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violas_odyssee's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Death and Medical trauma
rondasue27's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Moderate: Death, Car accident, Suicide, and Fire/Fire injury
cassie7e's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
One of the better examples of magical realism in English literature that I've come across, that doesn't veer into fantasy or quaintness. The magic isn't overt or explicable, nor is it undercut by logic.
Two things I could do without:
- shame over the character's physical appearance
- one of the romance storylines that felt rushed and undeveloped
Moderate: Confinement, Death, Cancer, Car accident, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, and Mental illness
Minor: War
mishale1's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Myra doesn’t have many ties to the outside world. She’s very dedicated to her own private world and her best friend encouraged her to share that world and her stories online.
Myra has a minuscule mansion (do not call it a dollhouse, that infuriates Myra). This beautiful house was given to her when she was a small child by her grandfather, it belonged to his wife Trixie. Myra didn’t have much time with her step-grandmother, she entered Myra’s life at age 3 and passed away on Myra’s 5th birthday. But Trixie made an impact and she left Myra with a lot of memories.
As an adult, Myra spends all of her time caring for and redecorating the miniature mansion. She works online. She doesn’t leave her house. She barely knows how her phone works. Honestly, this aspect of the story is quite sad.
Myra’s best friend encouraged her to write stories and post pictures of the mansion online. Myra’s site is incredibly popular.
One day, something unthinkable strange happens: a man named Alex reaches out to Myra. His family’s actual house looks exactly like Myra’s mini mansion. Exactly. Even the Toni details in Myra’s mansion, little pieces of artwork or furniture, exist in full size in the real mansion.
There’s something magical going on here. Myra has always known there’s some magic to the mansion but she doesn’t know anything more than that.
There’s also a third character in the story that we meet in the past, her story is threaded throughout this story and she has ties to the mansion.
Very unique story. It was sad at times. I do think the story ended somewhat suddenly, I could definitely have gone for some extra explanations at the end. But there’s magic involved, I shouldn’t expect explained, right?
Graphic: Grief
Moderate: Death and Cancer
irenemarie's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, and Car accident
Moderate: Suicide, Mental illness, and Grief
mtnest's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Moderate: Death, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Abandonment, Suicide, Emotional abuse, and Death of parent
Lord’s name taken in vaincassielaj's review against another edition
- 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
One complaint is that this should not be categorized as a romance book. It has a romance storyline, but that plot is not the most important one in the book. It’s much more about family. This reads more as contemporary fiction or “women’s fiction.”
Graphic: Death, Suicide, Car accident, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Cancer, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, War, and Child abuse
Depictions of trauma after military service