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goodfriendguy's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
hopeful
mysterious
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
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Terminal illness, and Murder
Minor: Religious bigotry, Death of parent, and Suicide
builtonbooks's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.25
I read this on Easter weekend, a break from my cultural industries masters program, this somehow made more invested in my program. As a museum practitioner the scenes at the Museum of Civilization moved me so much. I binge read it from Good Friday to Black Saturday 2024 and somehow, as a lapsed Catholic, the timing felt right.
Beautiful uncompromising writing with moments that gave me goosebumps. Reading this in 2024, year 4 post COVID-19 was a wild ride, and I'm glad I waited till now to read it. It also made me miss home, family, and the light and heat of my country.
Beautiful uncompromising writing with moments that gave me goosebumps. Reading this in 2024, year 4 post COVID-19 was a wild ride, and I'm glad I waited till now to read it. It also made me miss home, family, and the light and heat of my country.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide, Gun violence, Pandemic/Epidemic, Medical trauma, Death, and Violence
Moderate: Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Rape
Minor: Animal death
chersonese's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
I really enjoyed this book, and it's made me realise that i'm much more a fan of multiple POVs in fiction that I first thought. It's something that you don't see too often, it's tricky to get a sprawling cast of characters right, easier to focus on one POV and do it well. In fact it's been said, somewhere by someone, that the optimal range of characters in any given scene that a person can keep track of is around seven. This book not only writes each different POV well, it shows you the ways in which you can play with a cast in scenes and expands on them in all the best ways.
Calling this a post-apocalyptic novel is going to mislead people, because while yes that is true I think it gives reader's certain expectations and leads them looking for an overarching plot, an obstacle to defeat, a villain. The book has those elements but they're not the main focus, this is a character-driven book, and subsequently the characters are driving you, the reader, to keep turning the page. I found myself several times going to a new chapter, seeing who's POV it was and being excited to hear more from a character we hadn't touched on in a few chapters. And I will admit I found myself wanting more of the characters, but (and I want to stress this) not because I feel they were not fleshed out in the writing, I wanted more of these characters because of how fleshed out they were.
I'm not normally in the business of writing long reviews, so i'll leave it with this. This book is about people, if you don't enjoy hearing about their everyday struggles, their seemingly generic highs and lows, their lives. If what you want is a fantastical adventure this book may leave you wanting, but I hope you'll read it anyway.
Calling this a post-apocalyptic novel is going to mislead people, because while yes that is true I think it gives reader's certain expectations and leads them looking for an overarching plot, an obstacle to defeat, a villain. The book has those elements but they're not the main focus, this is a character-driven book, and subsequently the characters are driving you, the reader, to keep turning the page. I found myself several times going to a new chapter, seeing who's POV it was and being excited to hear more from a character we hadn't touched on in a few chapters. And I will admit I found myself wanting more of the characters, but (and I want to stress this) not because I feel they were not fleshed out in the writing, I wanted more of these characters because of how fleshed out they were.
I'm not normally in the business of writing long reviews, so i'll leave it with this. This book is about people, if you don't enjoy hearing about their everyday struggles, their seemingly generic highs and lows, their lives. If what you want is a fantastical adventure this book may leave you wanting, but I hope you'll read it anyway.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Moderate: Suicide, Murder, and Gun violence
curriedpeas's review
adventurous
dark
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pandemic/Epidemic and Death
Moderate: Gun violence and Violence
Minor: Adult/minor relationship and Rape
nikelback's review against another edition
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder and Violence
Minor: Rape
scockroft's review against another edition
hopeful
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
4.5
A story about what humans hold onto as they enter a desolate world. Finding joy and purpose in art, creation, and the stories of yesterday. As a cancer survivor, this story resonated with me with its themes of moving on after tragedy and what truly matters when you are left with nothing. “Because survival is insufficient”.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pandemic/Epidemic
Moderate: Violence
erikabites's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pandemic/Epidemic and Violence
Minor: Rape
sandysmith's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-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
3.5
So hard to decide where to start with the review of this one, published in 2014, the book explores a dystopia world of those who survive a flu that kills 99.6% of the population within 3/4 hours of contracting the virus. So within 20 years young people are unable to know a time when there was electricity, mobile phones, air travel the internet, cars and so forth and how different people react to this change. The book does hop around different times and different characters, of which there are many, my favourites being Kirsten a child actress, who was 8 when the flu hit. There is a travelling symphony that she d part of, which goes from town to town, in a circuit, giving shows of music with their orchestra or plays, including Shakespeare. On their wagons is the slogan, "Survival is inefficient." From Star Trek Voyager. For me, parts of the book were slow, and I enjoyed the second half of the book more than the first, although it was a bit of a disappointing ending. But boy, does this book make you think and appreciate all of the things we have. I'm just glad I read this now and not when the global pandemic was at its peak. Interesting, thought-provoking, and well written.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Death, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Moderate: Murder, Gun violence, Rape, Suicide, and Kidnapping
iszys's review
adventurous
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- 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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Pandemic/Epidemic
Moderate: Violence
Minor: Rape
jerwoodson's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Suicide, Violence, and Pandemic/Epidemic