Reviews tagging 'Child abuse'

Small Island by Andrea Levy

1 review

crazytourists_books's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful informative sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

I really liked this book. I was a bit unsure at first but slowly it got a grasp on me that was getting tighter by the page and towards the end I read it with one breath, I didn't want it to finish. 
I liked the characters, they could all be my next door neighbours, people I meet everyday at my kids school. They were very well developed,  with good and bad moments, with flaws and virtues. They could be real humans. And that, in combination with a good story, is what makes a great book. 
The story itself is quite interesting, the pre and post WWII English society, with the not so subtle racism towards the citizens of their colonies, who were obviously good enough to exploit and use and have them fight in the war but not good enough to walk in the pavements of "the mother country", work and live and prosper. 
It does show the ugly face of England, that mentality and argument used by the brexit supporters against immigrants. And that ugly face is portrayed brilliantly. 
A great book, a worthy winner of the awards that it received. 

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