what she meant, just in case we hadn’t picked up on the nuance. Regardless, the pervasive anachronisms were the real bug-bear for me. On every other page, there was an error that made me roll my eyes (oral antibiotics? A Flemish farmer smoking like a true Frenchman? The flippant mention of concentration camps on official warnings?). This read as Historical Fanfiction, rather than a well-researched piece of Historical Fiction. It was also extremely forgiving of Vichy France’s passing antisemitic legislation independently of Nazi requirements.
Too often, the characters were reduced to flat stereotypes, and the development of the romantic plots were poorly paced (especially between Isabelle and Gaetan). I was also unconvinced by Isabelle and Vianne’s relationship, which seemed not to develop much at all.
Graphic: Antisemitism, Genocide, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Rape, Sexual assault, War, Xenophobia, Child death, Murder, Violence, Death of parent, Physical abuse, Torture, Misogyny, Death, Sexism, and Sexual violence
Minor: Alcoholism, Cancer, and Miscarriage