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smgossett77'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
3.5
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Death, Gun violence, Violence, Grief, Mass/school shootings, and Alcohol
chaosandwildflowers's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
One of Tommy Orange's greatest strengths is in his writing and his understanding of the human psyche. The writing truly is beautiful, even feeling poetic in some places, and though the cast of characters is vast, he takes time to explore each of them in at least a little bit of depth.
However, I do think the book tried to do too much in too little space. Some characters feel extremely similar, making their chapters feel repetitive, and the sheer number of characters made it difficult to really delve into more than a few of them. I believe this book should have either streamlined its plot to fit the space or allowed itself more pages to really explore the themes. I also felt like the story ended very abruptly, with a few loose ends and unexplained plot points.
Overall, I would absolutely recommend this book. Hard stop. I think it's important to read, especially in our current society. But I'd also suggest that readers go into it expecting to focus more on the characters than on an extremely coherent plot. Solid 3/5 stars!
Graphic: Child death, Cursing, Death, Gun violence, Mass/school shootings, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Grief, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Alcohol
faduma's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Alcoholism, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Racial slurs, Racism, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Mass/school shootings, Death of parent, Murder, Alcohol, and Colonisation
taylor24's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Alcoholism, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Fatphobia, Gore, Gun violence, Suicide, Blood, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Murder, and Alcohol
Moderate: Body shaming, Sexual assault, and Colonisation
cassielaj's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Mental illness, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Murder, Alcohol, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Fatphobia, Rape, and Pregnancy
This book is emotionally taxing, but so worth the readjennshelfishlife's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
The dozen or so characters all have plans to attend the Big Oakland Powwow, which is how their stories interconnect along with the shared heritage. All of their stories were quite sad and had triggers (e.g. domestic abuse, guns, substance use, abandonment). Each character expresses a range of emotions from sadness to anger to joy. Tommy Orange's work is quite brilliant and sheds light on the experiences of some indigenous people. I recommend this novel to readers that enjoy sociology, culture, and the human experience.
Graphic: Addiction, Animal cruelty, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Mental illness, Racism, Blood, Mass/school shootings, Cultural appropriation, Abandonment, and Alcohol
gilnean's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Child death, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Fatphobia, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Excrement, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Murder, Alcohol, Colonisation, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Ableism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Cancer, Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Medical content, Car accident, Death of parent, and Pregnancy
Minor: Body horror, Child abuse, Confinement, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Self harm, Torture, Kidnapping, Religious bigotry, Abortion, Abandonment, and Classism
loryyyy's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Murder, and Alcohol
darcyparcy's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
Graphic: Gun violence and Mass/school shootings
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Drug use, and Alcohol
mekaylynn's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child death, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Gun violence, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Violence, Blood, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Car accident, Murder, Alcohol, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Racism, Toxic relationship, Stalking, Cultural appropriation, and Abandonment
Minor: Genocide, Mental illness, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Medical content, and Pregnancy