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issyd23's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Basically the quiet, artsy, English version of Michael Bay’s The Island. TBH I kinda prefer Bay’s version with car chases & explosions 3👩🏼🍼
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Body horror, Bullying, Cancer, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Infertility, Medical content, Torture, Death, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Ableism, Blood, Grief, Medical trauma, Chronic illness, Confinement, and Terminal illness
sammelito's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Emotionally gripping story, with a narrative style I loved. Focus on the characters, but with a looming dystopia which added to the whole.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death and Toxic friendship
Minor: Medical content
librarymouse's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I read this book once before, as a child, but I forgot how much it hurts. Beautifully written, heartbreaking, and begging the reader to confront and understand a horrifying ethical dilemma within the view of a pastoral childhood, this book is one that I will never be able to forget and one which will never stop hurting.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Infertility, Medical content, Sexual content, Death, and Medical trauma
Moderate: Classism and Cancer
frannyrdclark's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-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? It's complicated
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying
Moderate: Death, Medical content, and Sexual content
Minor: Infertility
charliereadsalot's review against another edition
3.0
3 STARS
CW: mention of homophobia, death (of loved ones), bullying, mention of infertility
I read this for a class at uni and must admit, I probably wouldn't have picked it up otherwise. Generally, I liked the book, especially because of all the questions it raised. Admittedly, it made me want to continue reading if only to find out what Madame's Gallery was all about and what Hailsham was actually all about. But I never found myself truly loving what I was reading, probably also because it read a lot like literary fiction to me and that just isn't my genre. I feel like over the course of the entire book nothing happened but still, enough was going on (and you know, the incentive of having to write an exam about this) to keep me going.
While reading I was trying to piece together what was going on and it came together in a painstakingly slow way. And all the while, there is still so much to think about regarding Kathy, Ruth and Tommy's (as well as their fellow students) experiences at Hailsham, that entire enterprise of the school and their fates after they left.They were never truly free, their entire purpose was being an organ donor in their later life and even though Miss Emily explained to Kathy and Tommy that she and Marie-Claude initiated Hailsham to make the students experience more humane, was it really? Why give them a false sense of hope and joy in life when it doesn't amount to anything in the end? And even the system of Carers and Donors keeps them amongst themselves, isolates them from each other in their roles. But they grow up in this system and never even question its legitimacy, they just accept it and conform to it.
I think it's hard to talk about the full scope of this story without giving anything away and as usual I'm highly anticipating the discussion about it in class.
CW: mention of homophobia, death (of loved ones), bullying, mention of infertility
I read this for a class at uni and must admit, I probably wouldn't have picked it up otherwise. Generally, I liked the book, especially because of all the questions it raised. Admittedly, it made me want to continue reading if only to find out what Madame's Gallery was all about and what Hailsham was actually all about. But I never found myself truly loving what I was reading, probably also because it read a lot like literary fiction to me and that just isn't my genre. I feel like over the course of the entire book nothing happened but still, enough was going on (and you know, the incentive of having to write an exam about this) to keep me going.
While reading I was trying to piece together what was going on and it came together in a painstakingly slow way. And all the while, there is still so much to think about regarding Kathy, Ruth and Tommy's (as well as their fellow students) experiences at Hailsham, that entire enterprise of the school and their fates after they left.
I think it's hard to talk about the full scope of this story without giving anything away and as usual I'm highly anticipating the discussion about it in class.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying and Death
Minor: Homophobia and Infertility
theraindiary's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-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? No
4.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death and Medical content
cmcrockford's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.5
Gahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic friendship, Terminal illness, and Death
Moderate: Cursing, Medical content, and Forced institutionalization
Minor: Sexual content
samchase112's review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
It’s hard to say how I feel about this book. After just finishing, I really feel at peace with the ending and the characters’ fates — and didn’t come close to crying, the way so many people seem to. What I’m most impressed with is the slow yet compulsive writing style, and the way the woven nature of the narrator’s memory not only mirrors real life so well, but also makes you want to keep turning the pages, even if not much substantial is going. Definitely an interesting book, and one I’m glad I read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Terminal illness, Death, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Medical content and Sexual content
Minor: Cancer and War
faythfarrar's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death
stitcho's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Medical trauma, Medical content, Terminal illness, and Death
Minor: Cancer