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ada_elisabeth's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This was the perfect way to start out ✨ sad book summer✨. The only acceptable way, really. 5/5 for the fact that I teared up not once, but twice while reading this.
Let's begin with what I loved about this book, because there was a lot:
I loved the unique voices/narration styles of each of the characters. It took me a while to appreciate this, but I really liked how different each of the girls' voices were: Ruth May, the baby, was obviously innocent, hilarious, and naive, while Leah's style was very straightforward and to-the-point. Although I initially didn't like Rachel's jaded whining, I found her parts to be easy to read and even funny at times, especially once I caught on to her malapropisms. Adah was undeniably my favorite because I felt her perspective to be the most similar to what mine would be: I found her questions to be the most introspective, her observations to be the most interesting, and her poems and palindromes to be downright delightful. Although Adah was a clear favorite of mine, Ruth May was not far behind, and her death was predictable yet tragic. I nearly cried when she died, but I really started to tear up when Leah said "As long as I'm carrying Ruth May piggyback through my days, with her voice in my ear, I still have her with me." Ouch. I also liked Orleanna's sections of narration at the beginning of each section and Ruth May's piece at the end: they bookended the story in such a great way.
- The side characters were also extremely fleshed out and realistic. The different quirks and idiosyncrasies of each character made them multi-dimensional and exceedingly human. Even Nathan, who was frankly insane, had a well-developed character. Although I complained many times about the length of this book, I really do appreciate the way the story unfolds over several decades, following the girls as they grow into women and continue with their lives. I almost wish more of the novel had been dedicated to their adult lives; I found them to be much more interesting than chapter after chapter of teenagers in the Congo.
- The writing was simply phenomenal. The simple elegance of the syntax and the extremely well-curated word choice made this such an amazing read. Even in characters with more simple ways of speaking, such as Ruth May or Rachel, Kingsolver's masterful writing shines through.
Things I didn't like:
- This book was LONG. Over five hundred pages, making it the third(?) fourth(?) 500+ page book I've read this year, which I'm pretty sure is more than I read in the entirety of 2023. It took me weeks to get the the three hundredth page, only for me to sit down on the first day of summer break and finish the entire thing, reading over two hundred and forty pages in just a few hours. I don't actually have a complaint about this book's length, because I think it was perfect for what it was, but I wish I had had more time to read during the school year.
- Anatole and Leah. There relationship in adulthood was sweet, but he was too old for her. I rest my case.
5/5 stars, nearly perfect. Shout-out Jen for giving me this for my birthday, sorry it took me so long to get around to it lol.
There were so many beautiful, beautiful passages in this book that I had some difficulty selecting a quote, but I've picked one that sums up the entire thing pretty well:
"To live is to be marked. To live is to change, to acquire the words of a story, and that is the only celebration we mortals really know. In perfect stillness, frankly, I've only found sorrow.
Let's begin with what I loved about this book, because there was a lot:
I loved the unique voices/narration styles of each of the characters. It took me a while to appreciate this, but I really liked how different each of the girls' voices were: Ruth May, the baby, was obviously innocent, hilarious, and naive, while Leah's style was very straightforward and to-the-point. Although I initially didn't like Rachel's jaded whining, I found her parts to be easy to read and even funny at times, especially once I caught on to her malapropisms. Adah was undeniably my favorite because I felt her perspective to be the most similar to what mine would be: I found her questions to be the most introspective, her observations to be the most interesting, and her poems and palindromes to be downright delightful. Although Adah was a clear favorite of mine, Ruth May was not far behind, and
- The side characters were also extremely fleshed out and realistic. The different quirks and idiosyncrasies of each character made them multi-dimensional and exceedingly human. Even Nathan, who was frankly insane, had a well-developed character. Although I complained many times about the length of this book, I really do appreciate the way the story unfolds over several decades, following the girls as they grow into women and continue with their lives. I almost wish more of the novel had been dedicated to their adult lives; I found them to be much more interesting than chapter after chapter of teenagers in the Congo.
- The writing was simply phenomenal. The simple elegance of the syntax and the extremely well-curated word choice made this such an amazing read. Even in characters with more simple ways of speaking, such as Ruth May or Rachel, Kingsolver's masterful writing shines through.
Things I didn't like:
- This book was LONG. Over five hundred pages, making it the third(?) fourth(?) 500+ page book I've read this year, which I'm pretty sure is more than I read in the entirety of 2023. It took me weeks to get the the three hundredth page, only for me to sit down on the first day of summer break and finish the entire thing, reading over two hundred and forty pages in just a few hours. I don't actually have a complaint about this book's length, because I think it was perfect for what it was, but I wish I had had more time to read during the school year.
-
5/5 stars, nearly perfect. Shout-out Jen for giving me this for my birthday, sorry it took me so long to get around to it lol.
There were so many beautiful, beautiful passages in this book that I had some difficulty selecting a quote, but I've picked one that sums up the entire thing pretty well:
"To live is to be marked. To live is to change, to acquire the words of a story, and that is the only celebration we mortals really know. In perfect stillness, frankly, I've only found sorrow.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death and Child abuse
Moderate: Animal death, War, Violence, Animal cruelty, and Domestic abuse
Minor: Sexual harassment
scramuel058's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- 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
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Religious bigotry, and Child death
Moderate: Violence
Minor: Slavery and War
wordsmithreads's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Religious bigotry, Racism, Colonisation, Animal death, and Classism
Moderate: War, Ableism, and Child abuse
Minor: Infertility, Infidelity, Death of parent, and Cannibalism
porktheorc's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Child abuse, and Colonisation
bookish_bry's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
This book is beautiful. There are so many fantastic quotes I ended up highlighting and I imagine I'll find more when I read it again. It's very good, but it is a slow read. It's not just getting the slow tag because its <500 words (like some get). It is a slow story and is more of an extended metaphor in most places than a story. Still, it was a fantastic book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Child abuse, Racism, Death, Animal death, Grief, and Misogyny
fpcat99's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Cannibalism, Child death, Death of parent, Grief, Medical content, Sexism, Toxic relationship, War, Animal death, Death, Abandonment, Child abuse, Classism, Colonisation, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Misogyny, Pandemic/Epidemic, Racism, Religious bigotry, Slavery, and Vomit
jennmb's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- 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
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death
shinabery06's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
2.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death
sylviet's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- 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
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Classism, Colonisation, Grief, Domestic abuse, Religious bigotry, Child death, Death, Child abuse, Physical abuse, and War
Moderate: Body shaming, Fire/Fire injury, and Animal death
bmpicc's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- 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
3.0
This was my 3rd book by Kingsolver. It took me longer than expected, but I'm glad I didn't rush and risk missing something. Why then 3 stars? Simple. I enjoyed it, but 546 pages still seemed like a bit much. It is an interesting character study and I think whether you are religious or not, there is (or could be) a takeaway for each reader.
"As long as I kept moving, my grief streamed out behind me like a swimmer's long hair in water. I knew the weight was there but it didn't touch me."
"There are Christians and then there are Christian."
"The power is in the balance: we are our injuries, as much as we are our successes."
"As long as I kept moving, my grief streamed out behind me like a swimmer's long hair in water. I knew the weight was there but it didn't touch me."
"There are Christians and then there are Christian."
"The power is in the balance: we are our injuries, as much as we are our successes."
Content Warnings
Moderate: Classism, Grief, Racism, Violence, Child death, Animal death, Suicide attempt, Slavery, War, Colonisation, Cultural appropriation, Religious bigotry, Blood, Toxic relationship, and Bullying