Reviews with content warning for Sexual harassment - Паперовий палац

Reviews tagging 'Sexual harassment'

Паперовий палац by Miranda Cowley Heller

126 reviews

flakeyreader123's review against another edition

emotional reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

Whilst getting through the book room longer than anticipated, I really enjoyed the experience of it- it’s always a good sign when you aren’t checking page numbers whilst reading. The content was challenging in a number of ways, and I’m not sure what to make of the ending just yet- it feels like it needs time to reflect and percolate on. Immediate thoughts were that the ending felt a little disappointing, but in many ways I can also see how I would have felt that way if any different version of the ending had arisen (trying to avoid spoilers!)

The writing was a pleasure to read, and I particularly enjoyed the warm representation of familial love and relationships within the immediate family, with its ups and downs, whilst illustrating how trying to care for family could affect your decision making in an attempt to protect them.

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just_natalie's review against another edition

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emotional reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

This was a frustrating read. It jumps all over the place in time. Often times going back-and-forth with different characters in a way that does not make sense and is not easy to follow. I truly hated all of the storylines except for the current day storyline, but yet there was so little of it. The ending is ambiguous and nothing gets solved. It’s quite vulgar and showed all of the worst sides of every character and offered no redeeming qualities to anyone. It’s not a book to read if you’re seeking an escape from the ugly truths of the world and relationships. It has some pretty haunting scenes of sexual abuse of minors.

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jadedjill's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.0

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ercabrwll's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character

3.0

Major TW: S.A. (specifically of minors) I don’t love when a book relies on S.A. to drive the narrative, and the end left much to be desired. The actual writing is beautiful; would love to see other works by the author not so heavily intertwined w/assault.

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purpl_pages's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

The beauty of this book for me lay in how Heller intertwines the protagonist’s past and her family’s past with the choices she faces today. Perspective is important and provides a lot of depth to her present-day narrative. Despite some responses, I think the main question is less the ending’s ambiguity and more whether the ending is a happy or sad one… as with many real-life choices, I think the answer is both, although to me, I believe choosing change over the same pattern of unfulfilling marriages her mother experienced seems the more positive option. That perhaps reflects more on the reader's views on marriage, relationships and dreams for life than anything else…
The pacing did start off a bit slow and the moments of revelation fall slightly short of satisfying so wouldn’t give a higher rating, but I really enjoyed the book overall.

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kelseyr713's review against another edition

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emotional mysterious reflective sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Couldn't put this down! The writing is lyrical and the author's ability to portray place is impeccable. I really cared about Elle and enjoyed the dual timelines. The only thing that would have made this better for me was an epilogue.

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